February Features Are Here!

Remember to read all of the selections for this month --   comments are for this latest group only (no earlier months/submissions, or last year's submissions)

Remember:
All Students:  Be sure to read the entries for this group  (February writers).  Everyone is required to comment on at least three different pieces of writing.  You must post the comment here on the blog (below the post is the "comments" link to click) AND cut and paste your comments, complete with dates and times, on to a Word document and turn it in to me by March 6.  You must do both to get credit for comments this month.

Remember, comments must be positive, supportive, constructive, and SPECIFIC.  No "Good Job!" comments, unless you follow that with specific things you thought were done well in the piece.  Show them you actually took the time to read and enjoy their work!

"Falling Gracefully: A Personal Snapshot on Casual Chaos" by Alexander A.

Phone? Check.

Keys? Check.

Wallet? Huh… Where did I put that again?

This is the usual routine at my house, some time around 6:45 AM, give or take two minutes. The previous night is a blur: Sleep deprivation mixed with a brain set on reaching heavenly slumber is not something to be mixed with, much like pedestrians and freeways in the macabre parody “Dancing with the Cars”. I don't have much time to lose— You’re late for practice at 7— and in an act of desperation, I tear through my room to find it, tossing much of the pillows, papers, and precious keepsakes in a rush-induced fury. No luck. I’ll just have to take the bus, the speediest form of transportation our school has to offer. I flop on my bed to wait for its dreaded arrival when I feel it: the black leather wallet holding my driver’s license. By a stroke of luck, I must have recreated last night’s sleep ritual and by extension, found exactly where I put more like thrown my wallet. I sprint to my car. After all, I’ve already wasted my 30 second grace period on the usual shenanigans.

In every aspect of the word, my life is a chaotic mess. From a young age, I remember my parents scolding me for losing umbrellas, backpacks, and at times, myself when they dragged me along to shop. I also fondly recall the time in early middle school when my teacher pointed at my paper cornucopia and asked, “What folder is that for?” to which I proudly replied, “All of them!” with an innocent smile. Even as I type, my table is cluttered to the point of barely functioning as a work desk.

This is actually one of the better days my desk has seen. More often than not, its local climate consists of paper avalanches and school supply showers.

Over the years, I’ve tried combating this predisposition to clutter with a variety of calendars and to-do lists, and more recently, I’ve combined these “managerial miracles” with the power of my phone, an iPhone, if my iMac didn’t imply imprisonment to the Apple ecosystem. They now function as untouched Edens, filled with organization spring pools. Maybe it’s for the best: Their existence hinges on my merciful neglect and abundant iPhone storage space. This unstoppable chaos creeps into my life and spawns in every place it can manifest itself. My mind is not safe to this force, and I am familiar to the feeling of foggy forgetfulness that often plagues me, alongside the ever-expanding list of things demanding my attention.

A part of my bed and headboard. Did you notice I cleaned up a bit for this photo? The (empty) humidifier is my current mini-geoengineering project to prevent nosebleeds within the vicinity. Also shown: my wallet, along with two decoys.

I should be afraid that this casual chaos will eventually overwhelm me, but I do my best to manage. I often joke that I’m a devout zealot of entropy, following its wake to better understand and cope. I fancy it to “falling gracefully”: when everything seems to be plunging deeper into disorder, a little grace can make things easier to manage. The sky isn’t falling; the second coming isn’t today; the wallet on the right is not a decoy. Messes are ok, and once more, I enter into the fray.

“How to Make My Creamy Fettuccine Sausage Alfredo.” By Joshua D

With spring and summer slowly approaching what better dish to bring to a kickback or family party to impress your friends or family than some creamy sausage alfredo. Ever since I was young Chicken Alfredo had always been one of my go to dishes when going to an Italian restaurant however I decided to try my hand at making Alfredo with my own twist. What makes my Alfredo different is that instead of chicken I use a more flavorful smoked sausage as the main source of protein and utilize three different types of cheese. The preparation time for this dish is around 1 hour to an hour and a half .Hopefully this recipe not only fills you up but feeds your soul as well with its thick and creamy sauce.
Materials :
Large pot Large pan Bowl
Paper towels
Ingredients:
Smoked sausage
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves of garlic
16 oz heavy cream
1 package of fettuccine pasta Salt
Black pepper
Nutmeg
Olive oil
1⁄2 cup shredded parmesan
1 cup shredded white cheddar 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Pasta preparation:
Step 1:In a large pot fill 3⁄4 full of water and add about 3 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil on
high heat.
Step 2:Once boiling take the bundle of fettuccine pasta and drop it in the center of the pot to
help prevent them from sticking together.
Step 3:Cook pasta till al dente which should take around 8 to 13 minutes or until preferred
texture.
Step 4:Once done strain the pasta and add 2 tbsp of olive oil help prevent sticking and place
to the side for now.
Alfredo Sauce preparation:
Step 1:Take the smoked sausage cut it into 1⁄2 inch thick slices.

Step 2:In a large pan add 2 tbsp of olive oil and add in the sliced smoked sausage. Cooking until crisp and brown on both sides.
Step 3:Once cooked remove the sausage and place in a bowl lined with paper towel to help soak the remaining oil.
Step 4:Using the same pan, now coated with the flavor from the smoked sausage, at medium heat add 2 tbsp of butter. Once melted add in the finely chopped garlic and cook until light brown.
Step 5:Once the garlic has turned a light brown, pour in 16 oz of heavy cream with 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Continuously mix until it begins to simmer.
Step 6:With the cream simmering add in 1⁄2 cup of parmesan, 1 cup white cheddar, and 1 cup mozzarella while mixing continuously to prevent any lumps from forming. Add more cheese if the sauce is not to your preferred thickness.
Step 7:Once the sauce is to your preferred thickness, add in the cooked smoked sausage and fettuccine, mix well, and serve.
This pasta is best served with some salad or garlic bread as well as great company. I hope you enjoy my take on Fettuccine Alfredo a recipe that I was able to come up with from my interest in cooking and interest in alfredo. This recipe is a for sure way to bring a smile to anyone's face and satisfy any craving.

"Misunderstood " by Brandon Y

When I was a kid, my teachers would say I talked too much in class. For me, it wasn’t about disrupting the class or bringing attention to myself. I was an enthusiastic kid that liked school even though not everyone perceived me as that. My sixth grade teacher didn’t particularly like me. I had no clue as to why but it didn’t bother me. Every Friday we used to do a timed vocab quiz and there was a silent competition among the kids in the class of who could finish first. I am super competitive and I tried so hard to get first every time we did this. I finished first one time all year and I was so excited I jumped out of my chair and yelled, “First!”. My teacher glared at me and told me to sit down. I brushed it off as another mystery as to why he hated me so much. After the first trimester, the teacher sits down with the student’s parents and discusses how the first trimester went. I had gotten straight A’s and never caused any trouble in my eyes, yet when my parents and my teacher had the conference my teacher told my parents that I liked to bring attention to myself in class and didn’t know how to humble myself. As I look back on it now, six years later, I know that what he said wasn’t based on observations but emotion. But at the time I took what he said and thought that maybe I had been a problem. From that moment on I became quiet, seemingly reserved, because in my mind being silent was being humble and not talking would keep people from seeing me as an attention seeker. So, if you see me walking down the hallways with my earbuds in all the time, the habit started as a result of trying to keep myself occupied to create the perception of being the opposite of an attention seeker. If you’ve had me in a class you know that I’m the kid that sits in the back of the class and will probably say one word all year but it’s not because I don’t care, I’m just more focused on what the teacher

has to say. When we’re having a conversation and I seem quiet, it’s not because I’m shy. I’m just more interested in listening to what you have to say. A lot of people perceive me as spoiled and an attention seeker because I wear overpriced clothes. But get to know me and you’ll never see me showing off my clothes on social media, you won’t catch me bragging to people about how much my jacket costs. In fact, I’ll tell you I got my clothes from Goodwill because I sincerely don’t want to be perceived as arrogant or spoiled. Ever since my sixth grade teacher told my parents I had to learn to humble myself, I’ve worked to keep myself out of the spotlight, be as unknown as possible, and be as silent as possible because that’s the only way I knew how to be “humble” and if there’s one type of person I hate it’s the one that likes to brag and show everyone up. A lot of people still see me as a guy with rich parents and as someone who’s always trying to be cool. My parents are middle class and I worked 36 hours a week during the summer to get what I wanted and save for college. Do I like to dress nice? Yes. Do I buy overpriced clothes? Yes. Do some people see my silence as not caring? Yes. Has my personality changed since sixth grade? Absolutely. I can understand where people might misconstrue my personality as distasteful. But at one point I stopped trying to explain myself to people and this may be the last time I try to get people to understand who I am. If there was anything I would want people to know it would be that I worked for everything I have and I’m a normal guy who’s lived his life making sure people don’t see him as boisterous but as a guy who loves his friends, loves life, and doesn’t try to be something he’s not. To many the criticism of a sixth grade teacher may seem insignificant but it influenced me to become who I am today and although my outer shell has completely changed since my childhood, inside I am still a fun-loving, loyal, normal guy who doesn’t have much to say but is eager to listen to what you have to say.

"True Success" by Maya B

Every person has their own definition of success. To meet all of my personal goals and
pursuing happiness is the true definition of success for me. Other people’s thoughts and opinions do not determine success. When I am older, I would like to experience the feeling of excitement in my life on a daily basis. I also want to be able to feel relaxed. My ideal weekend would consist of a small trip near the beach and meditation. I would like to eliminate all stress and negative thoughts from my mind. If stress is eliminated on a daily basis, my life would be full of more positive outcomes. The only praise I will need is the praise my husband and loved ones will give me. I will also accept praise for my career successes. Throughout my life I am going to meet so many new people. I want to create bonds with others and show them true friendship because I feel like everyone deserves to experience what having a true friend is. People deserve to feel they are worth something and have a purpose in this society. When I die, I want others to remember my outgoing and caring personality. Making others smile warms my heart. In the future, I desire to have at least two months of vacation per year. I actually wish to go on vacation whenever I feel like it. Skydiving and going on a hot air balloon are on my bucket list. I would also love to ride dolphins in Mexico. I need to try exotic foods whenever I go because I need to broaden my appetite. Everywhere I drive to I want to park the car and go out and explore my surroundings. Adopting wild animals has always been a dream of mine. I would like to be treated with respect by my family and my husband. My ideal mate would be someone who respects me, loves me unconditionally, makes me laugh and smile, has a stable career and makes good money, handsome and is great with kids. I would like my family to describe me as being successful,

outgoing, sweet, silly, joyful and beautiful. A dream romantic getaway with my spouse would be to go anywhere near the beach or somewhere where there is no one around and is peaceful. Success is not always revolve around a career. To be successful also means becoming the person you aspire to be. As I grow older, I wish to become a better person and to grow. I will feel good about my career, but I will truly feel successful when I reach these goals for becoming a better individual.

"Ortnitefay " by Jason N

Silence devours the atmosphere as I stay hidden behind a tree near what used to be a building. It has been five days since I’ve been on this damned Island and who knows what could happen next. For the sake of security I recall my name many times in my head “Paxton, Paxton, Paxton...” It’s odd but, my name is about all I can remember as well as parts of what happened before I’ve awakened here. It was pouring outside that day, dark and gloomy, though I started to believe the outside looked a lot more lively compared to my house. My parents often had “friendly conversations” that led to extreme showcases of “physical affection”. Those dreadful times are now memories in which I cherish in my lonely hours here. Anywho, I was laying in bed that day, sleeping, when suddenly an immense amount of pain hit my leg. I woke up and found myself on this island with a backpack beside me containing only a gun and a knife. For the time I’ve been here fruits and dirty water was about all I’ve been able to obtain but, about three days ago I found a boar roaming around the bushes. Without hesitation I aimed at it and oddly it was already on the floor bleeding, out from the bushes appeared... BANG! Loud bursts from nearby echoes throughout the entire island. My heart started beating faster than Chopin’s - Minute Waltz on top of a roadrunner. I’ve forgotten that I was not the only one who was stranded on the island. Reminded of my situation I check for what I have on hand. I began to get teary eyed as I saw that I have made no progress in scavenging whatsoever. Wiping my eyes I muster whatever courage I could possibly have left and began scouting. I climbed to the top of the tree making sure the leaves were covering me and looked in the direction of where the shot came from. I let out a chuckle to make myself appear cool.
“There he is.” I whispered
As I looked at him a little longer I began to feel discouraged. He had a strong physique, casual clothes on, and had a mask that gave me no-no vibes. As though victorious and arrogant he sat on the man he had just killed looking through his backpack. Fear then washed over me as he stood up and turned over to my direction.
“He’s the one that did it. He’s the one that killed that boar!” I shouted in my head.
Getting ready I cocked my gun and waited. Suddenly the man started rushing towards me and oh lord, I just peed in my pants. I facepalmed myself with the fact that I, a grown man just wet himself. Completely thrown off, I started scouting again. I could no longer see him or find him, so I climbed down the tree and went towards the destroyed building. Rushing, I opened the door quietly and crept in. The musty smell made me gag and the corridor of the building was just another horror story cliche. Sitting in the corner I cried to myself waiting for the angels to pick me up oh so gracefully, I began to delude myself. Seraphim came to me in open

Jason Nguyen 2/15/18 P.2

arms and I happily opened mine as well. Approaching Seraphin the masked man somehow made his debut appearance and out of fear, I closed my eyes started shooting. BANG, BANG, BANG! I rapidly pull the trigger swinging my index finger pointed back and forth in the trigger guard. Thinking that I had just killed someone I opened my eyes. Shocked, I stood there feeling the exit of the corridor had just stretched further away from me. He was still alive, the only thing dead was Seraphim who had opened up to me. I started to recall Bishop Bullwinkle’s - Hell Naw meme and ran, but I was far too late. The masked man had already grabbed on to my shoulders with his gun on hand. Desperately, I reached behind my back for my knife. He realized immediately what I was reaching for and shot me on the spot. Staring blankly at the wall, I had just noticed I lost a match in Fortnite.

"My Problem with College" by Garrett D

   

    Growing up, my parents always told me about college and how I would one day be heading to one. I have always seen myself heading off to some university after high school. The thought always gave me a drive to do better in academics and made me excited to start a new chapter in my life. Most people feel that way about college, no matter where they go or what they plan to study. I felt that way from the moment I knew about college, but then I got to my last year of highschool.

    I have always lived in the same house and hung out with my same group of friends. These didn’t become apparent to me until college was less than a year away. I slowly began to realize what I would be leaving when I left, and how I would almost have to start over with new friends. I had trouble completing my college applications since I was so bothered with this. For all of the colleges I applied to, I would definitely have to move away from my family and friends. I would have trouble seeing my brother, my parents, and my best friend who has always lived across the street from me. I was worried about my future. I worried about my relations with my friends and family and how I could do my best to see them. I knew they were worried too, but they were also excited for my future.

    Eventually I realized that I wasn’t the only person afraid of the leaving people behind. Everybody has relationships and friendships that will be threatened by college. Even the people that I will meet at college will be going through a very similar situation. Change is often considered a good thing, but I don’t find it necessary. Yet, it is a part of everyone’s life. I’m not really excited for college, even though I act like I am for family friends and other people that apparently care more than I do. I’m excited to meet new people, live in a new place, and also get out of high school. I know I’ll see my friends and family. I also know I’ll eventually get used to my new life. But I wish I didn’t have to go to a college and leave everything I know and love just to have security for my future and career, which isn’t guaranteed. Again, some people can’t wait to leave for college, but I’m happy where I am.

"The Horrid Unknowns" by Melissa C

Heading down the stairs as he typically did every weekday night around 8:30. He walks to the kitchen where his sister was sitting at the dining table eating cereal. Finding himself appetized by the cinnamon toast crunch he decides to join in and accompany her. They had a little conversation as usual, talking about how their school days went. However after some time in that fashion his sister decided to head to her room for the night, as she was very tired. Now alone downstairs, he plugged his ear buds in and watched a few videos on his phone before heading up stairs, whilst he knew the friendly voices of his favorite Youtubers would keep him company. Meanwhile he finished his cereal, washed the dishes and curled up on the sofa for a few.

His phone shut off. It was dead; he had drained the battery watching his videos. Looking up, until them did he realize it was already quite late and 2 hours had past. Thus he figured he might as well head up to his room and plug in his phone and go to sleep this dark cold Monday night.  

Before heading up the stairs, he turned off the lights of the house one by one , first the kitchen light then the family room the living room the porch light and the light to the stairwell. The only light that illuminated was the one at the top of the stairs, from the hallway, that lead from the end of the stairs to his room. Having lived in this house since birth he was quite accustomed to walking up these dimly lit stairs. At the top of the stairs now he knew what time it was. The child in him told him to run and stray from the darkness of the hallway to the comfort of his room. He turned the switch off. However now, this 17 years of age young man kept his calm, figuring that the child within him wouldn’t win this time. After all he was only a year from being a legalized adult and well adults weren’t afraid of dark hallways, he assumed.

Now half way down the hallway,
“Turn around!” said Timen’s inner conscious.
In relief there was absolutely nothing their. However still he scurried along to his room at a faster pace. Not even turning around as he closed the door to his room. He is now safe from the hallways horrid unknowns.

Being as sleepy as he felt, he gets ready for bed. No more than 10 minutes later he is ready to crash for the night. He hits the light switch and bolts to his bed, not being able to see anything he stumps his toes on the corner of the bed dropping his phone from his hand to the floor that he was going to plug in next to his bed as he habitually did every night.

His body is a hot sensation he wanted to scream but he couldn’t knowing he would have awaken the others in his house. It continuous throbbing for a minute or two longer then he scurries to turn the light on and check if had hurt his toe. Luckily everything was just fine. Now remembering, he picked up his phone, plugged it in and turned the lights off once more. This time making his way to his bed in a more cautious manner. He gets under the sheets, cuddles up, and closes his eyes. However with so much on his mind; it wanders to all the empty shadowed spaces that surrounded him. How much can be kept their and how little he knew of what ghosts and spirits he always felt around him, always feeling as if someone was following him or watching him . He felt as if this was it, the world’s weight fell upon him, he was now sweating , shortened of breath, and the world although he couldn’t see anything in the darkness he laid in, was darkening more and more second by second.
In a quick jump he jumps up and turns the light on. Paranoid of so much more than even he himself could express. Afraid of the nightmares he had with quite some frequency, he decided it was best for his sake to stay up.

Timen is writing this, Timen doesn’t know why, but Timen is tired of this darkness.

"How to Make Banana Bread/Muffins" By Jasmine E

            Growing up, one of the first dishes I ever made was banana bread/muffins with my Aunt Dorah. It is still by far my favorite dish to make due to it being so delicious and it bringing my whole family together because we are all obsessed with it. When I first started making banana bread/muffins with my Aunt it was just me, her, and my uncle. But now our family has grown to my 4 cousins and I including my Aunt and Uncle and we all still share the love of banana bread/muffins. So here’s our recipe. :)

If making the bread you will need a bread pan to put the mix in and if making muffins you will need a cupcake pan as well as cupcake wrappers.

Ingredients:

●      ½ cup of butter

●      1 cup of sugar

●      2 eggs beaten

●      3  ripe bananas crushed (kind of like smushed, and maybe try 4 bananas if you want your muffins/bread to be more moist)

●      1 ½ cups of flour

●      1 teaspoon of baking soda

●      ½ teaspoon of salt

●      ½ teaspoon of vanilla (optional)

●      Chocolate chips to put in mix (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (If you have hand mixer or a kitchenaid mixer take out now as well)
2. Cream together butter and sugar
3. In that same bowl add in the eggs, and crushed bananas and mix all together
4. In a separate bowl mix (with just a spoon) the flour, baking, soda, and salt
5. Add the dry ingredients to the mix
6. Add the vanilla (optional)
7. Mix it together until it gets thick or until you think it’s ready to be put in the pan. But DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Add the chocolate chips (optional)
9. If making the bread make sure to spray the pan with Pam or whatever spray that you in your house so that the bread does not stick to the pan
10. If making the muffins you do not have to spray the wrappers.
11. Once all the mix is done now you may put it in the pan.
12. If making the bread pour it in evenly. If making muffins only fill the wrapper halfway because if you fill it to the top, when in the oven the muffin will overflow and be all over the pan.
13. Once mixed is put in the pan, pop it in the oven.
14. For the bread you want to leave it in there for about 55 minutes or until the bread is a golden brown but check to make sure the middle of the loaf is cooked by sticking a fork in it. If the the fork comes out the completely clean the bread is done.
15. For the muffins I would say maybe 10-12 mins but constantly checking on them to see if their ready or not due to the fact that muffins cook much faster than a whole loaf of bread.
16. After it is cooked take out the oven, let it cool down and eat.

I hope you love our recipe because we sure do. It always brings us together and I hope it does for your family or friends as well.

           

     

"The Culture Shock" by Valeria P

Till this day I still remember the emotions that were going throughout my head, in one instant I would be nervous then continue to overthink things and suddenly become scared of not knowing how things could turn out. 2007 was the year that my life drastically changed. I was still so oblivious and  young, yet at the age of seven I was able to comprehend and acknowledge the fact that my life is not going to be the same anymore. My parents gave my siblings and I the news that we would be moving from our home city in East Los Angeles to Fontana, a place where I felt the most comfortable would suddenly be an hour away from me. My sisters an I, being the dramatic children that we are, took in this news and decided to leave a little peace of our family behind in our house that was filled with many unforgettable memories. With that being said, we decided to pay tribute to the place we once called home and came up with the idea to carve all of our initials in the huge tree that overlooked our house like a determined protector.

 Throughout the days it hit me more an more that I would be leaving all of this behind. From the icecream man that would always come around each Sunday to the overload of support and love from the family that surrounded us. Even though it was only an hour away, to my seven year old self it might’ve well have been on the other side of the world. As weeks passed and the time to move came, we packed up our lives and left all of the beautiful things that came with Los Angeles behind. I can visually remember, once we arrived in the city of Fontana, how big the houses looked to me. I couldn't believe that we were gonna live in such a beautiful home, I couldn't imagine how we could ever fill up our house with decorations when there was so much empty space. As i took the time to enjoy and warm up to the new environment that would become my new home, I came to the realization that I would be entering a completely different school, which meant having to meet new and very different people  that I knew weren't going to be like my friends back home.

Coming from Los Angeles I was so used to being surrounded with people who shared the same culture as me and spoke my primary language which was Spanish. Me, being the shy child that I was, was mentally started to prepare myself for the fact that I wasn't going to be able to avoid all the new interactions and awkward moments when becoming the new student, especially since I was entering in the middle of the school year. While on the drive to the unknown, I was cherishing that fact that one good thing would come out of this situation.  I would be able to wear clothes of my choice since I was so used to wearing a certain uniform that was expected of me each day at my old school. As I entered the gate I could feel myself getting more and more nervous, the faster we took a step closer to my classroom, the more I felt as if they were already judging me. As if they had known already that my english still wasn't the best, as if they automatically knew I was the new student. I tried my hardest to put those thoughts aside. I entered the classroom so clueless and naive as to what I should do next, trying to decide if I should attempt to blend in, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice this new student sitting in a desk, or if I should just pull my teacher aside and quietly introduce myself. However, of course she noticed that there was a new addition the class and pulled me aside so that I could introduce myself to a class of people i've never meet, which was the one thing I was hoping to avoid. I could feel my face slowly turning red, I quietly introduced myself and rushed back to the only empty desk their was. I awkwardly went through the day desperately wanting to skip lunch and  go back home to LA, the only place that I was comfortable. As lunch began I sat in the mpr while, to my surprise, a classmate came up to me and started to make conversation with me. She automatically made me forget how sad I was and suddenly made me feel normal for the first time since I got here. I then realized that perhaps this whole new world I would be living in wouldn't be as bad.

 Now that i'm older I am finally able to grasp the idea that if my parents didn't decide  to make the big move here, I wouldnt be given the amazing opportunities that I cherish today. Yet I made sure to not lose my culture by giving myself the responsibility of forever continuing to remember where I came from and  how my parents have given me this whole new path to take in and  use to create my future  .  

"My Religious Experience " by Austyn C

Through my life Christ has had extraordinary and phenomenal impacts on me. His influence has allowed me to change my view on life and the effects and views on the outside world. Coming to Christ was placed upon me by my parents when I was a young child and would start my path to becoming more spiritually connected. I’m very thankful for my parents for doing so as I feel my life has greatly benefited from it. As a younger child, I knew that following Christ was good but I wasn’t so much aware as to how my benefits and practices of Christ would be challenged later in life. It wasn’t till my early high school years where I really saw the different challenges I would be faced with. These challenges ranged from decisions making with friends to making my own in tough situations. No matter how difficult the situation was or will be in the future I will always know asking Christ and knowing what is best in his eyes will help come out successful. If I ever find myself in a difficult situation or time period, going to the church with my parents for support always seem to be the most reliable option to me. Even though I go through trouble and hardship, church taught me they can be beneficial as they show how strong my faith is and to stay strong and not give up hope. They help my path with Christ stay strong and always increase in positivity. I feel I’ve also gained a lot of this strength in Christ from members in my church. The church my family and I attend is called Sunrise Church in the city of Rialto no more than fifteen minutes away from my house. This is such a pleasant church to be and the community of the church is very caring toward all that

attended. It’s such a comfortable and relaxing setting with many leaders to help. Over the years of attending the church, I’ve found myself to be more of the kind of person to observe and take in information from others and try to apply it to my life. I was slow to interact at first but over the years I’ve increased talking to others and finding out their walk with Christ. I’ve been able to this with some friends outside of Church also. Friends that I’ve known for many years have a strong passion with Christ also and we have been able to have conversations about different topics and even spread the influence to others we know. Communication with others about Christ feels to me the best thing that I can provide to others. This will allow me to teach others about what I know about Christ and how knowing Christ has helped me in life and allows me to gain information from others and compare the different paths people have taken to come to know Christ.

"Lost Identity" by Ikwaak D

Impossible. How is this happening? How did I get here? Standing in the middle of a dark
and gloomy forest with a horrendous stench of rotten eggs; I look down and see my battered clothes and my socks missing. I shut my eyes tight as if I am watching a scary movie and try to remember the last thing I was doing. Lightning strikes nearby causing me to get startled and lose my concentration. Almost simultaneously, as the lightning strikes, a pack of dogs can be heard in the distance constantly barking, as if they are hunting for something. Instinctively, my legs begin moving in the opposite direction, the dried leaves under my feet crunching as I sprint over them. As I am running for what seems to be an eternity, I notice something... I’ve been going in a circle. This doesn’t make any sense, I was running in a straight line; to what I could make out as straight in the dark forest. Suddenly, the disgusting smell of rotten eggs gets incredibly strong and a thick mist appears all around me, as if it was placed there. The mist begins to thicken and I don’t know where I am at and which direction to run in; I can hear the dogs barking all around me. Terrified at the situation in hand, a million thoughts rushing through my head. What is going on? Am I dream... before I can even finish thinking about my second question I feel my leg getting pulled from below, before I can react I get pulled through the ground and in an instant, everything around me is altered. All I see around me is abyss, just a lot of nothingness. For the

first time in my life, I was surrounded by complete silence; all I can hear is the sound of my heart thumping as fast as a solo drummist finishing his piece. All I feel is sweat dripping from the top of my forehead. As I am standing on what seems to be quite literally nothing, I can still smell the rotten egg. All of a sudden, just as quick as I fell, almost like a light switch flipped on, everything that was once black now turns white and I feel myself losing consciousness to what seems to be a made up reality. I wake up with everything except a shirt on, stand up straight, in what seems to be a cabin that has a eerie ambience. Outside, I could hear a thunderous storm brewing. I see an open chair right next to me so I take a seat in hopes of making sense of everything that occurred. As I sit down, I hear footsteps behind me, someone is running up trying to sneak up on me, not knowing what to do I stand up abruptly and turn around to face what I thought to be as a predator mistaking me for prey. No one is there. The hairs on my neck shoot up. Did I just imagine something there? Where am I? What is going on? I look out the window to see that I am on the second story of a cabin that is surrounded by a cemetery on barren land. Immediately, I turn around in hopes of running downstairs as quick as possible so that I can get out of this horror scene. As I run through this creaky hallway the stairs seem to get farther away the closer I get. I try running faster to catch up to this illusion but it doesn’t work. I stop moving, attempting to catch my breath, and I begin to scream with frustration. Out of nowhere, I hear a loud screech and footsteps behind me again. This time the footsteps are moving incredibly fast. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Almost as though the intent of this person is to hurt me. Quickly, I turn around but as I turn around the footsteps follow. They are behind me once again... Frantically, I rotate my body once more in hopes of making contact with what I concocted in my head to be a malevolent force. Once again, it's rotates with me, now being behind me. Before I

make my next move, I am pushed with such a great strength I've never felt before; causing me to fall face down at such a speed that I could be mistaken for an anvil dropping from the top of a table and hitting the ground. Just before I fall I notice one peculiar detail, when I was pushed from the back a weird residue was left on my back. It was egg yolk. In tune with the impact of my body hitting the cabin floor; I wake up on a table. There are five people around me all wearing green costumes and face masks to conceal their identity. I see a sign in the distance “Identity Removal Simulation.” The surgeon wearing glasses on top of their face mask yells in a raspy voice “HE’S REGAINING CONSCIOUSNESS BRING MORE ROTTEN EGG YOLK!” Attempting to get away, I try to pull myself up but I can't, I'm restrained with metal bars wrapped around my body. I try screaming and learn that my mouth has been taped shut. Despite knowing it's no use, I continue to scream and squirm. Another person rushes in the room, holding syringes full of some yellow ingredient. As the surgeon with glasses injects this yellow serum that smells like egg yolk into my body he takes off his mask. My heart drops, it was my father-in-law. Instilled with terror and confusion I attempt to try to scream louder. My father-in-law looks at me with a smirk, chuckles, and says “it's over.” A sharp and piercing pain starts from the injection point of the serum and travels upwards. Uncontrollably, my body begins to spasm. Even I know, it's over.

"March 16" by Jenny A

March 16th, 2017

On March 16, 2017 at 5:45 in the morning, I received the worst news of my life.

I was sound asleep when all of a sudden I was woken up by chilling screams from my mother and unfamiliar sobs from my father. I was dazed and couldn’t really get up, I thought that I was just dreaming these horrific sounds, but little did I know it was all too real. My dad, a man who always has a smile on his face, shook me twice, tears trickling down his face, and said the scarring words, “Grandpa is dead.”

I felt my heart drop. I lost all my senses. Nothing felt real. This didn’t feel real, but it was. The first thing I did was scream— screamed in utter shock because my best friend of 17 years, the man everyone looked up to, the man who raised and nurtured an entire village in Nigeria, the man who I would run to for security has died.

My mother. How the hell does she feel? Forget me, forget my siblings, forget my dad. My mother just lost her father, the first man she ever loved. How does one even handle news like that?

She was outside sobbing, “Why?” to the heaven in pitch black because the sun hadn’t risen yet. Ain’t it funny how nature is affected by events. It's just like the Great Chain of Being. I ran to her, I held her, and we cried. We cried in the driveway until the sun finally came up. She was a baby under my touch. I'm used to stepping up to become the mother figure, but it was different being the strong one for my mother. When she finally calmed down, we went back inside. My sister had finally woken up and heard the news, but my brother was still asleep which made sense, it was only 7 a.m., but it felt like eternity. The room was silent and felt cold--- all I wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn't. My mind was consumed by the constant thought of him. The day didn't get easier, I didn't expect it to. We spent all afternoon spreading the news to everyone, and if I'm being honest, I was sick of it. I was sick of the "I'm sorry for you loss" responses and I hated every sympathetic hug I received. I just wanted to mourn in peace, to curl up in my room and shut the world out. I began to question my fate; "Why does God take away the good people in this world?"

I thought it should have been me. I blamed myself for not making the effort to reach out to him as much as I could have and I still blame myself to till this day, but I know that everything happens for a reason. Although I don't fully understand the reason why such a beautiful soul was taken away from my family and I, I do know that he is still looking after us. I talk to him before every performance and every night before I go to bed. My grandfather's death taught me especially to appreciate life to the fullest. He was a man that only LOVED. He didn't have any enemies because he was always the bigger person in situations. He was empathetic, free-spirited, nurturing and generous. He is the reason why I strive to be great. Everything I do is for him, and I hope he sees that wherever he is.

"How To: Miser Wot( Lentil Stew)" By Bezawit A

Each year my family participates in Tsom(The Great Fast/ Lent). Tsom is a 55 day fast in which we stay away from all food that contains animal products. During this time we normally eat traditional Ethiopian vegan cuisine. Today, I am going to explain how to make one of my favorite Ethiopian Tsom and vegan friendly dishes, a lentil stew called “Miser Wot”, pronounced (Misr-whut). If you follow the recipe correctly it should only take about 1 hour to make, including prep time. Ok, now let’s get started with what you’ll need!

(photo taken by Daniel Warshaw)

Ingredients:

●      1 cup of lentils ( you may use red lentils if you would like it to be spicy)

●      1 cup of water

●      Large spoon (preferably a wooden spoon)

●      2 onions

●      2 tomatoes

●      ½ cup of olive oil

●      2 tablespoons of Berbere ( Ethiopian spice)

●      Kosher salt

●      Injera ( Ethiopian flatbread)

Instructions:

1. First rinse out your lentils until they are clean. Once your lentils are clean place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 20-30 minutes. You want to rinse your lentils to make sure that there is no debris or dirt on them.
2. While your lentils soak in the water you can now cut up your onions and tomatoes. Your tomatoes need to be cored and chopped. As for your onions, make sure they are finely diced. By cutting your onions and tomatoes now you are not only prepping for later, but also adding flavor to our mixture.

Pro Tip: The finer you cut your onions and tomatoes the more uniform your stew will be.

3. Next, take a large pan and heat it over your stove, on medium heat. Then, add your ½ cup of olive oil. Mix the oil around the pot for about 5 minutes (do not let the oil come to a boil).
4. Now you can add your Berbere. Berbere is very spicy so be cautious of how much you add to your mixture. Berebere is a popular spice and is added to almost all our dishes it gives a lot of flavor.

Pro Tip: Don’t add too much or else your tongue will burn!

5. Now you can add your lentils. You want to make sure you are continuously stirring the pot so that the mixture doesn't get too clumpy. If your Miser is too clumpy it will be hard to grab with the injera, which what you’ll be eating the Miser with.
6. After about 10 minutes of mixing the lentils you can add your tomatoes and onions. Continue mixing.
7. Now add your salt.  There’s no limitation when it comes to how much salt you want to add. I normally add around 2-3 teaspoons depending on how much I’m making.

Pro Tip: If you accidentally add too much salt, just add more water and mix well!

8. Now you can let the mixture sit, place a cover over the pan and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. Be sure to check on your Miser every 5 to 10 minutes and give it a stir. After 30 minutes you can switch the fire on low heat.

Pro Tip: If you want the Miser to have a thinner consistency, add more water to the pan.

Now your Miser Wot is ready! This dish is normally served warm, with a plate of injera. It can be eaten for breakfast,lunch, or dinner!Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread made with Teff flour we serve with every dish, in place of utensils. If you really want to serve this dish traditionally you can lay it on a huge tray so the everyone can eat it all together. Enjoy!