Love Cycle Essay

The rain starts pouring that particular early evening. Other students run towards buildings for shelter, but I do not notice the cold. How I feel is more overpowering than the disgust I would have felt for me getting soaked at any other time. My feet automatically stop right next to the bench where I have first seen her. That was what, more than a year ago, and I have not seen her for six months now. My beautiful, sweet Angie. Nothing could have prepared me for that one, fateful night when I passed by the same spot on my way home and, against the darkness of the park, I noticed a girl with her head bowed, her arms propped against the bench, and her hair covering her face. It was raining then, too, and that forlorn figure got me worried in spite of myself. So I had approached where she sat, and carefully asked, â€Å"Uhm, miss? † She did not look up. Maybe she was a stone sculpture, until I heard a hiccup. â€Å"Miss, are you OK? It’s raining and, uh, it’s kind of dark here. † The girl slowly sat upright until she was looking at me directly. I swear I heard angels singing when she trained those eyes on me. But they were sad, tear-stained eyes. I could not help thinking what possibly made such beautiful girl cry. Yes, she was beautiful even with the dark stains in her cheeks. Despite the situation, the guy in me just could not stop checking her out. She looked tall and slender. Her hair was long, almost reaching her elbow. She had these thin eyebrows, the kind I usually looked at in women. They made her eyes look bigger and God, didn’t she have the longest eyelashes. What guy wouldn’t fall for a woman who looks like her? My scrutiny halted when she muttered, almost inaudibly, â€Å"I’m OK. † Her voice sounded sweet to my ears. I have never been a picky person, except when it comes to women. I can eat anything, anyone can be my friend, but I can never just pick out one woman from the crowd and pursue her ‘til she say that sweet ‘Yes. ’ I guess maybe that’s the reason why I fell hopelessly in love with Angie. She just appeared into my life without warning, and she never sent any signal to my direction that she likes me, too. A week after that incident, I was forced to do some researching at the main library. By any choice, I would have chosen to play hoops with the guys, but my grade was on the line. Little did I know that I’d see her for the second time, in the library. The funny thing was we were obviously looking for the same thing because we reached for an old book at the same time. When we looked at each other, I found out it was her. She must have recognized me because she tentatively smiled. â€Å"Uh, go ahead,† I said, ever the gentleman. She took the book and said, â€Å"I guess there’s only this copy here. By the way, I’m Angie. You were that guy. † It made me smile because she did remember. â€Å"Yeah! I’m Skip. † When she looked puzzled, I added, â€Å"Actually it’s Steven, but I’m usually called Skip. † It was a year ago now, but I can still remember the way she smiled when we studied that book, or the way her face lit up whenever she talked. Eventually we became friends as we found out we had the same teacher but a different schedule on a subject. That friendship entitled me to see her everyday and talk with her. As days and months passed, I became more attached to Angie. Sometimes I would decline my mates’ invitation for one basketball game just so I could accompany Angie to wherever she wanted to go. I found out that I immensely enjoyed her company because we have so many things in common. We both grew up in a broken family; she lived with her father, while I grew up with my mother. The comfort we found in each other after talking about a similar experience drew us ever closer. It dawned on me one day that I have fallen in love with Angie. Every time she’s away, it creates a hollow feeling that only she can fill. Even my friends noticed the change in me. I was too afraid to let her know. The last time I pursued a girl, she turned me down even before I could ask her. I felt that it might happen the second time around with Angie. That would surely crush my heart, or any chances of her and me ending up together. More days passed. I got the shock of my life when one night, while I was at the apartment studying with my friends, she came barging into the room wearing the biggest, most beautiful smile. I was imagining her telling me, â€Å"Skip, I just found out that I could not live without you! † Instead, she told me and everyone else, â€Å"Skip! My goodness, you wouldn’t believe this! Will finally asked me! † I frowned upon hearing that name. I only met Will once or twice, and it didn’t dawn on me that he was pursuing my Angie, too. I didn’t even know if the two dated. After Angie told me about him, I felt like the world was crushing me. Would she have worn the same, big, beautiful smile if I asked her? Probably not. I died when she next announced, â€Å"Skip, he asked me. How could I not say yes? We dated a few times but we always see each other during Math II and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I no longer heard the rest of it because I stood up and, without saying anything, locked myself in my room. I didn’t hear her knocking, nor her voice pleading me to come out and tell her what’s wrong. The erratic beating of my barely functioning heart was too loud for me to hear anything. What Angie said, it was like a dagger. After all this time, I’ve been building my courage to finally tell her how I feel. But she beat me to it, with a very cruel message. Anger, regret, and resentment rolled up until I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to shout, to hurt myself. But how could I rewind the time, back to the days when I was on the verge of professing to her? I never felt so bad in my life, not even the way I feel about my last unfortunate episode with a girl can compare. I have loved Angie, so much in fact that I can give up anything. I nurtured this feeling until it blossomed into full-blown love that is far from what any man can comprehend. I wanted her back. I wanted back my Angie. It was so unfair. I know I haven’t indicated that I feel something special for her, but how could she not notice? It was like telling me, in my face, that she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her. It was too much that I found myself crying into the night like I never did before. The tears just wouldn’t stop even if I reminded myself it was not a macho thing. But who cares? The woman I’ve secretly loved for so long, just fluttered away. I found out it was hard. Since that night I avoided her, ignored her calls, her messages. I was hurting so much that I didn’t want to see her. Eventually the calls and messages stopped. I barely saw her in the months that followed. If I did, she was in the company of that guy who could have been me had I dared to tell her. I tried to move on because I can see that she’s happy. I was just unsure if it would be a great idea right now to be friends with her again. So the days and months that followed, I immersed myself into studying, hanging out with my friends and signing up for other activities to help me forget. I knew there was no other way but to forget, and forget I did. So in that early evening, I sit where she sat more than one year ago. The rain was accommodating, falling endlessly and washing the tears from my eyes. I was not crying because of regret, but because of the fact that I really did move on after all. I prop my hands over the edge of the cold bench and watch as droplets of rain create ripples in the puddle of water on my feet. Suddenly, rain stops falling in the puddle but it does not stop entirely. A pair of shoes appeared just next to the bench, and I noticed that a shadow stretches over the lawn in front of me. A female voice carefully asked, â€Å"Excuse me. Are you alright? † Yeah, it’s time for me to let go. Time can heal all wounds, and rain can wash away tears. I couldn’t help smiling at the turn of two similar events: one more than a year ago, and the other, right now. With a smile I looked up into the worried face of a girl holding an umbrella towards me and I said, â€Å"Yes, I’m OK. †

decline of the family essays

decline of the family essays Within the past ten years, the focus of American families has become unpleasantly clear. Divorce, teenage pregnancy, violence, suicide, and addiction are all plaguing our families today. Conservatives, Liberals, and Feminists all have their views on why the breakdown of the families is occurring. The conservatives believe that the lack of religious beliefs and practices have led to the moral disintegration of this generation. Daytime television glorifying unwed motherhood, further obscuring right from wrong. With traditions rapidly diminishing and society's view on moral misfortitude eroding. Many conservatives feel that welfare actually contributes to the breakup of marriages. By making fatherless families a viable option to many. With the lack of social stigma in divorce and the lack of personal commitment in marriage, all factors in the general feeling today of short term instant gratification. Society puts a very high emphasis on obtaining one's personal desires over all else, including the children's sake. There seems to be a strong connection between one parent families and the rise in health and social problems in children. The time parents are available for supervision and interaction, has dropped 10 hours in the last 20 years. Without a parent to supervis e their children after school, children watch to much TV, play in dangerous areas, and become generally too subseptible to the wrong elements. Children are expected to grow-up too fast,with parents leaving them to care for themselves at a very early age. The solution is to cut out benefits to men and women who violate social -exceptable standards of living beyond their means, by having multiple births while continuing poverty level living. The liberal view is one of changes in the economy, and the smaller family unit, distroys the social capital of organization, trust among individuals, and mutual obligation that enhan ...

stars of orion essays

stars of orion essays 01. Why do the stars in Orion look so different from each other? Looking at Orion is more than just looking at an area that is easy to recognize in the night sky. Orion is seething with activity and illustrates a clear and concise picture, of how stars are formed. It gives us the ability to compare different types of stars and most importantly, it's right next door to Earth, astronomically speaking. The interest in Orion is currently at frenzy level, astronomers have always been interested in Orion because it is only 450 parsecs (1500 light years) from Earth. As viewed from ground based telescopes, Orion has twice the angular diameter of the full moon, around 1 degree. Known as the saucepan, Orion has a most distinctive and easy to find star pattern, located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun. Orion is named after the Hunter of Greek mythology. If what we can see of Orion is considered exciting, that pales under the stark reality of what lies in the same region, that we can not see. To understand more about the differences in Orion, you must establish that there are differences between two sets of stars, the visible and the non-visible. The image above shows the distinctive blue/white colour of Rigel and the cool red supergiant Betelgeuse. At the center of the nebula is a cluster of four stars called the Trapezium. The brightest star in the Trapezium, known as Theta 1 Orionis C, is a very hot 39,000 Kelvin, and is the source of most of the UV radiation, which causes the nebula to glow. Below left, shows the four stars glowing brilliantly at the bottom left edge of the photo. The infrared vision of the Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) is illustrating an Orion that few people outside of astronomers ever see. Thanks to Hubble more people are being introduced to astronomy with such magnificent images as these on the left. Stars in Orion looking different now t...

Irreparable vs. Unrepairable

Irreparable vs. Unrepairable Irreparable vs. Unrepairable Irreparable vs. Unrepairable By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, What are the differences between the use of unrepairable and irreparable? Pronunciation note: Unrepairable: un-ree-PAIR-uh-buhl Irreparable: i-REP-uh-ruh-buhl Both words are used to mean â€Å"incapable of being mended,† but unrepairable is nonstandard in American usage. Some online dictionaries include entries for unrepairable, but others do not. If you use any of the following free online dictionaries, you won’t find an entry for unrepairable in them: Longman Macmillan American Heritage The Free Dictionary Cambridge (no entry in either the US or UK section) If your free dictionary of choice is one of the following, you will find entries for unrepairable in them: Collins Oxford Dictionaries (including the section for US English) Dictionary.com (based on the American Random House dictionary) Of the resources I rely on, the American dictionary Merriam-Webster Unabridged lacks an entry for unrepairable, but The Oxford English Dictionary lists the word with nine citations dating from 1600 to 2006- without any suggestion that the word is nonstandard. Another of my stalwarts, The Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, gives unrepairable without comment as a synonym for irreparable. Some commenters on language sites discern a difference of connotation, suggesting that unrepairable should be used to describe such things as damaged bicycles, toasters, and edifices, whereas irreparable should be reserved for reputations and things that are not man-made, like the environment. The following quotations illustrate the supposed distinction: Apples New Retina MacBook Pro is the Most  Unrepairable Laptop to Date.   The bike, a Ninja 300, was written off as unrepairable after the collision  . BUT, Attachment trauma, neglect and abuse cause irreparable damage in the developing neurons of the brain. An increase in cruise ships in the area threatens to cause irreparable damage to the continents pristine environment.   Such a distinction no doubt appeals to some people, but the futility of getting everyone to observe it is obvious to anyone who has ever tried to explain the difference between uninterested and disinterested. In practice, unrepairable and irreparable seem to be regarded as exact synonyms: Most automobile insurance policies cover the costs to repair a vehicle after a collision or some other insured cause, or if the damage is irreparable, the actual cash value of the vehicle. [The report] asserted that radiation exposure did unrepairable harm to genetic material and increased the probability of defects and mutations in future generations.   Incorrectly installed knives can cause  irreparable damage  to both the knives and the rotor, leading to serious destruction within the machine. Chlorine-free diapers are the same as regular disposables, and they wont expose your children to harsh chemicals or cause  unrepairable harm to the environment. I found this example of unrepairable in a legal context that definitely calls for irreparable: According to Stern, all three parties involved  Ã¢â‚¬Å"have made public remarks that are totally untrue, with evil malicious harmful intent to do the reputation and character of the plaintiff unrepairable harm.† The phrase â€Å"irreparable harm† is an established legal term. Its meaning is â€Å"harm that cannot be reversed or repaired.† The bottom line for American speakers is that unrepairable is nonstandard- for now. Note: Two other nonstandard forms sometimes seen are irrepairable and nonrepairable. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and TimesBest Websites to Learn English20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel

Improving Patient Flow in Emergency Departments Research Paper

Improving Patient Flow in Emergency Departments - Research Paper Example He added that the increased number of admissions and unscheduled patients has significant impacts on the entire emergency care delivery system. In the throughput phase, there were delays in the operating suites because it is mainly done in specific days of a week. He said that surgical operations are done on Mondays and Tuesdays rather than spreading out the operations throughout the week. It, therefore, means that surgeons and other clinical officers are very busy in some days and free in others. The administrator of Provicence Hospital added that the various problems faced experienced in the output phase include prolonged time of discharge or referral and incomplete treatments. He noted that the incomplete treatments is a common problem in ED because it leads to delayed discharges and referrals and can last for many weeks when patients are instructed to visit the ED again in specific dates (Hall, 2013). Bottlenecks and the metrics used to identify them as well as the challenges of the patient were also identified during the interview. Note that the term ‘bottlenecks’ is the part of the emergency care delivery systems that is obstructed to cause delays and waits. Metrics and the methods used to measure the efficiency of the system (Hall, 2013). Based on Mr. Johnson’s response, the bottlenecks in the emergency care delivery system can be divided into three groups. In the group for inputs, the major bottleneck is the delayed admission and registration of patients due to the fact that clinical care responsibilities are not separated from the paper and information flow. The metrics used to identify this issue involved the measurement of the time taken for patients to be registered. Do they wait for long on the benches? Based on his response, most of the patients admitted to the ED wait for around 40-45minutes before they are treated. In the group addressing the throughput, the main bottleneck identified is the creation of idle time

Explain the function of religion (e.g from a sociological, Essay

Explain the function of religion (e.g from a sociological, pychological and anthropological perspective). Can the relationship between religion and magic be seen as dangerous - Essay Example Religion is supposed to define the way of living of a society. . The sociological functions of religion are far more than that could be written in words and explained. Religions serve in a society by affecting the life style of a mere individual and by affecting a whole society. Religion is supposed to be a key stone in a society on which the whole society exists and survives. Different religions serve as a form of identity for the societies of the world. They define the way of living and provide order to a society. â€Å"The ten Commandments† given to Moses served as a source through which the followers of that particular religion defined their way of living. However, religions are supposed to have both positive and negative impacts in a society. As man is considered as both the creator and the creation of society, religions is supposed to take away the supposed freedom from the man that allows him to rule this world in his own way. According to some people with a different mindset, religion is thought to create a social conflict by opp ressing the people in the society and creating illusions to ease pain (Leming 1998). However this role of religion has not been accepted by a major group of people who consider religion as a source of harmony. Whether from a same region or not, from the same ethnicity or not, people of the same religion get together at specific times. This allows them to get to know each other properly and make the bond between them more and more strong. Christmas, Hajj and many other religious festivals are such examples when people from around the world get together at one place, families reunite; friends meet and enjoy the company of each other. Religions are solely responsible for such happenings which serve as an important factor in the strength of a society. All the important factors that contribute to the development

Musical Instruments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Musical Instruments - Essay Example It will concentrate on their distinction and similarities in terms of structure, performance techniques, occasion when they are played, and their historical context. The origin of the Arabic oud is often associated with Biblical history. A myth tells the story of Lamech, the sixth grandson of Adam who is extremely grieved by the death of his son. Thus, being unable to contain his grief, he hung his son's remains in a tree. The first oud is said to have been inspired from the shape of Lamech's desiccated skeleton (Parfitt 2). The Arabic oud is described as a pear-shaped, stringed instrument similar to lute which is commonly used in Middle Eastern music (Oud 1). It should be noted that both the oud and the lute are derived from the Arabic term al-ud which is literally translated as "wood." Gianfranco Lotti also suggests that "the 'wood' appellation originally carried derogatory connotations, because of proscriptions of all instrumental music in early Islam (Oud 2)." The exact date when the oud is created can never be accurately determined. However, evidence showing the earliest usage of this musical instrument dates back to the Uruk period in Southern Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) which is 5000 years ago. Dr. Dominique Collon acquired a cylinder seal which shows the picture of a "female crouching with her instruments upon a boat, playing right handed" (Parfitt 3). It should be noted that aside from this pictorial record, the oud appears all throughout the Mesopatamian history highlighting its importance in the civilization and culture. Throughout time, the original structure of the oud has been rather modified due to the social changes. The oud is consists of a "large soundbox connected to a short neck, features that give it its letters patent of nobility and distinguished it from the long-necked lute family" (Parfitt 4). The body of the oud which is originally pear-shaped has been transformed into a more swelling and rounded one. Since the oud is used by many countries, its structure also varies with according to its regional origin. There are three varieties of Arabic ouds: Syrian which are slightly larger, longer-necked, and lower in pitch; Iraqi which are generally similar to Syrian oud but with floating bridges which focuses the mid-range frequencies and gives the instruments a guitar-like sound; and Egyptian which has a more-pear shaped body, slightly different tone, very ornate, and highly decorated (Oud 4). However, amidst the differences and variations which appeared, the Arabic oud still has distinct and defining features that separate it from other musical instruments. Compared to other stringed instruments, the Arabic oud is distinctive because of the number of its sound-holes. The oud generally has one to three sound-holes. Furthermore, the ouds body contains a staved, bow-like back which resembles the back of half watermelon allowing it to resonate and produce a more complex tone. The Arabic oud also has a pegbox which is bent at 45-90 angle from its neck. This musical instrument is also distinctive because of its eleven strings. It should be noted that the first ten are arranged in pairs while the eleventh remains single. The Arabic oud, is also differentiated from other plucked instruments because