best day

The best memory I have is when I went to Cancun along with my cousin Adrian. We went there to get away from reality and relax. It has beautiful beaches and has the perfect climate as well. This vacation we took was a year ago and cannot wait to go again since I had so much fun the first time we went. We are both college students and around the same age so we know how to have a good time especially when we get a break from school and work. When we first got to our hotel we were amazed of how nice it was and right away knew we were going to have a blast. As we stepped into our room we opened a bottle of champagne and began to celebrate.We then got ready and headed towards the beach and stayed there until we saw the sunset . I enjoyed swimming in the water since it was warm and clear. It was nothing that I had ever seen before. The nightlife is very enjoyable as well, but besides the partying we also did fun activities like go snorkeling and zip lining was also something we did. We swam along the side of many colorful fish and also looked at the coral reef which is beautiful on its own.

Important people in Life

My brother George has been a very important person in my life since he was always there for me when I was younger. He is about 10 years older then me so it makes him 30 , weighs close to 200 pounds and nearly 6 ft. tall.  I always looked up to him because he was a brave person and never let himself from anyone. If it meant fighting for what was right then he would do it and this is why I respected him so much. I followed his steps and until this day I have never let anyone step over me .
Another person of great importance to me is my cousin Adrian. He is about 6'2'' and weighs around 170 lbs. He came to this country illegally at the age of 8 using my documents and I know we will both remember this forever.However, he is now a citizen of the United States. He has my most respect because he started school not knowing anyone or how to speak English even.  That soon changed and started getting to learn the language very well  in the bay area or Napa Valley to be exact. He played Varsity soccer and was in the Varsity basketball team when in high school which lead to the scholarship he received to attend  Cal State East Bay. This is his first year at the University and is having a blast with one of my friends from so-cal as his roommate  He knows how to have fun just like me , but never forgets how much our parents struggled and this is what keeps both of us working hard to accomplish our goals.
My cousin Junior on the other hand is the person who I call cousin even though we are not related.He is a very athletic person that hits the gym almost every day. His father is my godfather and our families have known each other forever so that is the reason we feel as if we were related. He is an amazing soccer player and has had the chance to play with some of the best teams all over the world. He currently plays for a semi-pro team in Ventura called Fusion. We both played for a team called Oxnard wave when we were younger and traveled to Mexico together for a very big soccer tournament. These trips that I took with him have led me to know him so well and I know that he has a great heart for the sport. His skill level is the best that I have seen from any other player that I have played with or against. He continues to amaze me with every day that passes and hope he gets rich doing what he loves.

FFN

The book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser really went  in depth into the fast food industry and opened my eyes. It has affected me in the way that I think about the options I have before making a decision of what I will be eating. For example, I now think twice before driving into a drive thru and ask myself if that is what I really want for myself. It has made me well aware of the dangers of fast food and for this reason I try to stay away from it as much as possible. I especially try and stay away from McDonald's  The author has also made me well aware of the amount of cows being slaughtered daily in order for huge corporations like McDonald's to continue in business. I feel that if we do not put a stop to this or at least set a limit these company's will continue to expand and make things worse.

school

Truth: My passion for cars surpasses everything

This semester has been a good one so far at Oxnard College as well as Ventura College. I have five classes in total and attend school Monday through Thursday. Having this many classes keeps me busy with homework every night since I go to work right after school. I am at school from eight in the morning until noon and go into work around two o'clock . I am very busy during the week as you can tell except for weekend's and that is when I spend time with my family as well as friends. It is stressful since I do not have a lot of free time. However, I know all of this will pay off one day when I get my masters degree in Criminal Justice. From that point on I will start a new journey and a new life as well. Having a good paying job with good benefits is what I desire the most and that is what keeps me motivated to keep going to school. Another motivation this semester is the trip to Mexico that I will be taking with my family once school is over. I am very excited to go since I know it will be a great time and leave a lot of memories.
School has always been a priority for me ever since I was younger and no matter how tough it gets I will never give up. It has gone through my mind to just quit school sometimes because I know I can make it either way, but by getting that masters degree I am playing it safe. This will open up so many doors for me and without it I will struggle a lot more.

true/false

1) I have been to 4 different country's.
2) I have been to 15 different states in the U.S.
3) My passion for cars surpasses anything else.
4)Family is the least important thing for me.
5)I hate kids.
6) I am 6'3".

My pride and joy

Change

Growing up I always looked up to my brother as well as my uncle. They were both great to be around with and they always took me everywhere with them. Since they were both around the same age they would hangout together and were basically brother's. He was basically like a brother for me also. Once I became a little older was when I found out about their bad habits and started changing my mind about them. I was totally against those people that used drugs, but in this case it was my brother and uncle doing it, so I could not be mad at them for that long. I figured it was only marijuana and everyone was doing it at the time.
Even though I found out that both were smoking marijuana I continued enjoying everyday with them having a blast everywhere they took me and eventually forgot about it. I got to meet some pretty girls as a young kid and even had my first beer at a young age. This made everything worth it to me and there was no doubt in my mind they were the best brothers I could possibly have. When someone or something is this close to me I could not change my mind about how I feel toward them forever. Eventually, I will realize that not everyone is perfect and people do make mistakes.
The main reason it bugged me at first though was because I always wanted to be a cop when I grew up. So I asked myself am I going to be letting my brother or uncle smoke around me like if nothing is wrong with it and then go out and arrest someone for doing it in public. That was my main concern that my own family was doing it, so how was I going to be a cop and not say a word. However, I was young and did not really understand why they would do it.

Family

As a child one grows up with their family  and that is something irreplaceable. At least for me that is how I feel about family. These are the people that will always be by your side no matter what. I have witnessed this many times in many different ways. For example, a mother's love is an immense feeling hard to explain.  As much love as my mother feels for me I feel the same way for her. For instance, when she is worried about something or sad for some reason I feel that it transfers over to me and honestly I could not feel happy unless she is.

Another example of this can be when your son or close relative is in prison. I think this is one of the worse things that can happen besides them passing away. I witnessed this in my family when my uncle Jaime was in prison. The first time he went to prison the family was really worried and all they could think about is paying the money in order for him to come out immediately and so they did that thinking it was only a mistake he did. Of course they gave him a little lesson, but he was a grown man already. Therefore, he should know better. The family let it go the first time like if nothing had happened and so my uncle found it easy in a sense. In his mind he said, " I'll just keep doing what I use to do and keep making money the easy way." He did not listen to any of the words my father and his sisters had to tell him and s landed in prison once again. This had all the family worried , but for some reason my aunts did not want to leave him in there for him to learn his lesson. He was the youngest of the brothers and so he came out once again with the bail payed off. He landed in prison a 3rd time and the bail he had to pay was a lot more this time, so he stayed in prison for a few years and I'm sure that every night was as painful for him as it was for the family.

Now  he is out of prison and we are all happy for him including myself. He was someone I always looked up to and still do for having the courage to go through everything he did. Although he was deported to Mexico for 10 years by the judge I am glad he is out. He lived here his entire life ,but he will be okay in Mexico since my grandfather has moved back there. The last time I talked to him was a few weeks ago and he tells me he is helping my grandfather with the lands. This year I have a reason to visit Mexico and I am very excited to go. It's been 5 years since I last went due to everything that is happening with the cartels and drug lords. On the 19th of December he will be starting a new life with his wife that he met in Mexico. I'm sure this means a lot for the whole family. It is the reason that my entire family will be going this December to show him support and for him to know that he is loved by all his family. Even though he is far away I rather him be over there then here where he can fall into prison once again any given day.

essay #1

I remember opening my eyes not knowing where I was or what I was doing there.  Waking up from a nap perhaps, but it was not my room. All the walls were white, nothing like my room. I remember my room being colorful with blue and grey walls and not this pale looking thing.The bed I was laying on was way too high. The pillows were not as comfortable as mine and the awkward position of the bed was not relaxing. The smell of the room was unpleasant, I hated being in a hospital in the first place and that is where I found myself. However, I did not realize I was in  the emergency room of a hospital until seeing the wrist band on my hand with my name on it. It was white and it was tightly fitted on my wrist. At that moment I had flashbacks of what had happened, but was not sure yet.
The moment I woke up, a nurse walked in  the room to check up on me. She saw I was awake and asked how I was feeling. I replied, "I feel weak and confused about what happened." That is when she told me I had been involved in a motorcycle accident. I asked if I had been the only one hurt, she said " yes." She then told me I had a huge crowd out in the waiting room waiting to see how I was. All my family,as well as friends were in that crowd. As she told me this, I looked up at the ceiling and prayed to God, then looked down toward my legs. The first leg I tried moving was the right one and I was able to do so, no problem. However, I still had the left one to go. Thankfully, I was able to move it as well. It was an incredible feeling knowing that I was all in one piece after being involved in an accident. I looked up once again and thanked God. I was  in disbelief that there were no broken bones or fractures in my body even though I still did not know what had happened.
The only thing the nurse told me was that I had some bad scrapes on my legs and hip. She then asked me if I wanted to see my family and friends. I said ,'' Yes, I want to let them know I am doing fine and happy to be alive all in one piece.” She stated I was very lucky, and walked out the room to let my family and friends know they could see me now. The first to see me were my parents and sisters. They were very worried. I could tell my mother had been crying and she cried again when she saw me only this time it was from joy that I was okay. I was happy to see them all there. They said I had way more people out there wanting to see how I was doing. I replied, " Wow, was it really that bad?" I have always been the one visiting family members at hospitals, only this time it was the other way around. I was the one on the bed and they were coming to see me.
It was about that time for friends to come in and see how I was doing. Some brought me chocolates, others brought balloons, but as long as they were there I was happy. Gustavo, Marcos and Christian all walked in at the same time. I said , " Let me guess, I was riding with you guys." Gustavo replied, " Yeah, let me tell you how it all happened. We were all riding the way it is meant to be, which is aggresive and fearless. You were leading the way and we all followed behind you. The sun was setting, the sky was orange and that water looked amazing. No doubt it was a beautiful day to go riding. We never thought anything like this would happen ,especially not on our way home. It only took a small section of lose gravel to throw you off the bike.The speed limit was 65. We were doing about 80 when you took the curve and fell. However, you were able to slow the bike down before falling . That is what saved your life and saved you from having worse injuries then the ones you have. We all saw you slide and roll for about 40 feet. We all thought the worse because you lost conscious. At that moment we called the ambulance and they immediately took you to the ER . Now we are all here and happy you are doing better."
"The story you told me is just what I imagined had happened," I told him. The accident made me realize just how dangerous motorcycles are and how important it is to  wear the right gear.The day this happened I was only wearing some jeans and a sweater. A few days after the accident happened I went to a motorcycle store and bought me some leathers that would save my skin if I ever fell again. Now, whenever I go on a ride like this one I make sure to wear the proper gear. For example,  I now always wear a leather jacket and leather pants as well to protect me from getting scraped. This accident also taught me to respect the speed limit and most importantly value my life. If this had not happened to me I would probably still continued being careless and not obeying the street limits. I can say I am a much more careful rider then I was before and I appreciate the second chance I was given.

Interview

Her name is MIndy Sanchez. She was born in Oxnard and has lived here her entire life. Just like most kids she liked playing sports and grew up playing softball.
Mindy attends Oxnard College and particularly likes the new library .However, she believes the cafeteria can improve. The biggest surprise of her college experience is the homework she gets and managing time to do it. Mindy's goal is to become a firefighter and that is what pushes her to work hard. In 10 years, Mindy sees herself being one. She is working towards that goal by going to school Tuesdays and Thursdays while having to work night shifts. When she has any free time, that is when she spends quality time with her family. A big influence in her life is her brother and she considers herself a role model to her nephews as well.Mindy describes herself as a nice girl, yet weird sometimes and loves to chatter. One of her motto's is "if you can believe it, you can achieve it " .

Texting

When I was in seventh grade was when I first started texting. That was my first phone ever and I would use it quite a lot. It distracted me in class and it has done so until now. However, the phones now a days are 10 times faster. Therefore, I text much more then I did in the past. 

 The way I see it, texting makes it easier to keep in touch with friends and family since you do not actually have to call the person to see how they're doing. Instead I can just text that person a "what's up"  and he will reply to me to see what he is up to. I guess this is the positive side of texting, but there is also a bad part about it. That comes into play when teenagers are texting while driving. This should not be happening because we are causing accidents and some of these accidents can be fatal. You may think this will never happen to you , but in reality it can happen to anyone . Even at slow traffic or deciding to send a text at an intersection it can happen anytime. The law is trying to put a stop to this already by pulling over people who are texting and giving them tickets. However, this is not sufficient. We should try and make the effort to make everyone learn about the problem and consequences to convince them it is not safe to do while driving. 

Fast Food

Coming from a mexican background I never  had to rely on fast food. My family eats home made food for the most part until the day and usually if we eat fast food it's just a treat or if we are on the road .When I was a child my mother was a stay at home mom and she gave us her full attention everyday by taking care of us making sure we ate healthy food. Not saying she gave us the healthiest of food but at least it was cooked at home rather then fast food.If for some reason my mother did not feel like cooking on a certain day then we would go out and eat, but even doing so we would stay away from fast food restauraunts like McDonald's . Instead, we would visit mexican restaurants or any other restauraunt where it was not fast food. As a child I have always been athletic and never had a problem with gaining weight and I might just owe this to staying away from fast food. For that reason I am proud of my parents for leading me the right way and making sure that I was eating healthier then other people .  
Now that I am all grown up it is my responsibility to stay on top of my health and I have followed the steps that my parents led me through. However, I do visit fast food restauraunts occasionally like ; McDonald's, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr. etc. , but this is only like twice a week which is very little compared to others. I just rather eat my mother's home made food which is much more appetizing . The only time I do eat fast food is when I cannot get a hold of some home made food or because I'm in a hurry and the famous "Drive thru" comes to mind. When ever I feel like eating fast food that is a whole nother story. I will go to a Mc'Donalds drive thru and order everything that I was craving. For example, I will have two 10 piece chicken nuggets , big mac, large frie, large soda, and a hot fudge sundae.  I know that seems like a lot but that is what I  have when im in the mood of eating fast food. I've been this way since I was younger and learned that having it once in a while does not affect me in anyway . Out of all fast food places I do not have a favorite one I just visit the one that is nearest to me or whatever I am craving that day. When at the Taco Bell drive thru  I usually order 3 tacos supreme,a 5 layer burrito, 1 chicken chalupa, and cant forget the large coke. That is a bigger problem for me, it has always been hard for me to stay away from soda but I will not get off topic . If I am at Carl's Jr. then I usually just go light here with a ceasar's salad or I can get a number 1 ,which is a super star if I am not mistaken along with some chilli cheese fries. The only way fast food plays a part in my current life is if I am on the road or If I want to eat it. Thankfully, I have a mother that cooks for me every day or I can cook myself also. I do not live on my own where it would be harder to stay away from fast food I believe.

Past, Present, Future

The year of 1992 is when I was born and given the name Sergio by my mother. I lived in Oxnard my entire life, but was born in Bakersfield. I was a very athletic guy from the beginning until this day. At the age of 5 I started kicking  a soccer ball around and it was not until I turned 6 years old that my father put me into a soccer team. It was a local team that only played around the county and we were the team that everyone wanted to beat. This team soon became Oxnard Wave club team which meant we got to travel all over and play the best teams from every county. It also opened up many doors for me at a young age. I played soccer constantly until about the age of 18, now its an on and off thing or when ever I get a chance to. Basketball is another sport I played as a young boy and also started from the age of six. I will admit I was also a trouble maker at this age. Throughout elementary school I would play basketball with friends and got in trouble for it one day. The reason I say this is because we would bet each other for money whether it was a regular game or a 3 point contest and it was illegal to do so in school.  One day we all got called into the office with the police present ready to give us a lesson and from then on we kept playing the same way just did not make it as obvious . The only lesson we did learn is to be more discrete, it was not something we thought was bad so we kept doing it and nothing happened. I continued to play basketball in 7th and 8th grade for the school team and was a fun experience for me.
As of now I am still going to school because getting an education is important to me. When I graduated high school in 2010 I went straight to CSUCI ,but soon discovered I was paying too much for the classes I could just take at a Junior College and pay much less. Right now I am still taking general ed. classes which is why I am enrolled in the class. Outside of school I like to go out with friends, have a good time and live life the way I want to live it. Something to know about me is that I am a car guy, mostly into muscle cars. I have had a couple of them throughout my life and really enjoy working on them. I also ride a crotch rocket and have a passion for them. Even though it is very dangerous it does not keep me from riding and this summer I had a blast doing it.
My plan is to finish my general education and transfer to SDSU. There I will get a Bachelors in criminal justice. Once I accomplish this I will become a probation officer and continue my hobby which is to build cars and enjoy them or make money off of them. One of my dreams is to own a business and that is where I am headed. I also plan on getting married, have a beautiful wife and have beautiful children. However, this is in the near future and not any time soon.