A Best Friend and an Inspiration

(The Greatest Influence in my Life)

A cake is made up of flour, sugar and other ingredients but what is a person made up of?

Probably, a person is molded by various factors like the kind of personality he has, the environment he’s living in and the people he’s rubbing shoulders with. To simply put, the influential people in his life.

I’m easily influenced by other people, basing on some past experiences. In my elementary years, I’ve been a wallflower, quietly sitting in one corner. But after I met these kind people whom I call friends, things have never been the same. I’m not that type of person whom you could call ‘friendly’ because I’m used to being silent and being the wind to other people’s points of views. That explains why I don’t make friends that easily.

However, meeting Julie Ann Gomez, the person whom I consider as the most influential individual in my life next to my parents, I have learned even more.

“Juwee” as I would like to call her, is perhaps the 2nd tallest person I have ever met in my lifetime. She stands at a towering height of 5”7 and mind you, a lot of people have mistaken her as a 4th year high school student when she was only in Sixth Grade.

She has shoulder-length black hair with a few brownish strands, black eyes and silver eyeglasses to go with. Her voice, if I may say so, is like chocolates for the ears; she has this wonderful singing voice which explains her existence for two years in the main choir in elementary school. Seeing that she’s a terrific player in volleyball, I would have to say that she’s physically fit.

Knowing Julie, she has this extraordinary girl-next-door image. Her simplicity says it all. She doesn’t believe in following trends but creating an image for one’s self. She likes to wear comfortable clothes that match her unique personality.

She knows how a leader should appropriately act, how to live by the word of God, how to be content on what we have and how to put one’s individualism into a good purpose.

Apart from that, she is also interested in a lot of things like journalism and sports. I’ve been infatuated with writing and playing sports but when the two of us got even closer, I learned to expand my knowledge and hone my skills on writing and volleyball. Besides from being influential, Julie’s also an inspirational icon for me. From every obstacle she surpassed, I learned how to be independent and how to keep my feet firmly on the ground just like what she did before when she experienced burdens on her shoulders. But it seems harder now to run towards her and ask for advice when I feel troubled because she’s now living in Angeles City. Yes, I do have friends here but it’s still different when I’m with her. I can open up anything to her without feeling embarrassed or any doubts. It’s hard for my part since I’m a really shy person and when I get hurt, it’s difficult to open up to anyone because it’s hard to trust people nowadays.

There are numerous things that Julie has influenced me with. She always prays to God and believes in the miracles of the Lord. She has this deep faith and love for the Almighty and so, she taught me that when I have problems that are too heavy to carry any longer always find a way and look up. She has this kind of strange charm that could motivate anyone to persevere and change for the better.

Based on what I hear from my former classmates, they also miss Julie. Now, that’s hard cold evidence that not even me, but also a lot have been influenced by her. I guess she’s also the most influential one in our Grade Six batch. At least, people are affected by her in good ways, not in bad ways. Honestly, I can’t think of a single bad thing she has done.

From all the people I have met in my fourteen years of existence, Julie Ann is whom I consider the greatest influence in my life since she taught me things that no one could ever teach me rather than herself. I may be affected by this and that but she was really the one who etched something so deep in me that I can’t even explain this friendship that we have for a long time.

Without Julie, I may not be who I am right now. If I hadn’t met her, I may have missed a quarter of my life. I’m glad I learned a lot from her, the greatest influence in my life.

WELL, THAT WAS THE ESSAY I PASSED FOR ENGLISH. HEHE.. I HOPE I DO GET AN A+..SANA GRADING SYSTEM NA LANG SA AMIN, MGA A..B..GANUN GANUN! HEHE.