The Mysterious Island

He tied his boat off and started to climb the cliffs. He knew that no one had lived to tell what was behind the cloud, but still he climbed. The man who is climbing this cliff is a thirty five year old mountain climber named Manny Rivera. He is from Puerto Rico and was raised in the U.S. Ever since Manny was a teenager, he enjoyed climbing anything. Soon he found himself climbing mountains and he enjoyed it a lot. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to climb the biggest mountains around here."I've always enjoyed climbing, when I climb a mountain and reach the peak of it, I feel like a accomplished something, it is such a nice refreshing feeling once I'm at the top of any mountain."Manny said once in an interview with ESPN. One day, Manny has heard of a mysterious island that has a cloud on it and is the shape of a cliff.It is said that no one has ever attempted to climb this mountain/cliff type of island due to the fact that it seems too dangerous to climb. If anyone has tries to climb this mountain/cliff type of island and they fall, it's almost certain death because the waves near the island are very strong and they will immediately throw you around as if you were literally a toy. Another reason why no has ever climbed this island is because the island is in the Bermuda Triangle also known as the Devil's Triangle. No one has ever attempted to climb this mountain, until now.

When Manny first heard of this island, he rushed out there as quickly as possible. The mysterious island wasn't too far, it was in the Bermuda Triangle just northeast of Cuba. When Manny first go there, he was excited. Though it was said that the waves were dangerous, it seems that at times the waves settles down. Manny was lucky that the waves were calm at the moment, but there's no telling what can happen next since the Bermuda Triangle is unpredictable. Manny tied his boat off and he started to climb the cliffs, he knew that he was going to be the first to ever climb this mountain to the very top. Climbing this mountain wasn't too hard for Manny at first, but when he started entering the cloud, things became a little difficult for brave old Manny. With the dense cloud, Manny couldn't see a thing, he had to rely simply on the ability to feel on things to be able to continue climbing. Also, the rocks were wet and slippery and Manny keeps on slipping every once in a while. Things were getting difficult for brave old Manny indeed but, he managed to pull through and reach the top. Manny brought a journal and video camera with him at the top of the mountain and in his journal it says,

"FINALLY REACHED THE PEAK! It took quite some time,strength, confidence, and determination but I finally did it! The peek of this mountain is so gorgeous, it is as if I'm standing on the eye of a hurricane literally! However, since I've reached the top, the weather here has becoming rather dangerously crazy I suppose. The winds started picking up even more and I'm starting to hear what is seems to be thunder and heavy rain, but I don't see this actually happening, I'm just hearing this. What could it possibly be?"

Manny never returned from his little adventure to the mysterious island. To Manny, mountain climbing was everything, he described it as "the ability to show strength, persistence, and determination all in one shot, all in one passage." When rescuers were sent to look for him after a month of his absence, all they found was his journal pages scattered across the island. Also, the boat in which Manny came in was destroyed, most likely by the strong waves that occurs at times. His body was never found nor was anything else, which leads to the question. What Happened?!

Symbolism In Dreams

Everyone dreams when they fall asleep, but when people dream, what does their dream actually mean? Most dreams have symbolism in it meaning that what you dream about can relate to something in your actual life, this has happen to me a lot of times, sometimes I notice and sometimes I don't. I've had this one particular dream that I just had that really is symbolizing something that is happening in my life and the outcome of this something. Many people try to interpret their dreams because they believe that dreams actually have a meaning. Well, this one dream that I just had most likely does have a meaning and it goes like this...

Recently I've been enrolled in a driving school so I can have my permit for driving. I'm sixteen so I need to go to driving school by law in order to receive my permit. I've already passed the written driver's exam therefore I just need to complete six hours of driving school in order to finally have my permit. By the way, I've never actually drove on the streets before until now so I'm new at this so anything can happen. Well, I've recently have had a dream that I've gotten myself into an accident. I don't know much of what happen since humans forget most of their dreams when they dream but all I can remember that I've gotten into an accident with my driver instructor in the car. I know that this event in my dream just means that deep inside me I have a fear of getting into an actual physical accident. I had this dream right before I started driving so I guess since I'm new at this, it's understandable.

I remember that one time I've read this book about a man that wanted to go to the wild because he was tired of his life and all. The book was called ,"Into The Wild," and the main character had a fear. His fear was that he didn't want to bond to people a lot for some reason. In a lot of literature books, the main character has to have some sort of fear, fear is a common thing among people. All in all, fear is just an illusion that your brain casts on you, that is why I've learned from of my dream of having an accident.

Man's Best Friend

It is true what they say, a dog truly is a man's best friend. This just proves that a dog's probably have more loyalty than everyone combined in this world. I'm seeing a dog sitting next to his long dead owner. Well, I'm assuming it is the dog's owner because a dog wouldn't sit next to a random person's grave for no apparent reason, so it has to be someone special to the dog, most likely his owner. The dog isn't dumb nor ignorant, I am pretty sure that he knows his owner is dead but he just refuses to leave his side even if his owner is dead. This isn't the first time I have seen this happen, I've seen this happen plenty of times. A similar situation to this has happen before. I've saw a video that a dog was laying next to his owner's corpse and when the time came for the corpse to be taking away, the dog just wouldn't let go of his owner's clothes, he kept a tight grip on it with his teeth. Sadly, the corpse had to be taking away and the dog attempted to find a way to be next to his owner again but he couldn't, his owner was being taking away because he was dead. It was a heartbreaking video for me to watch since I am such a big fan of dogs. Dogs are extremely loyal and their owners are incredibly benign to them, they are the real deal, a true man's best friend.

It appears that this dog's name is Leao and he is sitting next to his owner's grave for the second day in a row. Leao's owner was killed in the disastrous landslides near the Rio de Janiero on January 15, 2011. Rio de Janiero is the capital city of the state of Rio de Janiero in Brazil. This city is said to be the second largest city in Brazil. In January 2011, the Rio de Janiero had a series of floods and mudslides that killed plenty of people. Sadly, Leao's owner fell victim to these natural disasters that always occur in our world. This natural disaster left Leao without a home and an owner. Poor Leao, I can't imagine the confusion and pain this poor dog must have felt at first. Since Leao has no home or owner, he has nowhere to go to. His extreme loyalty just leads him right next to his owner's grave. Most dogs probably will do this if they were in Leao's situation. Most dogs would probably do this mainly because they are the definition of loyalty. It is said that 903 people died in this natural disaster and a very similar disaster occurred in 1967 that killed 1,700 people. 1,700 people, that is a huge number of people. At that time I am sure that a dog of some sort must have lost his owner and probably just wandered right next to his owner's grave or maybe even corpse, dogs are just like that. Similar situations always occurs throughout the world and history, so I am sure that Leao's is not the only dog that has lost his home along with his owner. That is just how life is.

Now, plenty of things can happen to Leao right now in this picture. Someone else can probably adopt him and Leao would probably be happy and will go with his new owner, who knows. On the other hand, someone might want to adopt him but since Leao is a dog and dogs are very loyal, he might just choose to sit next to the grave of his true owner. Dogs are unpredictable at times. One good prediction is that someone will just help Leao and bring Leao some food and water while Leao just sits there next to his dead owner. This person might just sit out there with Leao too so Leao can feel comfortable. Eventually Leao will feel comfortable enough with this new person and he will probably go along with this new person as his new owner. This situation makes more sense to me because someone is bound to help this dog sooner or later. The dog will probably sit there for days and days remembering his owner and he would not care about himself a lot. Some dogs cannot take care of themselves very easily, that is why they need owners. Dogs are loyal creatures and have incredible memories so it will not be easy for the dog to leave his owner's side.

In the end, dogs truly are man's best friend through my eyes. This dog just proves that saying by laying down next to his dead owner for two days in a row, that is simply amazing. That is just another level of loyalty that most humans won't reach anytime soon. I have never heard of a person sitting down to one of their loved one's grave for two days in a row. Sure they may visit their loved ones grave every now and then but to simply just sit by someone's grave for two days straight is just astonishing. Leao probably is not even done staying by his owner's side, he is probably going to continue this for days for all we know. With Leao's level of loyalty, it is very possible that he might do that. I would not be able to do that, I do not know why. I do not think that it is in human nature to be that loyal, but hey, I can be wrong, everyone is different in this world. Many astonishing events occur in this world, anything is possible in this world. However, no one will ever replace a dog's role as man's best friend. Nevertheless, not all dogs are the same, but there is one thing every dogs shares personality wise, that is their ability to be extremely loyal. This pictures just proves everything on what I have said. A dog is the the only creature on earth that loves you more than they love themselves  Dogs are man's best friend and they are one of the most loyal creatures in this world. Leao is a fine example of one of them, I hope that he is still living well with a new owner.

Paris, The City of Love and Light

I didn't think I’d find it. Wasn't looking for it. But it was all around me. I returned home from my month in Paris, a soul-searching journey, not a pleasure trip, with many overwhelming impressions of the the City of Light. This vignette resonates to this day. I quickly established my presence each morning at a cafe a short stroll from my flat on Rive Gauche. The short journey alone was common with sights and sounds and smells that put me perfectly in the mood for cafe au lait (which is French for milk) and some quiet contemplation. The cafe was across a small, quiet intersection from an outdoor produce market. Behind the fruit-load display stood a small, dark haired French girl. She barely spoke English, and combined with my very limited French, we were unable to communicate beyond pointing and nodding and yes, smiling. I would observe her carefully from my perch outside the cafe. She would go long periods without a customer. She seemed bored and, I sensed, sadness and loneliness. Sometimes her gaze met mine. One morning, I stopped by a flower stall a half block up from her market and bought a dozen gorgeous orange roses. As I approached, her face lit up. I simply handed them to her, nodded, and continued on to the cafe. And that’s just what I did for the next two weeks. Each morning I wordlessly hand her a dozen roses (they were not at all overpriced like in the states), smiled, and went on my way. Her fellow employees caught on quickly, and from behind my newspaper, I enjoyed her curiosity as she tried to explain to them, while subtly gesturing toward me. The boredom of the produce stand was now cut with rumors and intrigue. Who was the American? Why was he keeping his distance? When I moved to another flat a few blocks away for the second half of my stay, I finally spoke to her, as I handed her a final dozen roses. I lifted my hand toward hers. She rested her hand in mine. I kissed it. “Je t’aime (I love you),” I said. “Au revoir(Goodbye).” And before she could say anything, I was gone.

Pointless Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy was one of the worst hurricanes that the Northeast coast of the U.S has gotten in a while. This hurricane was just a little taste of what the Caribbean islands get yearly. Also, it is really surprising that the Northeastern coast has gotten two hurricanes two years row. Hurricane Sandy has affected the Caribbean, the Mid Atlantic and the Northeastern United States. Sandy has caused intensive damages to all of these areas she has gone through.

When Hurricane Sandy happened, the power went out almost everywhere around me. Some people got their power a few days later after the storm, some people a week later, and some ten days later. Unfortunately it took ten days for my power to return. Those ten days were very insipid to me. Also, phone service was nearly impossible to get in my town and the towns around me so there was no way anyone could have contact anyone without going to their house. There was no school for two weeks and those two weeks were very dull to me. This hurricane just brought two weeks of nothingness to me.

I really didn't really learn much of the ten days without power. The only thing I learned was to live in the cold and sleep and in the cold. My mother is from the Dominican Republic and where she lives, the power always goes out every single day for a few hours, I'd say about five to nine hours daily. I always go to Dominican Republic every summer and I myself have gotten used to having no power and being in the darkness. Actually, the power outage here kind of reminded me of my country, the Dominican Republic.

In the end, I just spent these two weeks either listening to music (at first when my mp3 device had battery power), playing guitar, talking with my mom, or just doing nothing. This was just a pointless two weeks to me at least, i'm sure some other people learn how to do other things, but I didn't. Hurricane Sandy, why come here? I'm glad this is just all over with already. 

The Joy of Life

     Chris is saying that there are a lot of people that lead unhappy lives and they do nothing to change their lives or try to make their lives better because they are secured and comfortable with a social life where they are at. He is saying that the joy of life comes from trying new things, gaining new experiences. "There is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun", he says. Chris is basically saying that traveling is the way to live since that way you gain new experiences, your horizons always change, and you always get to see a new and different sun when traveling. He is right, doing the same thing every single day does get boring and we don't try to change our lives because we know people around us and we feel comfortable and secure where we're at. But while traveling you get to enjoy your life at a different level, it is a feeling you can't explain since I've been there.

     Chris's life is an example of this belief. He say's that a secure future is the most dangerous thing to a man's adventurous spirit and Chris had a secure future. Chris graduated college and was set for the real world but, he just erased all of this so he wouldn't have a secured future, he erased his identity. Chris got rid of almost everything he had, he even got rid of all contact with his family which was his conservatism. He erased his identity so he could be a adventurous man, so that he can experience new experiences and change his horizons every once in a while, waking up to new suns everyday.

     I'm comfortable where I live at the moment. I know people around me, I have some family members around me, I have a job near me, I go to school in my town, I'm secured or attached to where I live right now. If I met Chris, he would definitely ask me something sort of like, if you have the chance to start a new life would you take it? He might encourage me to just start a new life, just to experience what it is experiencing new things. Or he might encourage me to just attempt to travel around just to see how it feels like. He might encourage me to do both actually, who knows.

Supertramp Related Poems

Poem #1:

Happiness Is Not Comforts

‘Does Happiness depend upon comfort? ’
The answer is definitely a big, ‘No! ’
Happiness lies in not comforts alone!
Happiness is not a static quality of the human mind, body and soul.

All can’t remain happy all the time.
It would be foolishness to wish for a life, filled with happiness alone;
Happiness is more when woes come in-between.
Happiness is just a feeling weird!

Life could become boring and monotonous, when happiness is prolonged.
Even the pauper can be happier than the prince.
Even the beggar smiles and sleeps well, despite much strife.

Happiness is a frame of mind that’s dynamic in nature;
Happiness is a kind of mood of feeling very well;
Happiness is a state of one, when life seems worth living;
Happiness is something strange that varies with time, experience and wisdom.

Happiness is all within;
Happiness is in giving;
Happiness is in sharing;
Happiness is the ceiling, whatever you fix!

Happiness does not wholly depend on comforts;
Happiness cannot be bought by money;
Happiness is not all luxury;
Happiness is abstract to the core!

Happiness is in being child-like, though adult;
Happiness is in making and seeing the less fortunate ones, smile;
Happiness is in acting adult-like, although a child
Happiness is in giving something to someone, although you still need it.

Happiness is in sacrificing for others’ sake;
Happiness is in giving up your chance to someone, who most needs it;
Happiness is in doing acts of charity;
Happiness is when you’ve led a righteous life.

Happiness to some is in dreams alone;
Happiness to some doing risky feats;
Happiness to a few is in a sheer lazy life;
Happiness to some is in yeoman service to mankind.

Happiness is a phenomenon;
Happiness is a quirk of fate;
Happiness is quite rare and scarce at times;
Happiness to some is in living in a virtual world!

Happiness is in braving the storms of life;
Happiness is in toiling for others’ sakes;
Happiness is in sharing your talents and ken;
Happiness is in loving your poor brethren.

Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-15-2008 

Dr John Celes

Poem #1 Analysis 

This poem is all about happiness, it says that happiness is good and all but we cannot depend on being comforted by happiness all of the time. We cannot always have happiness, but without happiness, life would be pretty boring. This poem straight of the bat reminded me of Chris when he finally realized that happiness is only real when shared. This also reminded me how Chris's parents always tried to buy his happiness, just like the poem says,"happiness cannot be brought with money, Happiness is in giving, Happiness is in sharing", that alone just explained what Chris felt on the verge of his death.

Poem #2

Running

Running, Running,
There is nothing left to do,
Running, Running,
It's so hot but I can't stop,
Running, Running,
I'm running away from my past,
Running, Running,
I try to put my fears behind me,
Running, Running,
I stop and realize I'm all alone. 

Alexandria Washington

Poem #2 Analysis

Running is all this poem talks about. Running from everything actually, but then in the end you realize your mistake and you realize you are all alone. That's what this poem is all about. Now this poem can relate to Christopher MCcandless a whole lot. Running away is what Chris was doing the whole time, he was running away from his past and putting everything behind himself. But then, in the end, he realizes he's all alone. That's when he starts believing that happiness is only real when shared, he was basically saying that he was all alone and he couldn't find happiness by himself. 

The Unexpected Dangers of the Amazon Rainforest...

The Amazon Rainforest, Josue has been very excited of visiting this place since he likes to explore a lot so going to the biggest rainforest in the world brought joy and excitement to Josue. Josue has just arrived to Brazil where he will accompany a tour to the Amazon Rainforest that will last several weeks camping out in the rainforest. Josue along with many other people grouped up and began to follow the tour guide leader who's name was Buff. Now, Buff was an expert survival-man and also an expert biologist and he was very good at leading so he was best to lead the group into the Amazon Rainforest. Also Buff was...well buff, the guy was extremely athletic so he had no problem with stamina.

As Buff led everyone into the Amazon Rainforest, he began explaining the dangers of the rainforest which was mostly insects and diseases. Buff warned everyone not to drink water from the rivers unless it's been boiled because water from the rivers can have bacteria which will make you sick in a matter of hours. Buff also said to wear protective clothing like long pants instead of shorts and shoes instead of sandals so that insects and spiders won't bite you. Buff also said that most insects carried diseases so he asked if everyone had been vaccinated to prevent most of the diseases for a while. It seemed like everyone said yes, except poor little Josue who was distracted by the beauty of the environment of the Amazon Rainforest. Josue barely paid attention to Buff, he just wanted to look around, jot down notes, take pictures, and just mainly explore, it's what he came to do. 

Josue wasn't aware of the dangers of the Amazon Rainforest, the guy was gullible to everything in the rainforest at the moment. As Buff stop to set up the camps, Josue wandered off into a nearby river to take pictures by himself. When he got there, he felt thirsty so he started drinking from the river which Buff clearly warned everyone NOT to do. Josue felt very hot so he took off his shoes and started walking around barefooted which was extremely dangerous. when Josue returned to the campsite, he felt something bite him on his feet, but he didn't pay much attention to it, he was very tired so he wanted to go to sleep. When he woke up, Josue's foot was extremely swollen and Josue felt very weak. Josue barely had the power to call for help, thank god someone saw Josue crawling out of his tent in sheer pain.When Buff was notified of Josue's state, he immediately called for help to wait for him in the entrance to the forest and Buff with his gigantic arms, picked Josue up and rushed over to the entrance of the forest. Josue was in bad conditions, the poor guy passed out several times on the way to help. When Buff finally reached the entrance, there was an ambulance already waiting for Josue. Once Josue got to the hospital, he was treated. The doctor told Josue that he was bitten by a Banana Spider which is a large very black spider resembling a tarantula. The bite from this spider can kill you or at least cause you a great deal of pain and make you sick. 

After a week, Josue was back on his feet all healthy again thanks to Buff and the hospital. When he returned back to the campsite, Buff told Josue that he should of listened to his warnings. Josue learned to listen after this, because if you don't listen, you're never going to learn.

Rapture of The Deep

This just in, it appears Pipin was indeed involved in his wife Audrey's death. It appears to still be an accident but Pipin was involved in it. First of all, Pipin kept on encouraging Audrey to dive deeper than anyone has ever dove before in mankind. Pipin wanted Audrey to dive 597 feet! Audrey ended up going for 561 feet instead, 36 less than Pipin wanted. Now, what Pipin did that might have been the cause Audrey's death was, he didn't check the equipment very well. He heard a hiss of air when he shut the valve that made sure that  there was enough air in the tank that will inflate the lift bag to bring Audrey back up. He heard a hiss of air, but he didn't check the pressure with a gauge. He probably forgot for all we know.

As you all know, Pipin was devastated by Audrey's death, he was very depressed when she died. He couldn't have done it on purpose, if he did, he wouldn't have been depressed for so long. He couldn't eat, he couldn't work, he was just a wreck. Audrey became the one Pipin spoke to everyday, the one he asked for blessing and guidance. It's pretty clear that the loss of his wife affected him a lot so he couldn't have purposely murdered his wife. May Audrey rest in peace.

Into the Wild

How would Chris's adventure be different with today's technology?

-With today's technology, Chris's adventure would have been a lot easier. He could have used today's smartphones and fast 4g speed to use Google Maps to get around without getting lost. Chris could have also used his cellphone to call for help when he needed help or check the weather to see if it was a good day to go hitchhiking. Chris could have done a lot with today's technology, but knowing Chris, he would have ignored today's technology if he started his adventure with it. 

The Amazon Rainforest

-Where are you going?  Why?  Where is it on a map?

I am definitely going to the Amazon Rain-forest which is located In South America. I will start my journey in Brazil since 60% of the rain-forest is there. I would want to go to the Amazon Rain-forest because it is a magnificent beautiful. The climate is nice and the environment is wonderful. Also, it is the largest tropical rain forest in the world and it is filled with so many different species, that just gets me interested in going there.

-How long will you be traveling?

I would probably stay in the Amazon rain-forest for probably a few weeks to months. If I do manage to go one day for real, then i would study everything about the rain forest, the animals, environment, everything. who knows how long that could take so I say from a few weeks to a few months.

-How do you plan to travel? Why are you choosing this mode of transportation?

Since I'm very far away from South America, I think traveling by plane will be the smartest choice. Traveling by plane won't be that expensive, it's affordable for me. It will take ages to get to South America if I were to go walk over there, South America is another Continent! Not everyone likes to walk to another continent. Traveling by plane is the easiest way to get to Brazil right now.

-What will you need for your trip? How are you going to provide food/traveling expenses while you're on the road?

I will need many things for my trip. It's common sense really, I would need to take clothes, somewhere to keep my clothes in like a luggage, money for food, a camera to take pictures with and record videos, toothbrush, a journal with a pencil/pen, shoes and sandals, and my passport for the airport, that's about it. As for the food, I won't be going alone to the forest, I researched about this and there are tons of companies that do tours up the river into remote sections where you are literally in the middle of the rain forest.

-What do you want to accomplish on this trip? 

I want to learn more about the wildlife. I want to learn more on how animals live in the rain forest. I want to learn more about the environment over there. There are so many things I will like to know about the Amazon Rainforest. Basically, I just want to learn about the wildlife and live out there for a while.

-How will you record your experiences?

With a camera and a journal. What else can I record my experiences with? I can record videos with the camera and take pictures, and with the journal, I can record some information and start journal entries in it.

The Amazon Rainforest is the wildlife I want to be in someday.