Dear Kobe

Dear Kobe,

The first concrete memory that I have as a basketball fan was watching MJ hitting the game winning shot in the 1998 NBA finals vs The Utah Jazz. Until that moment, I was just a casual fan. That same year, Dirk Nowitzki was drafted and seeing Dirk developed as a player and seeing the Mavericks gradually get better as a team and finally make the playoffs, made me realized how great Kobe was as a competitor and basketball player. He was a fierce competitor and he never backed down from anything or anyone. I remember all those times The Mavs played The Lakers and he would break my heart, because it seemed like every time The Mavs would finally beat The Lakers, Kobe would hit a clutch shot to lead The Lakers to another win. A great example of this was when he scored 62 points in three quarters vs The Mavs on December 20, 2005. A few weeks later, on January 22, 2006 he scored 81 points vs The Toronto Raptors. On April 13, 2016, Kobe played his final game as professional basketball player vs The Utah Jazz, he scored 60 points. Those are just a few of the many examples of why he was a GREAT basketball player.

In the 2011 playoffs series between The Mavs and Lakers, The Mavs swept The Lakers and Kobe was beyond frustrated; that type of passion, work ethic, and competitive drive was the thing that made him one of the all time greats. But even after losing the series to The Mavs, he was one of the many NBA players that wanted The Mavs and Dirk to win the championship he undeniably deserved. The respect he showed for Dirk was one of a kind. Kobe is one of the few players that knew how hard is it to win a ring. The amount of blood, sweat, tears, and hours of work it takes to be one of the few to be able to call himself an NBA Champion. He knew what it means to stay with one team for 20 plus years, he knew that you can be a champion one day and suffer a devastating injury the next.

When Kobe tore his Achilles, he got up, hit his two free throws, and walked off the court under his own power. That is the personification of who Kobe was as a player, competitor, and as a person in his every day life. He worked tirelessly to come back and keep playing the game he loved so dearly. The love for his franchise and the game as a whole, is one that you see once in a generation. His legacy is one that extends beyond just the NBA or the sports world in general, he was an example of how great the human spirit can be even through adversity. Beyond a basketball player, he was a husband, father, son, brother, and a kind human being that pushed and inspired everyone he reached in one way or another, to be great and reach their full potential. He was one of the best to ever do it, he made the game damn fun to watch. You will be dearly missed beyond just the basketball world. But you gave millions of basketball fans around the world some great memories on and off the court. The only thing left to say is: Thank You.

Rest in peace,
Kobe  Bean “Black Mamba” Bryant

As I Sit Here

As I sit here, with a whole bunch of text book reading that I dont want to do, I think of all the hopes and dreams I had that have never come true. Things rarely work out the way we plan and sometimes it feels like we have reach a dead end. Will I ever find what I am looking for? I dont know. I think I am still looking for a place where I belong.

There are two things I have learn to be very important: One is that the easiest way to lose something is to wanted too badly, and the other is that the first step to find a resolution to a problem is to accept you have a problem, and then you can start working on being your old self.

My Days of Summer

Ok well I have not really done much this summer other than hang out with my friends and take summer classes at Mountain View. Which to me are easier than Mrs. Grimes class sophomore year, but I guess that just means that our AP Teacher did a good job preparing us for college. I have to say there have been a few things I learned over the summer and one of the most important ones are not to take life too seriously, you will never make it out alive! I go back to UT in about two weeks which I think is good because here I kind of feel out of place, I guess is because everybody went their separate ways now and my life now is in Austin. But I am going to miss my friends very much to metiioned a couple that have blogs they are Rocio, Noemi, and Jonathan, I wish them and the rest of my friends the best of luck in whatever they do! Until next time, take care and do not forget to smile!

I am Back

Hey after a long time, I am finally back to posting. So, my first year of college is over and by the end of my freshman year I am a junior. Now, I am at Harvard on the Hill (Mountain View College), taking Goverment yes me and school...... I know I can't get enough.
But in my first year my GPA at UT is a 3.7 so I must say I did aight for myself. Well Ill be back I dont know when, but enjoy your summer every one I am out deuce!

My first semester in college and coming home

Well I took 12 hours this semester, which means four classes- I got an A, B, B, and another one I do not know yet, but I think is a B or A. College is an amazing experience leaving everything behind and starting a new journey is no doubt difficult, but at the same time a worthwhile experience. I have learned many things about myself and the world. I have grown and matured much compared to last year. I learn the value of just sitting there dicussing philosophy with my friend Gus. I have known what an all-nighter is and how being exposed to a different culture has made me see things in a big picture, not just Oak Cliff.

College is challenging, but is worth it in my opinion. I have made some new friends and appreciate my old ones. In college I realized that life is not eternal and is not guaranteed to any of us. SO, whatever you do in life, make sure it makes you happy. But what I mean by happy, is not material things, but true long lasting things, like your friends, family, or who ever you have a deep connection with. Hopefully, alll of you will have someone to share your experiences, hardships, stories, and moments of happiness.

Sometimes, life is hard, but like I always say:"It is only through darkness that you learned to appreciate the light." One might go through suffering and hearbreaks because that is just part of life. One of the things that is hardest to understand is love, because it can break your heart many times, but it can also be an umexplicable and amazing feeling.

Remember, no matter what, fight for what you believe in and if you find something that is worth fighting for fight for it, because that is the only way we can appreciate the true meaning of life. By finding and fighting for what gives our lives meaning. And no matter what you go through, always try to look at the big picture and maybe you will find that things are not so bad and the strength to keep of fighting and to get through the tough times in life.

I came home, but everythings seems different some things are good and some bad, but I keep thinking to myself, maybe if I keep fighting one more day, I can learn to appreciate the beautiful things in life. Things are confusing, but life is tough and we have to deal with it. Sometimes, is hard to find the strengh and the courage to keep going because the pain and suffering is sometimes fatal, whether physical or emotion, maybe beneath all the pain lies somethings beautiful and thbe pain and suffering is just a right of passage. Carpe Diem, Seize the day, and you might just find many aspects to life that might just make your life more meaningful and fruitful.

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. ---Anonymous---

Take care, and happy holidays.

Life is too short for hatred and anger. Thinking of the small things we do each day I find that sometimes we hate something without even realizing that we are doing it. I think that sometimes, we do not stop to think what our hatred and anger do to us. These emotions create division barriers between us and instead of standing together, there is a constant war between us. A war that seems endless and all we have to show for it is more hatred and more anger which leads to cruel and cold-bloded acts.

The constitution says, "All men are created equal," yet we are put into categories: Black, White, Hispanics, Native American and so on. If "All Men are Created Equal," Why can't there be only *one* race? The Human Race* Hatred and Anger lead to more Hatred and Anger, Taking retaliation is not going to undue the act that was done, but only going to created more and more of these acts.

We must know or limits, or else we will bring ourselves to our ultimate destruction.

Reflection

Today, in my freshman seminar class we talked about dying and death. I don't remember the name of the person who came up with this theory, but basically it is the stages of dying and death: Denial, Anger, Barganning, Depression, and Acceptence. One can skip stages or be stuck in one stage for a prolonged period of time. I think the reason why death is so difficult to deal with is because trying to forget someone you love, is like trying to remember someone you never met.
We came to the conclusion that is best to say how much you appreciate the ones that sorround us instead of having the regrets of never telling them how we fell after they are gone. Death is the end of our existence, but think of what imprint you want to leave after you are gone? Say what you feel needs to be said to your love ones because life is a once in a lifetime opportunity after we are gone we can't ever come back. The only thing that will live on are the memories that others have of you and that you have of others. How do you want to be remembered?
The end will inevitably come and when it does, one might ask, did I deserve to have the privilege of being alive? There is only one life for everyone we must care for our own life and others’ because when the end comes we cannot go back in time and correct our mistakes, vindicate our sins, or say “I am sorry” to the ones we hurt. Life is hard, but what is even harder is wasting the chance to live life to the fullest.
There are no absolutes for something so relative as a human life. There are no rules for something so gentle as a heart.--Hugh Prather--

College, What a wonderful place!!!

Well, I have had my first round of test and I fair pretty well. I got an 84 on my first Bio test and a 74 on my Psy test, but I been doing the extra credit projects so my grade will improve from about five to ten points. So far I have written five papers taken two test and a quiz. Oh yea, and who can forget? I have done lots and lots of reading sounds like fun huh? Actually, there is more to college then all the work I am talking about, you have total freedom you can do whatever you want ranging from studing to partying or just staying up late talking to your friends about random subjects and eating the mediocrer cafeteria food. Is nothing compared to the food my mom makes back home. I miss the food. Those anyone know where I can find a Cesar's taco here in Austin? Until next time take care and keep working hard for your goals and dreams, remember the words of Ghandi,Be the change you want to see in the world!

A Flashback of Acadec

Yesterday, I took my first exam since I been here at UT. It was for Biology I think I did pretty well on it. Man all the reading we have to do is crazy and then take test on what we read is just like acadec. In fact, my psy professor is giving a 50 question multiple choice test just like a standard acadec test. I have written a bunch of papers already and still there are a lot more to go. Ok, well till next time Peace!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is not by accident that the happiest people are those who make a conscious effort to live useful lives. Their happiness, of course, is not a shallow exhilaration where life is one continuos intoxicating party. Rather, their happiness is a deep sense of inner peace that comes when they believe their lives have meaning and that they are making a difference for good in the world. -Ernest A. Fitzgerald