Hello journalers, this writing is kinda different from almost everything I have written on Journaly so far. Since I have been focusing on lots of fancy idioms and advanced vocabulary so much this year, I feel like I'm missing out on simple language which describe every day life and situations around me. I often find myself struggling with descriptive language, especially action verbs. They can be simple yet out of reach for me to access whenever I'm in a spontaneous situation. That's why I decided to go back to basics by applying a bunch of action verbs as well as descriptive words that I have recently learned in my writing. So, this is going to be the first post that will come in the series: back to basics. As a side note, this story might be pointless or cringey for you but my goal is to put new words into practice :) All feedback and corrections are truly appreciated.

Everyone has been through a chaotic morning at least once in their life, probably more than ten if the first thing they reach for is the snooze button and then realize they have overslept. Back in middle school and high school, I didn't have to deal with the ear-splitting buzz of the alarm clock not because my body woke immediately as soon as I opened my eyes but because I woke up to the whine of my mother on time. The next thing I knew, before she stormed into my room, I had to fling off the covers and roll out of my bed before I could doze off again. Then, I would drag my feet along the floor to the bathroom. Rise and shine! Not for me. When my mother's blood boiled, her anger would wake the entire house. Being an untidy teen, I used to have poor personal hygiene. Admittedly, I didn't make a point of washing off my face thoroughly let alone wiping the sleep out of my eyes. My mind was often clouded with some vivid dreams I had the previous night. My thought process about dreams was if I didn't play over the dreams in my head time and again, I wouldn't be able to recount them as I went through the rest of the day. With the exception of nightmares, most dreams are pleasant recollections of wild bizarre fantasies that live inside the back of my mind. Having said that, my train of thought often went astray right before my mother threw tantrums at me for taking so long in the bathroom. After nodding off by the wall for a few minutes, I scarfed down my breakfast so that I could get dressed up in the next five to ten minutes. The good thing was I didn't have to whip up my breakfast thanks to my mother so that saved up some time for preparing myself until the school bus arrived. It picked me up at half past six in the morning and I had several moments when I fell asleep on other students on the bus only to get death stares and awkward responses. Since then, I have been drinking coffee to be on the safe side and it was the only thing to set me up for the sluggish morning periods at school. Meanwhile, my mother would be busy cooking and packing for my lunchbox. The distinctive smell coming from my mother's kitchen and mouth-watering dishes never fail to give me a good appetite. The lunchbox undoubtedly showcased motherly affection and one of the best memories of my school life. That is one of the main reasons why I looked forward to the lunch break almost every day. Now that I am reminiscing about the time when she packed my lunchbox, I feel like my stomach starts growling. I'd better stop here and grab a bite to eat from her kitchen.