Home Reading Report Collection

The Man Who Achieved Everything He Could

2011-08-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

By Yuri Alkin

They say that once upon a time, there lived a man who wanted to achieve everything he was capable of achieving. He was obsessed with this desire. He ate, slept, and walked with one and only dream: to die, having accomplished every single thing he was able to accomplish. There were so many things he could do. He felt like the whole world could be his, if he only set his mind to it. At times, he was even horrified by the powers hiding in his mind and heart. He was certain-in fact-he knew that his potential had no limits. He knew that he could accumulate power that would dwarf the power of ancient kings; he knew that he could write books that would shake the minds of generations to come; he knew that he could invent things that would forever change the lives of millions of people. He lived, constantly feeling the power within-and that power knew no bounds.

There was only one obstacle: having such a potential, but only one life, he had to make a choice. He had to decide where to apply all of his enormous abilities. Making that decision was extremely hard, for any choice meant cutting off some future achievements. And so in the meantime, he went to school, graduated, found a respectable well-paid job, married, and bred children. And he spent every minute of his spare time trying to decide where he should apply all his might. Even though he was not interested in applying it to his work, his power was impossible to hide. He was successful in everything he touched, and he earned great respect of the people who worked with him. And all the while, he thought to himself: Imagine what I would achieve once I concentrate entirely on the area of my choice.

Time went by, and he grew older. Some roads he used to dream about became closed to him. But there was still so much he could accomplish. And he kept thinking hard while working, raising children, dealing with everyday problems, and knowing that his potential had no limits. And most people who knew him were of the same opinion, for it was impossible not to realize this, being around him for a while.

One day, a sudden chest pain made him come home early. He dragged his feet to the bathroom. There, feeling weak and empty, he looked in the mirror. A worn-out, gray-haired man stared back at him. But his eyes, though red and tired, were still full of unrealized potential. He peered into these eyes and, all of a sudden, realized one simple truth. The next moment, the pain pierced his heart again, and it stopped beating forever.

Everybody cried, even those who knew him only slightly. The pain of this loss was staggering. Not only had he been a good man but they also knew what great potential had died with him. True, he had spent his life trying to make the choice, but imagine what would've happened had he made it. After all, he was so close to making it, and he hadn't been that old. He could not have had this feeling of unlimited potential for nothing. His potential was truly unlimited. The choice was about to be made, and very soon he could have achieved anything. His life could have become a shining monument, which would have forever inspired future generations. What a loss! What a tragedy! They cried and cried and cried. And they didn't know what he had realized the moment before he died.

The truth that came upon him was rather simple. People only flatter themselves by thinking that they could have achieved this or that if not for such-and-such circumstances. Yet this is nothing but delusion. At any given moment, as long as you've been healthy and haven't been thrown into the midst of war, crime or forces of nature, you always achieve everything you can. You simply lack something that is necessary for achieving that goal you've never reached-a talent, a skill, willpower, a set of priorities, or something else. Like it or not, realize it or not, believe it or not, but you simply lack it. You just think you've got what it takes, and only these insurmountable difficulties have prevented you from reaching the ultimate heights. But in reality, what you don't achieve is something you're not capable of achieving.

Puppies for Sale - A Short Story

2011-05-08T05:05:00.000-07:00

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he Felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy.

Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer.

And with that he let out a whistle,"Here,Dolly!" he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this One noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need Someone who understands."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Urgent Home Reading Reports

2010-03-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since the last time this blog has been updated. Been swamped from vacation, work and work that's why I wasn't able to stop by. I would like to invite everyone to follow me on Twitter so you will have updates as to when new Home Reading Reports are available. Also, it would be lovely if you follow the author of this blog on Twitter and read her other blogs such as her happiness and celebrity news and photos blogs. For those who are planning to take the IELTS, you might find this post helpful. For home reading report requests, kindly leave your comments below :)

The Best Laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon

2009-09-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sidney Sheldon really knows how to capture a reader's full attention and be riveted to his books. He indeed is a mastermind of thriller fiction. The story started with a diary entry from the young, talented and beautiful Leslie Stewart about meeting the man she would marry. The opening entry was so intriguing that I kept reading. It was really exciting how they fell in love and I felt the sadness Leslie felt when Oliver Rusell left her a week before their scheduled wedding in his pursuit for his dream of becoming the governor of Kentucky. He eventually won with the help of Senator Todd Davis, his father-in-law.

Meanwhile, Leslie was so embarrassed with what happened that she decided to resign from her job where she and Oliver met. She then asked the help of Senator Davis to introduce her to a wealthy man who owns a newspaper publishing company that Leslie later married. She used all her wits in expanding her little newspaper empire into series of newspaper printing press, television stations and radio stations across the world.

Oliver Russell became the President of the United States and living his dream when one day Leslie Stewart started printing nasty news about him. Leslie was so consumed with her angst that she was so determined to destroy Oliver. There were several killings that linked Oliver due to his habit of giving his ladies liquid Ecstasy.

Dana Evanston is a talented and ambitious journalist who climbed her way to the top due to her sacrifices during her assignment in the most dangerous place in the world, Sarajevo. There she experienced how war could shatter the dreams of million children and leave a trace of fear in their hearts and beings. She's a tough woman who was never afraid of pursuing her dreams.

Leslie was so determined to destroy the President and prevent him from being elected for the second term. Using all her power supervised the Washington Post and even wrote the articles herself that degraded and even mangled the credibility of the President. The series of deaths of ladies that were linked to Oliver continued until the daughter of Governor Houston, Chloe Houston died of the overdose of the same dangerous substance, Liquid Ecstasy.

Me and Leslie thought and strongly believed that the President has got something to do with the killings. Later did I know that it was his assistant and campaign manager, a religous and family-centered man, Peter Tager, who was responsible for all the killings. He only masked his excessive libido with his image of a responsible and pious man when the truth is he was the man behind all the killings.

All the characters have their own best laid plans to accomplish their goals and the twist was really riveting.

My favorite characters are Leslie Stewart and Dana Evanston. They're both pretty attractive, talented and intelligent. Only that the former was so consumer with her desire for vengeance that she used all her powers to destroy Jeff Connor, her compassion for Kemal (a child from Sarajevo who lost his arm due to the war) and her success story. She climbed her way to the top and has the necessary attitude to stay there.

Here are just some of my favorite quotes from the said novel:

Leslie Stewart:

Three men came across a female genie who promised to grant each one their wish. The first man said, " I wish I were twenty-five percent smarter". The genie blinked, and the man said, "Hey, I feel smarter already". The second man said, " I wish I were fifty percent smarter". The genie blinked and the man exclaimed, "That's wonderful! I think I know things now that I didn't know before". The third man said, " I'd like to be one hundred percent smarter".

So the genie blinked and the man turned into a woman.

Oliver Russell:

The people who are running the country have turned it into an old boy's club. They care more about themselves than they do about the people. It's not right and I'm going to try and correct that.

Todd Davis:

Money doesn't care who owns it. A bum can win it in a lottery, a dunce can inherit it, or someone can get it by holding up a bank. But power that's something different. To have power is to own the world.

Dana Evanston:

If something can stop you, you might as well let it go.

The novel was really great, interesting and worth reading. I've learned so much that we need to control ourselves, bridle our passions as these could either make or break us.

Urgent Home Reading Report

2009-08-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

I've received several requests for urgent home reading reports from elementary and high school students. I understand the urgency of your needs but please be detailed in your requests and please send me a copy of Microsoft Word layout as to what details you'd like me to include in the Home Reading Report.

For the meantime, feel free to check out Twists in Sidney Sheldon's Best Laid Plans. It's a book review of Sidney Sheldon's best seller, Best Laid Plans. The details were also given such as the Book Title, Author, Cast of Characters. Feel free to leave your comments below for any other information that you need.

Home Reading Report Needs

2009-07-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

Most elementary and high school students go through a phase in their lives wherein their English teacher would require them to pass a Home Reading Report. Usually the teacher would assign each student a specific book to read and make a report of the synopsis, comments and evaluation of the book. In some cases they are called book review. A student will list important details about the book such as Title, Genre, Description, Author, List of Characters that will then be divided to Major and Minor Characters. The home reading report will also include the synopsis or summary of the book, moral or lesson learned from the book and the student's recommendation or objection of the book.

Many times in my elementary and high school life in Kalibo Pilot Elementary School, I was required by my English teachers Ma'am Pactial and Ma'am Grasparil to pass the said book reviews. We were usually assigned classic novels such as the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick and the likes. When I reached high school, my all-time favorite English teacher, Ma'am Lilibeth Bustamante tasked us to submit home reading reports of books that we really want to read. Not just those that we are obliged to read or the homework will seem to be tedious. Learning is supposed to be that way, students should not be forced to do or learn something that they will eventually forget because they're not enjoying it.

So without further ado, this site is dedicated to giving you samples of Home Reading Reports that you can use for FREE! All you need to do is to spread the word that I'd like to help out the elementary and high school students to lighten their school works. If you have any requests as to what books you'd specifically want me to review, let me know by emailing me or leaving comments below the post. Looking forward to help you!