Amor y Control 
by Rubén Blades
Amor y Control is a salsa song written by Rubén Blades.  I picked this song as the best one because I like its lyrics a lot.  They are written in a story-telling form.  Rubén starts saying that while he was leaving the hospital from visiting his sick mother who is dying of cancer he sees this family arguing with their son.  Apparently their son is stealing and using drugs, but the father says that even if he is doing all those bad things it is his responsibility as his father to look after him and to help him get better.   Rubén later compares the tragedy of this family to the tragedy of his sick mother with cancer. 

This song has a positive theme to it which is the main reason I picked it as my best song. I did not want to pick one that had a negative theme to it because songs are very powerful since they speak to our emotions. Amor y Control teaches everyone the patience families need to have in order to prosper and have a healthy relationship.  Its rythim is very mellow with the normal salsa rythiime so it is also a nice and easy song to dance to (for those salsa begginners).   
Pinguinos en la Cama 
by Ricardo Arjona
In my opinion there are many bad songs, so it was really hard to pick just one.  But, after thinking about those really annoying songs that came up every time I turned on the radio (Gangnam Style and Friday to name a couple) I remembered one that actually defined the opinion I have now of the artist.  This song is "Pinguinos en la Cama" by Ricardo Arjona.  Without me knowing any other songs from the artist, after listening to this song on the radio I immediately  labeled him as the worst song-writer of all times! 
In my opinion he uses too many metaphors, the worst one being "pinguinos en la cama".  I get it, its not hard to get.  He sings there are penguins in the bed because their relationship has gotten cold, they stopped being intimate, they don't share the love anymore; but this metaphor is too lame.  The rest of the song is him (Ricardo Arjona) singing about how bad their relationship is, how there is no trust because she is always acting like the "police", questioning him and what not.  So to conclude, songs must have a catchy chorus and an interesting song title and "Pinguinos en la Cama" is definitively neither!   
 
Positive Words
  1. Safe
  2. Concerned 
  3. Protective
  4. Understand 
  5. Help others
  6. Experience
  7. Have grown 
  8. Enjoy
  9. Friends
  10. Compassionate
  11. Caring 
  12. Change
  13. Life
  14. Family
  15. Appreciate 
  16. Best self






Neutral Words
  1. Time
  2. Hobby
  3. Crafts 
  4. Reading
  5. Sports
  6. Dance




Negative Words 
  1. Disappoint 
  2. Problems
  3. Rebellious
  4. Stress
  5. Anxiety
  6. Unable
  7. Not allowed to
  8. Can't 
  9. Hurt
  10. Difficult
  11. Worry
  12. Never
  13. Bored
  14. ADD
  15. Shyness
  16. Lack of confidence 
  17. Careful
  18. Too much 
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I never thought of my self as a negative person, actually I always say I see the glass half full, but this exercise has let me understand that I can be a bit hard on myself sometimes.  The column that has the most words is the "Negative Words" column, however it is only by 2 more words.  Most of the words in this column are words that represent prohibition such as can not, unable, never.  

This exercise has let me understand that I cannot continue to live my life using these words.  There is a quote that I once hear in a movie that says: "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game".  It uses the game of baseball and compares it to the game that is life.  In other words, you can't be afraid of failure because this will keep you from success.  These words that represent prohibition are very damaging to one's outlook of life and can harm a persons confidence.  For this reason, I will have as a goal to use less and less of these words, and instead more positive, loving, and reassuring words. 

 
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Say yes.

 
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For this assignment we needed to pick 2 movie reviews out of 5 that were provided and in a way "study" them.  I chose the review for "Sunny With a Chance of Meatballs 2" and "Runner Runner".

The review for "Sunny With a Chance of Meatballs 2" was published in The Boston Globe and was written by Tom Russo.  I will begin by the title.  I found the title to be very interesting:  "Meatballs 2 is colorful, if reheated".  It is a very eye-catching and smart title that makes reference to possibly the lack of originality of the sequel.  Personally, I have not watched this movie but did watch the first one, and to my surprise, liked it very much.  However, after reading this review, the enthusiasm I had to watch the sequel was no longer as abundant since the writer made it seem as though the movie is good, but not as good as the first.  Russo explains that much of the creativity was used up in the first movie.  The author did a good job in explaining the plot of the movie without giving out any spoilers.  

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The movie review for "Runner, Runner" is definitely a negative one.  The review says that it is a boring film that brings nothing new nor original to a theme that has been used a lot.  The author explains the plot without any detail by saying that it is a film about this young intelligent man that loses a lot of money in online gambling and goes to Costa Rica to try to get it back.  

What I like about this review is that the author uses humor to convey his point that the movie is not worth watching.  One quote that I like from the review that portrays this is:  "The film is so rote and transparent, you keep waiting for a big reveal or curve -- something, anything, that would explain Timberlake's and Affleck's presence here, other than the opportunity to spend several weeks in beautiful Puerto Rico (where the movie was filmed).  In addition, the author mentions something very important that the reader should take note on and that is that the movie even fails to explain its own title! "Runner, Runner".  The author explains that runner, runner, is actually a poker term, something that the movie should explain and not the movie critic.  After reading this movie review I would definitely not watch this movie.  Maybe only if there was nothing else to do and it was on in HBO or another channel for free.  

 
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I haven't gone to the movies since about 3 months!, but the last movie I saw which was in July was definitely worth me writing a review on it.  This movie was Despicable Me 2.  Having loved the first one, I was more than eager to see its sequel, and it did not disappoint.

This time Despicable me 2 is in 3-D.  Now I have to say that for many movies watching a it in 3-D is just a waist of money, but not with this one.  Throughout the movie itself there is  nothing spectacular made in 3-D but in the end there is sort of short film starring only the minions and it left me in awe.  So I would say that just so that you don't miss out on that part, watch it in 3-D.  After all these minions have become Despicable Me's most famous actors.  In this sequel, Gru's minions are mysteriously disappearing one by one, and apparently no one is noticing this!  The yellow, rod-shaped, gibberish speaking minions that stole the hearts of millions in the first move come back with more costumes than ever.  Maid costumes, firefighter costumes, golf costumes and many more provide for many funny scenes.  These minions act so dumb to the point that you just have to laugh about the things they do.  

Well any ways enough minion talk.  The plot has sort of an action super hero theme to it, the only thing is that the super hero, in this movie, used to be a super villain (that's Gru).  Gru gets recruited by an anti-villain agency to put an end to a mysterious villain that has created a poison for transforming living things into mindless, destroying monsters.  Little does Gru know that this villain is using Gru's own minions as his experiment!     

The sequel has everything from romance between Gru and a special lady, Agnes' first love, evil purple, crazy-looking minions, a new villain that did not appear in the first movie, and 90's boy-band songs.  I highly recommend this movie for people of all ages who are looking for a good laugh.  I went to see it with my parents and my boyfriend and we were all literally LOL-ing (laughing out lout, that is).  I personally give it four stars think its a movie worth watching. 
 
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I can not say that Prometheus is the worst movie of all times ( I personally haven't watched those many movies and for some reason forget about the bad ones I watched), but I can say that I the movie Prometheus left me disappointed.  Before watching the movie when I saw its trailers I was really intrigued with its plot:  humans going to outer space to ask their alien creators - why?  

So when I got to see the movie I was most of the time completely lost.  It had too many unanswered questions.  Although I do give the graphic and costume artists kudos since the scenes, space ship, and costumes were very good.  So as I said before, the crew goes to this planet in search of their creators to ask them why were humans created.  My only clear answer from this movie is why is the move named Prometheus.  Well that's the space ships name.  Any who, the planet has giant-killing worms, hidden caves, and what looks like giant humans that appear to be the creators of humans.  I am not here to spoil the ending but it appears that it is helpful to have previously watched the movie Alien before hand, something I did not do.  


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I would not recommend for someone to see this movie in the cinema and waste your $8 on it.  However, if you find yourself bored or just want to see what it is about, wait until it is available in HBO or redbox.  In my opinion, when a movie need too much expert explanations, that's a sing that it is not a good movie.  A good movie should leave you with some questions but not too many. My review might be a bit bias as I cant be that harsh with this movie as it was what my bf and I went to see four our first date.  Talk about embarrassing when you don't understand any part of the movie! 

 
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So for this focusing exercise Professor Sanjurjo asked us to write about a first time or a first experience in our lives.  Many of my firsts I could not remember, such as my first time waking and other of my firsts were just too embarrassing to talk about in my blog (e.g. my first kiss).  After a couple of minutes thinking, a light bulb just turned on in my head.  What better experience to write about other than my first day with my first puppy!        

So for most of my life I have always wanted a puppy of my own to take care of and to play with, but my parents thought it was too great of a responsibility.  After years of begging, for my 16th birthday I fell in love with the dog food commercials from Ceasar and asked for a West Highland White Terrier.  Finally my parents agreed to letting me have one!  So my mom, dad and I went all the way in mom's car to the Barceloneta Outles and met up with the breeders there.  It was a sunny day and the Outlets were as colorful as ever.  We met with the breeders on the road besides the outlets, under a bridge that is created by another road on top.  There the breeder opened the trunk of the car and showed us two westie puppies that were very small, really white, and both girls, in fact they were sisters.  We ended up choosing the smallest one and took her with us home.  

The newest addition to the family had thick, medium lengthed, white fur and really big ears (too big for her small body).  She smelled clean and her fur was soft to the touch,.   

During the car ride home I could sense that she was impatient and nervous, being taken away from her sister by strangers (us) could not have been easy.  On our way home we called my brother Carlos to brainstorm about her name.  Then he remembered that a week before we had gone as a family to see Disney's Wal-e.  In the move Wal-e falls in love with a small, white robot named Eva, but he could never pronounce her name correctly and said Iva.  So that's what we named her Iva.  

Later that night it was time for Iva's bed time, so I placed her in her own dog bed but she didn't seem to like it and preferred the floor.  She kept making this wining noise that worried me.  It was as though she was crying for being in an unfamiliar place.  Being my first puppy ever I had no idea what to do or how to make her go to sleep!  That's when after two hours of trying to get her to sleep tears began to run down my face.  It seems silly to me now recalling the story but I felt desperate.  I thought it was much more easier taking care of a puppy, but reality checked in.     

Having my first puppy was more difficult than expected, but the reward was worth it.  I would now feel incomplete without Iva in my life and could not imagine my life right now without her. 

 
People come and go throughout our lives, but those who stay leave a clear impression in our minds of who they were and their appearance. Two significant persons very close to my heart are my paternal grandparents.  I loved my maternal grandparents also but Abuelito Guillo and Abuelita Cocó picked me up after school almost every single day until my parents got out of work.  They spoiled me (like all grandparents do), took me to the doctor when I was sick, made my birthday cakes, and took me to tennis classes.  
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When telling me the story of how my Ito met Ita, he described her like the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.  He said she had beautiful green eyes, natural blond hair (which is rare her in Puerto Rico), and fair skin.  I never got to see a picture of my grandma at that age of 17, probably because there weren't many cameras in those years, but he then showed me one of her during her early thirties.  She had her hair short with curls, just like she used it until she passed away, piercing green eyes, and brownish-red lips.  The photograph only showed her from her neck up and it seemed she was staring into the abyss.  During old age Ita still had her hair short in curs like she liked it with some highlights that gave it dimension.  I remember that her neighbor, Tati, did her curls every week.  Grandma was a bit overweight and had a hunch on the back of her neck due to arthritis.  Her eyes were now a blueish-green and she had a beautiful smile that was contagious.   

While Ito always complemented my grandma until the age of 80 for her beauty, he never found himself handsome.  Hard to believe as I saw a picture of him when he was in the army dressed in his uniform.  Abuelito Guillo was indeed handsome, contrary to what he might have said.  It was a black and white photograph of him.  He was standing tall in his uniform and he was notably physically fit.  He had big biceps and a wide back.  The memory I have of him at 88 is still embedded in my brain.  He had a really big nose, I jokingly called it a Jewish nose.  His skin was brown in color and he was a little bent over due to aging, but besides that he was still notably in good physical health.  He used to walk everyday for one hour, did sit ups constantly, and watched what he would eat to maintain his healthy weight.  His brown eyes were deep in his face and had some dark discoloration under them, also due to aging.  He had almost no hair and the little amount of hair he had on his head was white.   

Overall my Abuelitos were two very beautiful human beings and their spirits and memories will stay with me forever.  

"Our grandparents accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, or friends". - Ruth Good

 
Focusing Excersie:  Describe an image in a magazine

A magazine from Palmas del Mar named Live and Life Magazine portrays an entire page with the image of a Sport Yacht.  The page has various images from different rooms inside the yacht.  The first image is of the outside of the boat.  It is a white, small, but elegant boat.  The biggest image is of its dining room.  It has a squared, wooden table that may fit four or five tightly.  On top of the dining table are some cream colored placemats with some white plates placed on top of them.  On the middle of the table there are some pink flowers that seem to be daisies.  On the right side of the table there is a cream colored booth decorated with four pillows that have either stripes or flower prints.  The celling is also cream colored with some built-in lighting and the floor is hard wood.  The cabinets are also made out of maple colored wood and have a sort of shine to them.   Behind the booth there is a wide window where we see what may be either a lake or an ocean and behind it a beautiful sunset.  The sky above is orange and makes the water seem a bit pink and purple colored. There are some mountains and trees under the sunset that make the scenery breathe taking.  The image makes you feel like you want to buy that boat, have it all to yourself and be able to relax and enjoy the aweing sunset.    

 
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At the beginning of September this year two representatives from Puerto Rico's government proposed a project where the medicinal use of marijuana would be decriminalized.  Before continuing I have to mention that since the project was proposed, there seem to have been some modifications made to it.  Not only the discussion of legalizing the therapeutic use of marijuana has taken place but there is also into debate the legalization of its recreational use.  Nonetheless, I will be addressing the debate for its medicinal use.  

The project states that those who would be classified in need of marijuana as a therapeutic medicine would only be able to use it in the privacy of their homes, not in public places.  Those who may not have the financial ability to buy pot from producers or those who may live too far from a pot shop would be given a permit to grow their own plants.  This new project has aroused much debate and conflict in the island.  There has been an observable trend where most of the younger adults are in favor of this project, while the majority of adults in their 50's and older are not.   

IN FAVOR

The group that is in favor of the project says that marijuana is scientifically proven to end the development of glaucoma; reduce stress, pain, and depression in patients with HIV/AIDS; and reduce nausea and pain caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients.  Most important, they say that the legalization of marijuana in the island will lower criminality, eliminate a lot of "puntos", and will decrease the number of people in jail.  They state that around 70% of the people in jail are in there for none violent crimes, which include possession of marijuana.        
OPPOSED

People in Puerto Rico who are against this project state various reasons why the use of mary jane should not be legal.  First of all they say that marijuana has negative physical side effects on the human body such as an increase in appetite, lowers blood flow to the brain, causes headaches, nausea, and respiratory problems.  Second, marijuana creates a psychological dependence on the user.  This means that even though the dependence is not due to chemical changes in the body, the user likes the way he or she feels while smoking pot and therefore uses it more often until he or she finds it hard to quit.  

The issue of the legalization of marijuana is very important because it brings up valid points in both cases.  Many countries and states such as Holland have legalized its use and it seems that it has not caused any negative effects, on the contrary there is less criminality and there are less people in jail.  

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In my opinion, if the legalization of marijuana will help decrease the criminality in Puerto Rico, then it is an issue that must be considered by our government.  The current governor said that he does not have a problem with debating the issue, but that he does not find it to be urgent.  After doing my research I believe it is somewhat of an urgent issue.  The criminality here in the island is off the charts and if conventional actions are not reducing it then we need to try unorthodox methods in which to lower it.

I believe that just like the uncertainty of our status, the issue of the legalization of marijuana in the island will be dwelling for many years to come.  At least it seems clear that under the current governance of Alejandro Garcia Padilla, this issue will not be resolved.