CRISTINE FARINAS

I have always loved sunflowers. My mother used to grow them in our front yard when I was young. I used to stare at them everyday. That big face with a smile always made me happy. So I grew up dreaming of having my own sunflower field one day. My father owns a decent size land  where we can potentially grow sunflowers, but I don't think I have told anyone in my family about this dream yet. And since my family has better priorities at the moment, I don't think my sunflower field dream will happen in the foreseeable future. This is the reason why I decided to go to Tuscany instead, to experience how it's like to be amidst sunflower fields.  After my  Venice  trip in 2013, I want to go on a solitary trip at least once a year. This year, I wanted to stay at a convent in Tuscany  to reflect on life.  However, my adopted family in Bristol was also planning a trip to Rome so I decided to go with them instead. At the same time I was determined to see the sunflower fields in Tus

Since coming to England in 2001, I have dreamed of watching The Championships one day. However, people told me that it's difficult to get tickets. They said that it's either I pay a ridiculous amount of money or queue up really early in the morning. I left it at that as I was not willing to do either at that time. But then last year I realised that I am almost 40 and have been in England for almost 15 years, so I might as well do something about going to Wimbledon. I told myself that this is going to be just a one off experience so whatever amount of money and queueing  would absolutely be worth it. So I was prepared to queue this year, but then I must have done something right because heaven sent someone to make my dream come true. You have no idea how happy I was when J asked me if I wanted to go to Wimbledon.  All of a sudden, it became unreal. I couldn't believe that I was finally going to watch tennis- live! Not that I know much about tennis. I understand the rules

The truth is, I am a drama queen. I contemplate on life quite a lot and when I do, I come up with    emotional thoughts .  If you are a friend on facebook, you probably have read my endless epiphanies. A lot of people have commented and sent me messages telling me that they can relate to my feelings and that they are inspired by what I write. A lot of them have thanked me for being brave enough to say  what they have been wanting to say but don't have the courage to. They appreciate the fact that someone can speak up for them, unconsciously. However,  a few others have been aggrieved by my honesty and took my insights the wrong way.  I have caused some trouble a few times for speaking my mind, but this will not stop me from expressing myself. There are more people out there who appreciate my feelings than those who do not. The most important thing for me is that most people find my reflections helpful as they give them encouragement and hope. The private messages I have received