Fictional Story

The Lamentation, 2016

by Kehinde Wiley

How could this have happened? I stand here, looking at you laying there ... still, asleep, lifeless. Just yesterday we were fine. It was just a regular day until Jacques and Maribelle wanted to go out to a party. Our schedule was free so we decided to go with them. They mentioned that this party was an exclusive invite only and that this rich kid Josh is hosting. Josh has always been known to be a dickhead but I know you are always down for a good party. You put your differences aside for now and right then and there, we agreed to go for sure.

You went through your day, eating breakfast, lunch and even going to the mall with mom. You came home and went straight to your video games even though you should have been studying. It is something we definitely had to work on. Eventually we get the call from Jacques, telling us to meet at his place then us, Jacques and Maribelle will all go together. We head over there, take a few shots to pregame then head out. The uber picks us up and there we are, looking at this massive house with people guarding the gate. Jacques does all the talking, “ Jacques and friends please “. The guard lets us through and we see all our boys from school. Everyone is done with college so Josh wanted to reunite everyone. Some of these people I do not even remember from High School.

We go to the drinks just trying to have a good time and see Josh. He says, what's up to Jacques and Maribelle then us. He gives us the dirtiest look and just says, “Hey thanks for coming” in the fakest way possible. We had beef in the past, I guess he is still not over it. You tried to be the bigger guy but he was not listening. You looked away to talk to Jacques and I remember him slipping something into your drink. He just walked away right when we turned around. You were just chilling for the night until you felt woozy and had to sit down. Jacques and Maribelle took you to a room and told you to lay down and relax.

When I opened my eyes, I was just laying there. Thinking to myself what could have happened to me, trying to replay the scenario in my head. I just see flowers around me, Jacques and Maribelle disappear. The next thing I know, I’m standing here, no one else knows I am here, except me. I rerun the night in my hand and I just have to accept this, looking at myself laying there … still, asleep, lifeless.

How I Dropped My Phone 10 ft Deep in Palawan

I’m down from the kayak in the water and so is my phone.

My brother and I had been kayaking for thirty minutes

When I decided to hop out of the kayak and

Swim for a little in the ten foot deep lagoon.  

I took my phone out to record the beautiful view underwater.

The view beneath the water was extraordinary,

Beautiful coral reefs, fish swimming next to me, white sand,

It was amazing to see the beautiful land structures of the Lagoon.

However, the strap from the waterproof case was limiting my range of motion

So I took the strap off from my neck to get a better video.

The fish would swim to me in interest just as I was interested in them.

Swimming with the fish through their home with me as their guest.

Eventually I went up to the surface for air and to relax.

My brother called me to get back to the kayak so we could explore some more.

I put my goggles on, snorkel in my mouth and swim towards him

To get a look at the scenery here before we go around.

As I swam in his direction I lost focus of my phone,

And I let go of it in my hand as I thought it was still strapped to my neck.

I needed to swim freely without holding my phone, slowing me down.

Unknowingly my phone descended ten feet as I swam away.

It was only after returning to the kayak that I had realized

It was somewhere at the bottom of the lagoon.

My heart rate immediately rose but my mind was focused.

I needed to go back down into the water and find it.

My goggles came back on, no life vest so I could dive for my phone

And I began my search to find my phone.

I knew I had to hurry because the waterproof case could only survive for so long.

Besides it must have been almost ten minutes since I dropped it.

How did I manage to forgot my phone, something so valuable and expensive?

My focus was through the roof and I started swimming

Like a Navy SEAL on a search and rescue operation.

My brother was on the kayak scanning the area,

He spots what seems to resemble my phone.

It was in a black case at the bottom of clear water.

I swam to him, spotted my phone, took a deep breath and dove to get it.

The water pressure squeezing on my head, the water filling my ears,

The fish surrounding me and my phone laying there at the bottom.

I felt relief as I saw my phone and grabbed it from the depth of the lagoon.

As I returned to the surface, I finally went to relax as everything was fine.

People around were cheering as I found my phone.

I had tunnel visioned into the search that I was not even aware of my energy until after.

I was so tired from swimming and stress that I could lose everything on the phone.

The effort was all worth it and it will be a time that I will always remember.

It really felt like I had accomplished a mission. I am very proud of my swimming ability.

Come to think of it, I would do it again because it was so fun.

Allergies

My whole life I have had to deal with health problems that have shaped who I am. First of all is that I have eczema which is a condition where patches of the skin either get inflamed, itchy, rough or even cracked. It did not appear on my skin for a little when I was born but the doctors told my parents that there were signs. They were right, within a year my skin would begin to get dry and rough. Throughout my toddler years I would cry because my skin would be so itchy. I would scratch a lot overnight without knowing which would open up more cuts. Then eventually when I started going to school, my parents tried so many methods such as slapping my hands or the itchy areas, running my hands under cold water, taping socks onto my hands. Each method worked for a while until I learned my way to scratch around it which I hated about myself. I tried so many different brands of lotions, went to multiple doctors, dermatologists and my skin would still be the same only with mild improvements. I would be so conscious of my skin that I would unnecessarily wear long-sleeves or pants when everyone else would be wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It used to annoy me whenever my classmates what asked me what happened to my skin, or "why does your skin look like that? look at mine!' At the time I did not understand the curiosity of young children, to me it was annoying. I did not feel like explaining myself every single time. I also did not understand it that well, I would just say that I have dry skin because that's what my parents would tell me. This would go on throughout my elementary school and middle school days. Eventually I got better at hiding my skin or distracting people from it.

This is my hand today, still trying to heal the dry spots

I feel great about my body now

I still have eczema today, but having it throughout my childhood taught me a lot. I have accepted my condition and have tried not to hide it. It taught me that I am still the same as anyone else, I just look a little different. The most important lesson was that, there is nothing wrong with being different from everyone else. My skin has gotten a lot better from when I was younger which I am very happy about, it has been something I have been trying to improve for the longest time. My skin started to finally clear up and it would be a sign of relief. However, that does not mean I cannot ju
st disregard it, I still have to maintain it with lotion all the time. Lotion is my best friend actually, I even carry it around whenever I can, whether it be my bag, my car or my mom's purse. I have learned the ways to keep my skin hydrated and clear. I realized that my condition could never be cured but definitely treated. It changed my outlook on my body because then I would start to workout which gave me a lot of confidence in how I looked. I love working out and staying fit because it reminds me that it is something anyone can do to make them feel and look better.

My eczema used to be prominent on my hands, elbows and knees but now its getting better!

Two forms of multimedia

1. https://www.youtube.com/user/AsapSCIENCE

- great channel with many animated videos about interesting science topics such as the explanations behind illusions, dreaming, sleep, etc. Very cool interesting channel overall 

2. https://open.spotify.com/show/5LUnGGXpNoeaH1K0tWdLiB?si=l-RvjDfXStei95g-uCW0WA

- This is the ESPN First Take podcast. It is a podcast on all the recent topics of the sports world. Debates, opinions and analysis of the different sports. It is very interesting to hear the views and news around the sports genre. 

I have been always been smiling whenever I can since i was a young one.

I used to love that red chair when I was younger, It was the first thing I really claimed as my own

Hello everyone, my name is Jeff, as you all may probably know now from class. A fun fact about myself is actually that my first name is Jeff Daniel, on the registration for Rutgers they did not allow me to put a space in between both names so my name on registration comes up as Jeffdaniel which is pretty funny. I was always too lazy to go through the process of clarifying so I just stuck with it, I usually just correct professors when they ask or they catch on to what happened.

This is my beautiful family, my mom and dad on the right and my two brothers, Jeric and Jordan

That is me upside down in the air

When introducing myself I like to focus on three points -- my name, where I'm from and my race. Those are the three things I am very proud of because I am a firm believer in always remembering your roots. My name comes from my dad's best friend who passed away before I was born, I have always heard stories about him which is inspiring to me to have something to live up to. The next point which is where I am from, speaks to my upbringing. I am the first generation of my family born here in the U.S. and from that I adopted the American culture. Living in a place such as New Jersey, gave me a unique childhood due to the diversity I experienced and the principles of equality. I am very grateful to have lived in a community which has accepted not only who I am but others like me. Lastly, my filipino heritage is very strong to me. My parents wanted to come here so they could provide their children with the best opportunity to succeed. Their hard work and culture motivates me to make them proud. My filipino heritage runs deep even though I am miles away from the Philippines. I still eat the same food, practice the same culture and even understand the language. One regret I have is that I cannot speak it fluently. Regardless I am very proud to be Filipino.


The pictures attached to this post show my family and my childhood, as well as some recent pictures from vacation which highlight my desire for adventure and fun.

Taken from Palawan, Philippines in one of the hidden lagoons

Maneuvering my kayak through the other big boats 

Driving a 4 wheel all terrain kart through Punta Cana

Representing my filipino pride while on vacation in Punta Cana