For You Buddy :)

Dear Mern,

I just wanted to sit down, and talk about how much you have been a great friend throughout my high school life. For the four years I have known you, the friendship between us has skyrocketed, words are beyond explanation on how much I appreciate you as a friend. From the stage when we started to get to know each other, to the point when started talking about making new brands of clothing. It has been amazing to get to know someone golden such as yourself. You were there when I was uncomfortable to share my issues with anyone else, as I was there for you. You have such a quirky attitude that it is refreshing when you make a joke here and there. It just brightens the mood. The positive vibe that radiates from your personality uplifts my spirit whenever I am down. You were there to motivate me whenever I began to doubt myself or when people thought what I did was silly or pointless. You were there for me as positive reinforcement to keep me going through the rough times. I can honestly say that you are like a brother to me, as I will act like a brother to you. Mern, you are a wonderful friend, and I know this friendship is just the beginning. Stay trill brotha <3
#blessedandbetrayforever

Zel

Is There A Limit?

In the two minute video "Banned Book Week: 13 Authors Speak Out", talks to us about the arbitrary nature of certain books being banned. In my opinion, no book, regardless of genre or content, should be banned. I think it is just silly and unnecessary for this to happen. I believe that no one really has the authority to ban a book because they do not know the consequences that follow after performing such a mindless action. You are basically banning thoughts, ideas and memories. If the reader does not want to read a specific kind of book due to its content, the reader simply does not have to read it, not go as far as banning it from everyone else to read. The fact that people do censor books is just not fair to everyone else. No one has the right to give a limitation to any type of literary work because that just reduces creativity and human identity. Joseph Caldwell stresses this fact beautifully. Joseph continues to say that literature is the national memory. I agree with him 100%. I believe that there is no limitation, no boundary to writing, and I will show no sympathy to those in favor of banning books. Funny enough, the books that are banned, are the ones that are worth reading. Books such as Zhuangzi, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story by Lisa Westberg Peters. I hope there will be a day that the idea of banning books will cease to exist.

Me, Myself and I

Hello all. As you may or may not know my name is Renzel Villegas, others call me Zel or Renzie. I was born here in Guelph Ontario, Canada, on August 30, 1997. I am going to take this time to talk to you about myself and try my very best to familiarise myself to all of you and your beautiful faces.  To majority of people I am somewhat of an extrovert. Friendly and outgoing. This is very true. I am someone who enjoys adventure, adrenaline, and non-stop thrills. I can never handle a boring moment. The feeling of being bored just makes me sick. I am also a huge fan of music. I listen to most kinds of music but I usually listen to rap. To be honest the vulgarity in the lyrics is inappropriate for most rap songs, but the beat just keeps me hooked in. My favourite artists include G Eazy, Chance the Rapper, and ScHoolboy Q. Even though rap is my more preferred genre, I also admire a little alternative or house music just to mix it up a little. I am also a very athletic individual. I have played many sports but, my favourite sport is soccer. I have played soccer my whole life. I have played for Guelph and OLOL for quite a number of years now. Another activity I partake in is dance. I started dancing at a very young age. Now I am a competitive dancer at the Movement Dance Company and I enjoy every second of it. Apart from all my extracurricular activities, I also work part time at the West End Recreational Centre as a swimming instructor. I enjoy working there very much. I enjoy teaching individuals of all ages and watching their skills improve throughout the weeks. It gives you a really heartwarming feeling inside knowing that you have helped your students become better swimmers. As for my school life, it is amazing. The experiences have been memorable and I can't wait to see what grade 12 has in store for me. I have been in the honour roll for grades 10 and 11. I guess hard work, consistency and dedication surely pay off. At this point you are probably wondering why I decided to take this course. At first, I was a little bit skeptical of this course. I was unsure whether I wanted to stay in it. But, to be honest, the more I was familiarised with what I would be partaking in, my confidence level grew and I was beginning to enjoy this class. Little things like the class blog, creating my own blog, really interest me. Writing to me is just another way to express emotion. Writing to me is non-judgmental, care free, enjoyable, limitless, imaginative and wonderful. I like reading what people have to write as well as writing myself. This class will definitely help me become a better literary artist in the future. Thank you Mrs. Reidel for letting me be a part of this group. I promise I will work hard from beginning to the end.

Grit, The Special Ingredient

The TED talk given to us beautifully, by Angela Lee Duckworth, talks to us about the importance of specific social graces that helps us move forward and become successful in life. If we ask anyone the question, "what helps us succeed?" Some obvious answers covered by Angela include good looks, physical health, social intelligence and lastly (which may be a shocker to most), I.Q. Out of all those attributes, the one that really makes one succeed at really anything is the term "grit". Angela is stressing this fact. Angela also states that talent doesn’t necessarily make you great. This is correct. Talent is truly just an aid for success. Talent alone will not help you get where you want to be. In order to be great, you need to fail. When you get up after failing, shows an innumerable amount of greatness. From there you have been educated, to make you better. One cannot be truly great at the beginning. One can only get better, this process is called grit. My mother taught me everything I need to know about grit. She said to me that, "One should not walk into any situation. One should always run, chin down, eyes up, to show the world you mean business, to show the world you want it the most, to show the world you have grit." always think of this quote by my mother to motivate myself in everything and anything I want to do. Grit is the special ingredient for success.