i feel like the older i become, the more insight i have of the world, of people, of my surroundings, of different cultures. and all this makes me a more well-rounded person. the more i age, the more i want to make a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate than i am. i want to be a lending ear, a body to hug, a friend to a stranger with more problems than he/she can handle, a crying partner, a mother to all.

i want to be the person that tells a crying child or adult, "hakuna matata" and then sit them down with a bowl of water mixed with elmer's glue, a pile of newspapers, a balloon and some paint so that we can make paper mach� together, creating beautiful art.

i'm a crafty person. i've always been a crafty person ever since i can remember. i didn't draw but i would make 3 dimensional things or experiment with scientific toys like sea monkey kits, crystal rocks and magic potions. as a child, you'd find me in the "magic" aisle of toys r us or in the "baking" aisle or in the "art" aisle or in the "science" aisle. i wasn't so much into dolls or stuffed animals. i was more intrigued by things that would turn into other things. my favorite book in the whole world when i was growing up was the "make & do" book that was part of a series of books that my dad had bought. i forgot the name of the series but there were like 26 of them and each came color-coded.

i remember making paper mach� and sneaking my mom's potatoes from the frig so i could carve out flower shapes and dip them in paint to make my own stamping tool.

i think if i were a parent and found my child constantly making stuff out of stuff, i'd know they're more the artsy type. i think about how i was and what i've become and it makes sense. i'm a creative person but i never really knew that until i was about 24. i wish i knew earlier.