After going over my stream of consciousness the column that has more words would definitely be the happy, loving one. This is not surprising since I do consider myself to be a very happy person and I am content with my life and where it is right now and you can see it from my perspective. I'm very sure if I had written this post a couple of years ago it would be a completely different story. I am aware that I am now happy with my life but that is after resolving many, many issues and letting go of the things and people that hurt me. Even so, I know that some of the words I picked that carry a stressful meaning to them are very strong ones, with strong emotions tied to them; that even in my happy, cheerful life do occasionally affect me greatly.

This is the first time I had done an exercise this extensively. I remember in high school I did something similar but it was only with words, no complete sentences. In a way I felt frustrated because I had such a hard time letting myself go, letting go of my rational side and just write. This was frustrating on a personal level because I used to write a lot in high school and first year of college and lately I haven't and I've missed it. I knew since before this that I had issues "getting out of my brain" but after this exercise I was kind of stricken with how bad it is. I used to have a much better balance between my rational and artistic side and with all the things happening in my life right now I think I lost some of that balance. 

I want you to pick two of the reviews I posted here and write what you liked about that particular review. What elements did the review cover? Do you agree with the author of the review? Why or why not? Would you watch that film? Why? If it was a negative review, why would you stay away from the film? 
Now, look at what you wrote, would it be possible for you to emulate what you just read? Now you will review your own review and focus on those elements you KNOW you can improve! Go ahead...take your chances! 

Reviewing my review... 
After reading the different reviews and commenting on two of them I could notice the parts where my review was lacking. A true movie review should add some basic information about the movie like genre, when it was released, rating, director and cast so that the reader can look up some information on it or if they are a movie guru know the director and decide whether the movie was up to his/her standards or not. Also commenting on the different aspects of the movie seems to be a must, I do think in comparison mine was very superficial. Many of the movie reviews I read included a specific quote or memorable moment of the movie without spoiling it which is something I think could be edited in mine. In conclusion I think my movie reviews were a bit superficial in comparison to what I now know to be a correct review.

A weekend of firsts. I can definitely say that the first time I decided to go to Mayagüez was memorable, but not entirely for the best reasons. Although I had gone before to help my boyfriend move I'm talking about the first time decided to go overnight. First of all I had asked permission, was denied and decided to go against my mother and go anyway (a first). While riding la Linea Sultana (a first) my heart was beating fast still hearing her last words in my head "Whatever happens over there, it's on you. Don't count on me for help". By the time I got there I was calmer and ate dinner with my boyfriend and his housemates (a first), one of them that later on brought us yummy ice cream which as always makes things better. After a quiet night away from the metropolitan area and a nice breakfast I told my boyfriend to take me to a beauty parlor so I could get my hair done before going back. 
On our way there while stopped behind a garbage truck I saw a sports car drive by at high speed then shortly after, all I heard was the undeniable sound of car metal against car metal and felt myself with the whole car move forward. Confused I looked around and saw my boyfriend had hit himself against the driving wheel and was lying against the seat. I got out of the car, ran to over to him and checked that he was alright. Then seeing the damage of the car, both front and back, I began crying and apologizing thinking that everything that had happened was somehow my fault. After the paramedics arrived, information was exchanged, parents were contacted and the car was towed to his apartment my boyfriends housemate took us to the hospital where we waited inhaling that sterile hospital scent that I've come to love as a student but hate as a patient. Afterwards because the driver that hit us didn't have a license with him or a valid one for that matter we ended up having to go to Mayagüez court until finally resolving the issue in January 2013. 
After all was said and done the weekend of September 14-15, 2012 was a weekend of many firsts. The first time I defied my mother, went to Mayagüez overnight, made and had dinner for my boyfriend in his apartment, had a serious car accident, went to a Mayagüez hospital and later on went to court. I learned so much from this weekend, became closer to my boyfriend and had a new appreciation of the blessing it was since it could have gone a lot worse. After this I've had many other trips to the west side that were memorable for a lot better reasons, thank God!

Keysha Ivelisse. "My Cute One", "My white half", my beautiful befa. 
And here I describe her from head to toe. She about my height, so she's short. Very pale skin that gets red but rarely tans. Nice, proportionate body. Skinny. Small feet. Used to play soccer, walks all through campus toned legs (that she always shows off with shorts). Small hands. She has a lot of freckles especially around her nose and cheeks. Dark, straight hair which is now shoulder length but used to be long. Round face. A nose that can only be described as "una nariz de Pietri". Very dark, thick eyebrows that she is constantly fighting with. Brown eyes shaded underneath with the mark of sleepless nights thanks to Biology and her 20 other activities.  And that's my physical description of my little rusted piece of flesh. I added some of our pictures together at different activities throughout high school and college. I am really not kidding when I say that she is my other half, the personality (obviously not physical) similarities are undeniable and anyone who knows us well enough can state the truth to that. 

The most talked about issue in the news right now aside of gay rights is the legalization or decriminalization of cannabis (marijuana). 
First of all I think it is important to make a distinction of the terms used constantly in this debate:
Approval for medical use- Many states already have this measure in place where marijuana can be used under the supervision of a physician who understands it's usefulness as a treatment for various ailments. 
Decriminalized use- In a nutshell this means that it is not legal, but not a law enforcement priority. Implications would mean tolerance of small quantity possession and usage. This also means it cannot be sold legally but for example you can't be fired for not passing a drug test. In addition decriminalization still includes legal consequences such as fines, community service and required drug treatment as opposed to incarceration.
Legalization of use- Complete legalization of medical and non-medical cannabis. By this measure it means that people can set up shops to sell marijuana, the government can tax it, people can use it freely and commercial marijuana farms can be created. 

That being cleared up in Puerto Rico, at the moment there are two main projects involving cannabis: Proyecto del Senado 517 (decriminalization of marijuana) and Proyecto de la Camara de Representantes 1362 (legalization of medical use marijuana). Therefore, speaking of the "legalization of marijuana" is useless because it is not even in consideration at the moment. This is a big sociological issue in PR, although not necessarily a political one since the governor Garcia Padilla himself has specified not to be the most important thing on agenda. The decriminalization or medical legalization of marijuana is never the less a big concern for many because of the possible economical and criminal implications tied to it. The truth is that there is a large financial investment in law enforcement officials to fight and prosecute individuals that use marijuana as a recreational drug. 

One side of the debate establishes the medical benefits of the drug, the economical increase that could be obtained by reassigning funds from the drug war on marijuana to violent crimes instead, the decrease in crimes, gangs and black market sales and the diminished severity of its side affects in comparison to other legal substances such as alcohol or tabacco. The other side stands ground by saying it is an initiation drug, and users would start with marijuana and continue into other more harmful substances. Others in opposition state that the decriminalization would not solve the problem and in addition oppose with moral reasons. 

This issue has been present in the US since the 1970's when Oregon became the first state to decriminalize cannabis in 1973, followed shortly by Alaska, California, Colorado, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina and Ohio. So why the big debate now in PR and the US included? Because now the US is talking about full legalization and PR finally caught up to talk about decriminalization. As with any substance legal or not, there have been good people and bad who use it, places where the decriminalization has worked and places where it failed miserably. To understand this issue it needs to be put into context in PR and look into how it has worked in our neighboring Latino countries who share a similar culture. There is a lot at stake by going down this rabbit hole because like it or not it is a domino effect: decriminalization today, legalization tomorrow (like in the US) and now it may be cannabis but in 30-40 years when this issue blows over; what will be the next one to be debated about?

In all honesty I find this issue to be a tiring and somewhat unnecessary one. There are many more economical, political and social issues that are far more important than if people can smoke a joint or not. Other issues that are present, important and not as strongly addressed but should be include sex trafficking, education, healthcare, unemployment just to name a few. These are the issues that I think society should be pushing to resolve. Personally the legalization for me is a negative. The decriminalization although having its advantages and disadvantages (as with everything in life) has some serious repercussions to consider; when under its influence marijuana does diminish capacity, that is a well known fact. In a decriminalized setting I would certainly dislike that the surgeon that is going to cut me open be high at the time, or the bus driver that will drive my children to school be foggy from his last joint. I'm not ignoring the economical benefits of the decriminalization, but they have to come with some other implication such as prohibition of being under the influence when working, drug education and other measures to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks. Medical legalization I can understand, many benefits have been scientifically tied to cannabis and physicians often resort to different pharmaceuticals on a patient to patient basis. From my point of view the final result of this debate will be approval of both projects in PR, society is pushing and politicians want to keep society happy in a way that is also beneficial to them. For me it goes in the same category as tabacco, I don't like the smell of the smoke, I don't want the person I'm dating to have it on his breath, I don't plan on trying it but I will respect anyone who chooses to use it as much as I respect vegetarians although never plan on becoming one.

In a field of very grass there is a young boy and girl sitting on top of a soft blue blanket enjoying what appears to be a tea party. Looking at her, the boy serves the girl imaginary tea from the white pot into the teacup in her extended hand. Behind them lies a closed basket with a piece of round bread on top. Around the children, who are about 8 years old, soap bubbles float around them. The little girl is dressed in ankle length blue jeans a white sleeveless shirt with a white and blue ribbon attached to her waist. She has loose brown hair held by a white and blue headpiece with a flower on the side and a small braid on the left side of her hair. For accessories she has a small charm bracelet on her left wrist. She looks directly at the camera with a small smile.  Meanwhile the boy has white knee length pants and a blue and white plaid, button shirt. He has neck length soft brown hair that appears to be moving in the wind. Both children are barefooted and mosquito bites can be seen on their legs and ankles. This image I found especially cute since it seems to represent the innocence and simplicity of children with the tea party and the bubbles around them. On a more personal note I really enjoy picnics and would love to do something similar to this image with my boyfriend for a date.