Response Post: Deja Vu : My Past

The past is very important to me, and I would look back at it from time to time. This was a quote that Grizzell found in Kristine's blog:

"I was never interested in my past before, but something recently sparked my brain into having these dreams. Now, I really want to know who I am. These dreams were derived from seeing just one thing recently, but I didn't recognize what. I passed by too many things from day to day and I didn't have the time or energy to recall these things.”

And this was the Grizzell's response:

"I can relate to this quote because sometimes I see, hear, and smell things that sometimes give me a memory of my past or sometimes deja vu."

     At times when I walk around the streets, the things I see would remind me about my childhood. The things I see recall many memories; sad ones and happy ones. My childhood times was the most happiest moments of my life where my mind was more free and open. As I grew up, I seem to forget who I have grown out from. I was once a seed that was curious about everything, and now I am slowly realizing how much I have changed.

     By exploring around you, you might notice something from your childhood. I certainly have lots of flashbacks from my childhood. I am surprised how the past have such an impact on me. I have forgotten about it and memories are starting to disappear slowly. There are things that would remind me of the past that I would like to forget, but nothing can be erased. I could only move on and look at the bright side of things. I have grew up from my past, and experienced lots of things. If it wasn't for the mistake I have gone through and the unhappy events that happened, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

     At times, I think that having deja vu's are a good thing, they happen all the time, but you might not notice. They can happen from a dream or somewhere in your past. I wish I could remember every piece to the puzzle of my life and the things that lead up to who I am. Maybe I will be able to trail all the pieces back together from a kindergartner to a 15 year old teenager.

Speak: Withhold The Truth

     In the discussion we had in class, we discussed some great changes that Melinda has gone through. She is slowly standing up for herself a step at a time. We talked about how her inner self have soon come out and that she has become more confident with herself. She then starts to care for her friend Rachel and shares the story with her about the night she got raped. Melinda starts out as a girl that wasn't able to stand up for herself and gradually changed back and learned to go beyond her past.

     We talked about how Melinda was brave enough to stand up for her own beliefs. She says, "I am willing to stand up for what I believe. No one should be forces to give speeches. I choose to stay silent." (Anderson 156). We though that at this moment, she has started to be more confident. Even though she didn't speak up, this was the first step to speaking up. David then says to her that she can't make a difference when she can't speak up for herself. I agree with David and her statement and we discussed that when you don't speak up, you won't be able to win. To gain your rights, you have to let your voice out and lets others know. This is something that Melinda is still missing.

     As we keep discussing, we talk about her relationships with Rachel. We discussed how Melinda wants to protect Rachel to the upcoming events with Andy. Melinda doesn't want Rachel to be like her and get raped without knowing what to do afterwords. Melinda develops a second personality that tells her whether she should help her ex-friend Rachel or just let her be. I think that her real personality has come up. We talked about how Rachel was the first one she told her story to. This determines how important Melinda think of Rachel and that even though Rachel isn't her friend anymore, she doesn't want her to go through a time of silence.

     We also talked about how Melinda's paintings represent her life and the trees that she draws. One day, Mr.Freeman would say that her tree is ordinary and average and tells her that nothing is perfect. Well we thought that Mr.Freeman was trying to tell Melinda that she is more than a ordinary girl and she could do much more than what is beneath her. He wants her to show her true personality out and think that she is much better than what she thinks she is; expressing herself. We also talked about how she has learned to cover up her mistakes and move on. This is when she realized that her past in not important anymore and she will start a new life and start over again.

     There are lots of topics that we discusses about, and there is too much to write in just one blog. I think that this book really spoke up to me and I had a wonderful time reading it.

Response Post: Technology...Good or Bad?

 As technology struck our minds in this period of time, Crystal's blog discusses about how technology has controlled our minds:

" In the modern society were technology is commonplace and accessible, many of our decisions are based off of what computers tell us... Not only are our identities created for computers but the extent to which we depend upon technology truly illustrates how much of our lives are dedicated to the use of technology. How many hours a day do people stay glued to facebook, twitter, and other electronics such as their music players, TVs, or video game consoles. In a way, many people are trapped by the existence of these things and live most of their life simply for these items."

     I think that Crystal's point towards technology is how it has manipulated our minds about how society is created. In our society now, we are often controlled from technology and what it tells us to do. Even our own decisions are based out of what they tell us to do. Such as the TV, when there is a commercial, we will be often listen to what they tell us to do, and buy whatever they might be selling. The point of technology is to make us buy stuff and use our money. Even electronics are made to break easier that before so that we will need to spend more money and by a new one. Our society is shaped towards the amount of money they can earn by luring in people to buy their item.

     As of our everyday use of technology, it has really changed a lot looking back at history. Life is more easier now and we don't have to do much to get what we need, which explain all the free time that we have to sit on the couch and watch tv or sit in front of the computer. In the past, people will be really tired by the end of the day and all they would think about is sleep. Look how society has turned us into. If we were to be shut down from technology at this moment, we will be all scared and trapped about what they should should do next. Technology has created a lot of out own decisions. During the black out the happened, we were all scared and that with out electricity, it stops us from going on in life. In the past, the dark wasn't much big of a deal because it happens all the time, they would not complain about it and just move on to their normal activities, as of us we would be complaining and wondering when the lights will be back on. The advancement of technology is a good thing, but we have to learn to depend on ourselves at some times too and not always think technology can do everything for us.

Speak: Sybolism

     During our group discussion that happened a few days ago, we discussed about friendship. We talked about how important friendship it is and how it can lead to many changes upon our feelings. Her parents support is partly the cause of Melinda's struggles and how they don't care much about her feelings. The struggles that Melinda is going through might be the disappointments in life and the unhappy things that she is not able to look past. We also talked about the importance of symbolism and how it can show how Melinda is thinking.

     In the point where Heather doesn't want to be Melinda's friend anymore. We though that this has a lot of impact on Melinda herself. Heather might have another reason to break up with Melinda and we think that Heather still wants to be Melinda's friend in the inside, but in her heart, she want to fit in with the Marthas. Heather would stick a note in Melinda's locker saying, "Thanks for understanding" and give back a gift that she received. This symbolizes that Heather doesn't want to leave Melinda and make her feel regret.  She gives back a present that she has received from Melinda, so that she could make a new friends that was more better than her. Heather doesn't want Melinda to be trapped within her and she wants her to move on. In the leaving of Heather, Melinda has finally realized how important friendship is and the need of having someone to talk to and and for support. In the beginning she would think of friendship as a accessory that she could throw out, but now she feels like one of them that has been throw out. In that moment she has learned that friendship is all about care and that she will appreciate the meaning of friendship.

     We then talked about the importance of art and the meaning behind pictures and images. We thought that Melinda can express her feelings toward her paintings. Even though as might she can not describe the meaning of the picture that she has creates, Mr. Freeman is able to tell the meaning back to her and it is as she has imagined. At times, Melinda would see a image of happiness in her mind that she might want to draw, we think that she want to look towards the place where she might be able to fit in with the crowd. It can say that she has learned to put little bits of pieces of her past away and look toward the road ahead. The past can never be changed and that for the mistakes that you make, you can never change it, Melinda has learned to think this way and learning to accept them and create a new future.

The Meaning Behind the Words: First Speak Book Post

     Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson  is about this girl named Melinda. She entered school as a outcast, and doesn't have much friends. All the rest of her friends have left her, joining different groups, leaving her all alone. She doesn't speak up much and hides her thoughts to herself, as the best way to not get involved in more trouble. The title of this book really interprets the meanings to this book. This book is called Speak mainly because that is what Melinda needs to obtain. The ability to speak up for herself and be more social around others. The ability to speak is as the means to having the ability to protect herself from harm.
   
     In our discussion, we discussed about the importance of the art class. We talked about how art is were she could really express herself and her thoughts out. We also notice that art in the only class she has a A in. I think that it means that she feels like home when entering art class. Art is when she doesn't have to speak up, but just draw. She gets assigned to draw a 'tree'. She job is to express what it is and express its true attentions and feelings as you look at the painting. The teacher also said that this word 'tree' will guild you through your future. As we discussed more about the meaning of the tree, we thought that the branches represent the experiences that she builds up and the life struggles that she goes through. And as the branches and the tree grow, it would grave toward the more brighter to her goals. Since in art class, she keeps drawing different trees, it represent the changes that is happening in her life and her affections. The tree and art class has a lot of meaning towards her high school life.

      There are lots of questions that needed to be answered which are still unknown. The question to why she doesn't speak much. We think that the reason she doesn't speak is because we think that in the past when she spoke up for herself, something really bad happened. And from that incident, it always leads her back to those memories, leaving her quiet.

     We also talked about how Melinda want to treat her friends as objects, as something that she could throw away when she doesn't need them. We thought that this is not her true intentions, and we could identify that she really wants someone who she could really trust and talk to. Her friend such as Heather, has a big influence to her days back them. I noticed that she would look back to Heather as what she used to be like. She is upset at herself as she goes through all these changes and always filled her mind with negative words. I think that Heather will be able to change Melinda's future and change her back to her original self.


    

Response Post: I am an Artist

     I have learned a lot about art and I think that art can be created by everyone. In Tram's Blog, she talks about how she can't draw good and all her drawing always looks the same:

"I think it is a matter of creativity and acceptance. I always draw the same thing when i try to create a picture. In every drawing of a tree the tree would have a trunk and a green puff on top. My people would have a circle and a couple of lines here and there for the bodies. and my flowers always had five petals. Then on my final products, I could not accept that is looks the way it does. I could not stand that it looked crooked or it looked lopsided. I guess I like the things I draw to look realistic or maybe I was just a control freak"

    I think that art is not meant to be perfect, not everyone draws the same. We all have our own image of what we want to draw out. We might always draw the same thing over and over again, but that doesn't mean that you should change it. Improvements take a long time, and you just need patience in life. Nothing needs to be rushed, just like art. Great artists like Micheal Angelo, Pablo Picasso, and etc, were not born artists'. It all takes practice and time.

     I think that art is really great. It can show lots of meaning without the use of words. Art can tell a story in just the words that are painted in, with the colors and each stroke needed to make a art piece. There is a variety of arts in the world, all created from everyone. Every piece is different and each one has a special meaning to it. If we all drew the same thing, art would be very boring because you are seeing the same thing all the time. What makes art great is that the changes we create and the ways we draw things are the beginning of a new creation.

     I don't think that people should be upset about their drawings. When at least you tried to create an artwork with your best effort, I think that is the most important thing. I personally do not draw good, I also think that I need improvement in my art work, but I am slowly working down that road. There is nothing really to rush about. Drawing is not meant to make you look down on yourself, but sharing your feelings and thoughts out on a paper.

Reflective Essay: The Garcia Girls

     The cover of a book cannot determine its true meaning and the story inside. The book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. This book is very mysterious and the plot is often unclear. Looking at the cover of the page, you will probably think that this is a easy book to understand, but as you flip through every page, the story will become unclear, and your mind will start getting puzzled. This book can be understandable through concentration and imagination of the stories. Julia Alvarez's writing style shapes her story along as she incorporates symbolism.

     Julia Alvarez writes her story in chronological order from the present to the part. This is the part that makes her story very confusing to understand and you will never know what comes next in the story. The first vignette does not reveal what happens in the story, so you need to read further to discover the Alvarez's purpose. You can't really predict what happens in the next part, which is kind of tricky. If you finish reading a vignette, you will need to go back and relate the parts back from the last vignette and then the meaning comes alive. This book is written very creatively and her use of reverse chronological order makes readers confused most of the time, but I think her purpose is that a book is not only to be read once. Alvarez wants us to read closely and understand what she is trying to tell the reader.

     This book has weaknesses which makes the reader confused most of the time. The fact that it is written in chronological order is a weakness of this book because this leads off to many assumptions, and it surely made me quite confused. Another weakness about this book is about how she addresses the characters. The nicknames of the characters makes it confusing about who she is talking about and names for the characters often change and you will need to know each person's real name and their nicknames to not get confused. For example Yolanda is addressed as Yoyo in this passage, "This was Yoyo's time to herself, after she finished her homework, while her sisters were still downstairs watching TV in the basement," (Alvarez 136). Yolanda's name is written as Yoyo and you might get confused with who Yoyo is if you don't know their nickname. The abundance of characters in the book also makes it extremely confusing because it is usually not constant and it will change to another point of view without noticing. Other than the challenges that makes the book confusing, there is also good points to her writing.

     Alvarez uses symbolism a lot to explain her purpose of the essay. Symbolism is used as you read along each story and it is up to you what you think that really means. When she uses symbolism in the beginning of her essay, for example the guavas that she craves for, "Yolanda keeps an eye out for guavas. Piled high on wooden stands are fruits Yolanda hasn't seen in years: pinkish-yellow mangoes, and tamarind pods oozing their rich sap, and small cashew fruits strung on a rope to keep them from bruising each other," (Alvarez 13). When at first when you read this, you might not think that guavas represent anything, nor the other foods that she saw, but as you read further on the meaning will start to come up. Guavas are used to represent her home in the Dominican Republic. She left her home when she was little and she is starting to forget the place that she grew up as a little kid. The guavas are used to help her remember the past and the days that she had spent in her home; to help her recover her memories as they are fading away. The other food that she sees around her represent the foods that she has not seen for such long time as she has spent her times in America that her taste of them is starting to come back. Such a small things as Guavas would have so much meaning and by examining the parts that build up each part, it will become more understandable.

     Each and every part of this book has a purpose to it, and each story adds onto a time-line that connects each story together. Each of them has a connection to each other and because it is written in reverse chronological order, this is more challenging to understand. Don't look down on this book just because it is written in chronological order because it is not as easy to understand as you think it might be because the stories skip around going backwards. Julia Alvarez wants the reader to read this book over and over again. This book is not meant to be read once and this is probably her point in writing the book in reverse chronological order. She wants you to connect the events together when you read this book again because then you will know what happens and which vignette lead to this plot or problem.

     This book is mostly about the four daughters and how they grew up as adults in the American society and adjusting to their surroundings. I thought that they each had many struggles when they moves on and each of them lives a different life. The outcomes of their struggles in America often relate to how they grew up as kids and their lack of experience in the world outside. Each of the girls path is different and each of them has a story to tell you; this is for you to find out.

     For me the themes for this book include innocence, sexuality, and the dominance of men. The girls innocence in society often leaves them to be innocent about the culture and the people around them. As kids, they were not told about such things about society, so they often struggle through problems with their relationships with men. For this book, I also noticed that the men takes a lot of control over the women and the period of the story is still in the past, where women is still struggling to stand up for themselves. The daughter's dad will have a lot of control over the family and the daughters actions of what is right and wrong. There are lots of themes to be unraveled in this story, and it is for you to find out the rest.

     This is a really great story when you understand Julia Alvarez's true intentions that she lead us up to. The story of four girls and their story line from the Dominican Republic to the American culture.

The Garcia Girls: Symbolism

     The ending has finally arrived, or the beginning of the whole story. I thought the ending of the book was very confusing and I didn't understand the part where she says, "There is still times I wake up at three o'clock in the morning and peer into the darkness. At that hour and in that loneliness, I hear her, a black furred thing lurking in the corners of my life, her magenta mouth opening, wailing over some violation that lies at the center of my art." (Alvarez 290). I think this might mean that the mother cat is still haunting over her. I think that this symbolizes how she has lost the bonds to her home and wasn't able to find her own roots. The feeling of leaving the Domestic Republic and adjusting to the surrounding around her just frightens her. This was the part that I don't really understand because the last vignette kind of goes back to her present life and isn't the book going in chronological order. This was something that really confused me.

     I think that symbolism is used greatly in the beginning and the end of the book to explain the events that has happened. Especially in the ending where the kittens incident occurs. Yolanda finds the kittens in the shed without their mothers. I think the kittens has a meaning to this story and it symbolizes the Garcia girls and how they left their homeland; just like how the kittens was left without their mothers. Yolanda names one of the kittens and its name was Schwarz. She was taken away from their mother by Yolanda as it represents how they got taken away from their homes. When Schwarz was wounded, it shows that the girls had a hard time adapting to the American culture suffering through many difficulties on the way. When Schwarz gets lost and could not return to the coal shed, it shows that when they girls came back to their homes as adults, they were not able to find their roots back as it states in the first chapter. I think the symbolism of the kittens kind of shape the whole meaning of the whole book and how they adapted to the American culture.

     I think that there is more meaning to this book than I have right now. I think that if I really want to get the whole meaning of this book, I would have to read it over again because since I kind of know the beginning, I have to connect her history and past together to get her true meaning. I think that this book is intended to be read again to be fully understandable, and it tells readers that books have a big story behind it, and you will only discover the secrets when you pay attention to the details.

The Future

     What does future mean? What is the future that awaits us all? I have been thinking about my future recently and thought that there is no answer to what that will await me. There is no way I would know what my future will be like, for I have to decide that myself. For every decision that I make in life, there will be a result to things. No one can really change what they have done or go back to the past and start over again. We will also have to look at the road ahead and make better decisions.

     There are something that I really regretted. Things that I feel that I should have done better, but there is no turning back. I have to create a new future and everything is depended on what decisions that I make. Although we can't predict what will happen in 20 years, you could start creating it by every step we propose. If we make bad decisions in life, it would lead of to a bad future, but we can always change out decisions change that around. We decide our future ourselves and no one can do it for us. Everyone has a different road to follow, a different dream, a different goal, and a different inspiration.

     I have started to making a new decision in my life that will lead me to be successful. I have to be successful in school and my education to go to a good college. If I want to go to a good college, I will have to try my best in accounting for all my grades and keeping my studies up. I think that these are the decisions that I should make right now. For the future ahead, I will decide on that later. Until then, I will focus on what is ahead of me.

    I think the meaning of life is to experience failure at one point and learn from it. Nothing can stop you if you once failed, you can always stand back up and start a new day and be successful. That's what make life great. If you failed, it doesn't mean that your future will be bad, it will just mean that you need to try harder. Nothing can be decided right now, we will just have to wait till the time comes.

Response Post: What is Success?

     Recently, I have noticed that I will need to change my study habits in ASTI to be successful. I feel terrible about my grades and for every time I fail something or not get a A, I would think that I am not doing good enough and that I will need to better the next time to boost my grade up. I agree with what Andy Lau's blog and the thoughts that he made about success:

"Success means many things to people. To me success describes a positive result or wished-for ending through the achievement of goals. The key to success lies in hard work and perseverance. Ultimate success in life can only come from hard work."

     I agree with Andy a lot in this post and I found myself relating to his struggles. Success means a lot to me and my future. It also means that I did really well in something that I started. My sophomore year has gone really hard and I thought that I am not very successful. I am overwhelmed by stress from the hours of homework, essays, and test that I have been receiving. I don't know why, but my grades started to drop to a B and I was really struggling. I think I need some help with my work and that I should go to tutoring at my advantage. I felt very disappointing at the effort that I have been putting in and that I was not doing good enough. To change this, I think that I will have to learn to manage my time and find help.

     Success doesn't always mean getting a A. I feel that it also means improvement in the work that you did. If you put a lot of effort in something, I think that means success. If I changed my grade from a C to a B, I would think this is success because of improvement. Success doesn't mean you have to be perfect in everything, but rather how much time and effort that you have put to do something.

     I don't think I have been improving much in ASTI, and my grades are turning to B's. I am struggling greatly in PreCal, and Anatomy & Physiology, and History. Although I am having passing grades in these classes, I think that I need a lot of help in these subjects. I found out that I need a better way to study for exams or test because my test scores are bad. These habits of mines will need to change and I will have to study in my weekends and take away my free time. Organize my time in studying and find help. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of test what we have for a single day. I would get confused about which subject I should study more and which I should study less. The answer is that I need to study both of them really hard until I can understand it fully.

     Success means hard work and I want to see the results to the changes I have made in my habits. I feel that to be successful, it would always mean that I have to put extra work. Success is really important to me right now and getting good grades mean greatly to me even though my parents don't care. I have to decide the future myself and how much effort that I need to put in school.

The Garcia Girls: The Struggles

     After reading the second part of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, I noticed lots of struggles that Garcia girls were going while they were adjusting to the environment around them. It seems as if all the girls are going through the same turning point. In a way, they go through a point in the story where they experience innocence. They would be stuck through confusion and left clueless about their surroundings. The second part of the story really explains what happened when they moved to America and the event that occur as times goes by.

     One of the struggles that I noticed between the Garcia Girls is the struggle with their English. In the third vignette, "Trespass", Carla struggles with English; it act as a wall between her and the situations that she faces. In this vignette, Carla is disturbed by the boys around her and was almost harassed. They would tease her for her looks and her English pronunciation. Even though Carla would ask them to stop their abuse, Carla lacks the English to protest and defend herself from them. She wasn't even able to tell the police what she has seen happen, which leaves her unprotected and isolated from her community. It seems as if English has grabbed her away from the world which she is not able to so anything. In this vignette, Carla also goes through this moment where she kind of loses her innocence to her surroundings and situations that she surpasses.

        In this story, I think the males have a lot of domination over the females. In this period of time, I think that makes still holds the power and they still control the females around. An example from the story would be that Yolanda's father teared up her speech because he thinks that it would be a disgrace to his family and that she wasn't ready to do it yet. Another example would be how Manual controls over Sofia and doesn't allow her to do anything. I think the father takes a lot of control over his family and tells what they should do and should not do.

      This thought came up as I start to notice the Garcia Girl's reaction toward a new community. I think when we all move to a certain place, we would feel that we would not belong. Mostly people will feel lost and insecure about their safety. This was how the Garcia Girls felt. I think I am starting to understand their reactions and life in America as I have experienced this before in my life. There were struggles adjusting to the surrounding around me, but it took a long time for me to feel like it was home again. I think that the culture shock that the Garcia Girls go through leads into many struggles. I hope that I would discover the answers to this story and have a full understanding of it as I finished the last section of the book.

Response Post: Autumn

Although autumn is not my favorite season, it is second next to spring. Even though autumn might not be my first, I agree with how Crystal describes autumn. In Crystal's blog, she wrote:

"It is a time when the weather finally begins to cool down after a hot and humid summer. Autumn invokes a relaxing feeling, probably partly due to the typical landscape scenes associated with this season. When one thinks of autumn, one would think of brightly colored leaves slowly cascading down from trees, flooding the floor with red, orange, and yellow tones. I think that these landscapes are primarily the reason why I like autumn so much. During these days, I feel like doing nothing else but curling up with a good book or taking a walk down the park while listening to relaxing music."

     I think the reason I like autumn is because the weather is neither too hot or cold. It is also mainly because of the beautiful landscapes there is. Although not much happens around the bay areas because the leafs just fall down without really changing their colors, there were places that I visited that showed a very relaxing view with the change of colors. Autumn is like the end of the rainbow for me. Where my thoughts wonder around like the leafs that fly by one by one. Autumn guides me through relaxation and the comfort to read a book.

     I can't wait for winter even though it might be freezing cold. I really want to be able to see the snow on day because I have never really experienced  snow or even touched it before. It is very sad and I hope that I would be able to experience this one day. Winter seems so cozy to me that I would hibernate in my bed and sleep for hours. Since New Years is in winter, it is my favorite holiday because I get to spend time with my family members. Winter is quite fun because we can warm ourselves up with hot chocolate and stay next to the heater and get warm.

Our Appearances

     Does our image really matter that much in our lives? I think that we are too focused in our appearances rather than our who we really are. I started to realize that most of us care about being liked by others around us or wants to be praised for their looks. In Mrs. Corbally's class, I  have learned a lot about the feeling that people have for their image. I was really surprised when I watched the videos about being too fat or people that are suffering through anorexia thought so much about their weight. It gave me a whole different perspective of this matter that I have never thought about.

      I think that it is not largely their fault that they think that way. It is usually because of our culture and how we judge people. I don't blame people that want to be skinny just to fit in. I think I kind of understand how they feel, although I have never went through this experience before. I think that the most important thing that I need is believe in myself. I don't have to look like the other kids and I am very proud of that. If no one likes me for who I am, it doesn't really matter because if I like myself, that is all I need. I think that people are going through this major problem because of judgment and the circumstances we are looked up to.

      Our community is filled with people that think about this everyday. They would either look at the mirror and say they they are "ugly" or "fat" about themselves even though they are already gorgeous. To me I don't think that appearance matters a lot to me and I would not judge someone without getting to know them first. I don't think people like you just because you are skinny, but rather it is your personality that really matters. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. We should never give ourselves put downs that make us feel bad about our body or even ourselves. I feel very sad for the people that feel that way about themselves and I want to tell them that you look fine the way you are.

     If you are fat and you want to loose weight so that you could be liked about others, I am not stopping you from doing it, but are those people that praise you and become friends with you really like who you are. Or they like how you look. We would all change our looks slowly, by just eating healthy. Starving ourselves is not a very healthy part of a diet. Well, to some up what I sad, we all should be happy about who we are and not worry so much about our appearance. If you are one of them that want to manage their weight, you can do it by just eating healthy and exercising. I think that there is a reason that people care so much about their appearance and I am not here to stop them. I want to understand more about this situation and share out my feelings.

The Garcia Girls: Part 1

     The book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, by Julia Alvarez is written in a unique way. Being written in chronological order, I found it very fascinating to read because you will never know what is going to happen next. It tells a story from the the present to the past which is very interesting to read because you would want to know what lead up to that event and why this started to happen. Even though it was difficult to read, I can't wait to discover the connection they have.
 
     I was quite confused when I started to read this because of the way they addressed the characters. At first I get confused about who they are talking about in the story because they don't really state it. Julie Alvarez book leaves many gaps and details out. This reminds me from the book called The House on Mango Street, but I was less confused in that one because it is not written in chronological order. They both include vignettes about stories in their life which were very fascinating to read. Usually when things are written in chronological order, the introduction will guide you through the story, but Julie Alvarez doesn't really include a introduction that gives clues about what the book is about.
 
     Other than the confusion, the book includes clues about how each story connect to each other. I started to discover about how each event lead to the other and why the four sisters are struggling through so much problems. Each of the four sisters is very different, but they all still are similar in a way. It seems as if the sisters are struggling with their partners and they would always break up. I would wonder why this is the reason and is it because of the way they grew up. Then I started to wondered if the surrounding that they grew up on affect their lives and the problems they are going through. I am starting to unravel the details that they include and how they support each and vignettes. In conclusion I though that this story has become more interesting and I can't wait to read the next part of the book.

Reflective Essay

     Everyone has their own opinions and we all have different perspective of things that we will either agree or disagree. In this quarter, blogging was very strange for me. I didn't like it very much at first because I don't know what I should write and what I shouldn't. I had a very hard time deciding on my topic and afraid that others would not like it. It has become an interesting quarter and I have been getting responses to my writing. I think this sudden change to blogging has changed my writing greatly from the feedback I am receiving from my classmates. It has made me think more about my topic and how it can lead to other ideas. Responding to posts was fun because relating to someones post makes me feel that I am not left out and that we are both sharing the same ideas. The audience has expanded my ideas from being sheltered to being more open. From responding to my classmates blog and receiving responses helped me grow as a writer throughout the quarter. 

      The audience has helped me through my writing by explaining their opinions and thoughts. From one post, I noticed that it branched out to many ideas that i have never thought about. It was very interesting to read the responses that I received from my classmates. There were disagreements and agreements. Even though I got responses that disagree with my point, I was not upset or mad at them. It made me feel that everyone has their own perspective and ideas. I thought that the responses were rather interesting and made me think more about what I wrote. It made me think that I should have been more specific in my point and a bit more clear. There was so much confusion happening and questions were asked. I was happy to have received disagreements because that was really what that has helped me think more. They gave me feedback and things that I have to notice. The agreeing posts made me feel that there are others that think the same way as me and it was fun to read how my idea got from this to another. The audience had helped me through my first quarter and I noticed that my writing has changed greatly.

     

      An example of one of the blogs that have both agreements and disagreements was this blog that I posted in the beginning of the year. It is called : The Rich and the Poor and the second part. This was a very interesting topic and I didn't notice that I would get so much responses. All of the responses are different and they all had their own opinions included in their response. They made me think a lot about how could clear myself with clear statements because it was too broad. This would be one of the examples of the confusion that happened and my points that were not clearly made. This is one of Alyssa's response: 

"Shiyun does not really define the terms "rich people" and "poor people" so it is hard to determine which individuals she is talking about. The terms she uses can vary depending upon which individuals she is comparing. Millionaires would be considered as "poor" when compared to billionaires; however, these millionaires would also be considered as "rich" when compared to the regular "working class" or those in poverty. In addition, the terms "rich" and "poor" can even be used in areas where there is poverty." 

This was what questions were asked and I didn't think about the two words "rich" and "poor" could have so much meaning. This was something that caused many disagreements and confusion. I learned that I have to be more specific and this was something that I worked on in my other posts. I was surprised about how the responses could be so different from my ideas and expand. It was like we are all having a discussion about what we think. This is an example from Crystal's post: 

"Sometimes, poor people will attach themselves to wealthier people to gain monetary or authoritative benefits. In some cases, the poor will even overstep legal boundaries to ingratiate their 'bosses'. Also if they themselves are in need, then the probability that they will help others despite their hardships is very small. The reason is every person in nature, is selfish regardless of what they say. It does not matter if its a selfishness towards money, towards family, or towards themselves; the point is they are still selfish."

I was quite surprised when I read this and the ideas that she incorporated was very deep. I could see that there was thinking include and my mind was thinking about how ideas are born from one thing to another. In addition, the disagreements and agreements were very helpful for me as a writer.

     Responding to people post was very fun and I liked reading about what other people think. It is interesting when I have things that I could relate to. I was glad that we all shared our blogs to everyone and added out own opinion to it. An example would be my response post to Treasure. In this response post, I noticed that I started from idea and said more about it. I even added my own opinions and thoughts in things that I could really relate and agree to. I think what we all responses back from what we write and hear other peoples thoughts. I really liked how we needed to response every week because my ideas come out as I read. Responding to posts let me expand my thinking process and kind of help with my analysis. I have noticed my response post getting more better and longer because ideas come up faster now from the practices.

     In conclusion, blogging wasn't exactly a bad change. It was kind of like practicing out writing and thinking process to prepare us for assignments where we don't get to write whatever we want. I think that blogging has help my writing more and because we write about two or three post every week, we get a lot of practice. I want to keep getting responses for my posts so that I could improve more in my writing. I was very glad that we started doing blogs. At first I didn't like it a lot, but now I noticed how it could help me in my writing.

Night: Truth of Questions

    Night Essay:

       Questions can always be answered. We all come though a time were things need to be resolved. In Night, Elie confronts lots of questions form his surroundings. He starts to experience lots of answers and go through many problems. Elie's central conflict is underlining the truth about God and 

His existence.

     Elie is confronted at a point where only he can answer his own questions. Questions that he confronts. Moshe the Beadle made Elie understand more about God, “Man questions God and God answers. But er don't understand His answers. We can't understand them. Because they come from the depths of the soul, and they stay there until death. You will find the true answers, Eliezer, only within yourself,” (Wiesel 3). Moshe the Beadle is trying to guide Elie through his own life. The only thing that will keep him going is his own belief, not others. God is not everything, and he should not only count on him to live on. Moshe is trying to explain to Elie that the answers that he is waiting for is within himself. No one else is trustworthy and the only person that he should trust his himself. Elie struggles with who God really is. He starts to go through a period of time where things start to make sense.

     At the concentration camp, Elie experiences many conflicts that deals with death. Within this experience, he has lost hope in the existence of God, and why he isn't here to help them, “For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name?” (Wiesel 31). Elie starts to realize and his feelings start to develop. He doesn't have an idea who God is. He starts to question himself, why he should bless God. He asks himself, if God is really that important and if he has even done anything to help them. Elie is confused about the suffering that they are experiencing. There was a point where the his image of God has vanished, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust,” (Wiesel 32). Elie has always thought that God was always besides him, but his hopes just vanishes like ashes. The concentration camp turned his whole life around and made him realize reality. His life just ended like there was no more hope, but just survival. His dreams turned to fear because of he sleeps, he might not wake up at sun rise. Because he trusted God so long, he doesn't know how to create his own steps to move on forward.

     Elie denies himself from God. He would pray to him, but denies that he is ever there. Where they are in trouble and in desperate need, people asked, “Where is God now? And I heard a voice within him. He is hanging here in this swallow,” (Wiesel 61). They believe he is dead and he is the cause to this suffering. The people feel that they should not worship him. How could he have let a child die like this without helping. Elie is confused about the things that were done and if they were meant to be. He experience many conflicts, and every single conflict has a connection to the questions that were asked. It was like Moshe was always beside him asking him these questions so that he could realize the truth. Near the ending, even though he has no more hope for God, he prayed, “And, in the spite of myself, a prayer rose in my heat, to that God in whom I no longer believed,” (Wiesel 87). Elie felt something, but he wasn't sure. Maybe this is Gods message to him. He might have arose in that moment of his life and in that point, God appeared for him. Elie has no more hope for God and his existence doesn't matter to him anymore. Whatever God does will not impact him. He has found his own answers and he doesn't need God to be beside him.

     Elie has discovered many answers to the existence of God. Answers are only found within himself. He has grew to understand him much more better. Elie was pulled into his own belief and he no longer believed in God. God was just an excuse. The this that can help you put one foot in front of the other and walk though the path of life is our own soul.

Emotions

     Why do we have these feelings of being sad, happy, embarrassed, nervous, and etc.? This is a question that just came up to me. Why do we experience so many different feelings? We develop these feelings without even knowing because it just comes and go. We all go through times when we are depressed and scared at a point, where did they come from?

     Why do we cry when we are sad? Why does our face turn red when we are nervous or embarrassed? We don't control these things that are happening to us. Science doesn't even explain why we cry. Maybe there is a reason, but I have not found the answer to it yet. Maybe there is something that controls how we feel. Well, I don't know why we develop emotions, but emotions are something that might be new to us.

    I think that emotions develop from out surroundings. If we have never failed terribly, we would not feel disappointed. If we did not see someone very dear to us leave us, we would not know how death feels like. If we never had a crush, we would not know how it feels to like someone. I think that emotions are things that create us; without emotions, our life would be very boring. If we have no feelings, life will not be exciting. It is like we don't like living. I think I would not be able to live without emotions.

     Emotions can also teach us life lessons in life. It can stop us from going the wrong road and make the same mistakes again. For instance, if we feel very confused and don't know what to do because you have just made a lie that started to spread, you would learn to never do that again. Another example would be when we feel tired because we keep procrastination on or work, this feeling will tell us to change our habits. Emotions do a lot for us. I have never really noticed it before either until now. I think that emotions have created who we are and how we are as humans. There are absolutely lots of emotions or feelings that I hope to go through. Emotions can be new to us and sometimes we are confused about it. I think feelings are what that make us go one, they are things that we all should have and experience. We could also overcome some of our feelings, such as being nervous in front of a whole group of people. Emotions. What are they really? What would happen if we have no emotions at all? Have they done anything to change who we are?

Response Post: "Treasure"

Treasure. What does this word mean? What do we define as our treasures in life? In Vincent's blog, I agree that treasure is not just all the money and jewelry we have, there are things that are more important in our lives that we can not live without.

"Treasure can come in all shapes and sizes; it can be anything. Different people treasure different things for certain reasons. Some of the reasons that I would treasure something are either that someone really important give it to me or it is something that I can't live my life without."

      Normally when you here the word "treasure," most people will think of something that is very expensive. When I first saw this word, I would think about the same thing, but when I put more thought into it, it is not just something that is expensive. Treasures are things that we value in out lives and something that we always want by our side. Treasures doesn't have to be a specific objects or thing; it can be memories that you have created that was very important in your life.

     For me, I have many treasures in my life. There is so much that I can't really remember, but there are some that are really important to me and they have affected my life a lot. I treasure all the friends that I have. I don't think that I would forget any of them, all the way from elementary. I have felt sad at many points when my friends had to move away, or when we just separated from the different schools that we went to. Friends are something I treasure dearly. They are like the pieces of my heart, that keeps it pumping. They are the one that supports me when I am down and accompany me when I am lonely. I will forever treasure them, and hence the memories that we have created will always be with me.

     Memories are also something that I really treasure, and they are mostly the time I have spent with my dad. I really miss him a lot and because he is not by my side cause he is , all I have is the memories that we have created. Although I am not able to derive all of them, I treasure what I remember. Memories are created every second of our lives, but I treasure the times that I have with my friends and family. Memories can come back and cheer me up when I am sad. There is so much memories that I treasure that I talk forever; there is just too much.

     I treasure many objects, such as things that were given to me by my friends, family members, etc. When I look back at the things I remember the time this happens because it creates a part of my memory. Even of i broke something that was given to me, like a watch that I received as a birthday present. I still kept it with me so that my memories will not fade away.

    In conclusion, treasures can me absolutely everything. Money is not something that I would treasure because you can not do everything with money. Friendship can not be purchased with money. The things that you treasure are things that no one can take away from you.

Jealousy

     Have you ever felt jealous at one point? I have personally felt jealous many times, but I get over it later on. Why do we have this feeling of jealousy? Is it because we think that they are better than us or we want what they have. Sometimes I have no idea why I feel jealous, but I think I feel jealous because I think that they are so lucky and so much more better than me. Maybe this is the reason why I feel jealous. Is there different types of jealousy because we feel jealous of different types of things. Well, I think that there are a lot of things that we can be jealous about things such as: relationships, friendship, money, things that we don't have, and etc.

     Have you ever let jealousy taken over you? I let this happen once and I will not let this happen again. Being jealous at someone is not a very good feeling. I felt very bad and trapped inside like I could not do anything else. When this happened, I started to develop the feeling of hatred and started to hate he/she. Jealousy just does not lead to good things and I think that we should be happy of what we have. We don't all have to have things sufficient to what others have. Having the feeling of jealousy just makes you look down at yourself and think that you are not as good. Well, when I let jealousy take over me, I would try to feel positive because I would rather be a happy person.

     When we are jealous, we do some things that we would not normally do. I think that we should be more calm when this happens. We do not always have to have what others have. If we do, then doesn't it just make us all the same. I think we should just feel happy for what they have. Everyone is different and there are other problems that we have to worry about in life. We can't always face with these little problems that we have because if we don't learn how to over come them we can not face life problems that we have in life later on. We can not let the feeling of jealousy take over our minds and bother our everyday lives. I have not felt jealous for a long time and I think that no one should have the feeling of jealousy. We need to be more happy in life and just laugh with our friends.

Response Post: "The Stupid Question"

This is something that I found in Amber's blog that I thought was very interesting:

"If you don’t understand something, then ask someone else about it and you can learn by asking the question, even if it sounds ridiculous.  Asking questions to try to understand things you don’t understand is the equivalent of opening new doors to new explorations and opportunities."

     I really agree with what Amber said. Teachers would always ask us to ask questions in class even though it is stupid and everyone know what the answer is, I would still never speak up. I don't know why I have this feeling, but I do not ask much questions in class. I would mostly end up asking my friends at the end of the class so that I could understand. Sometimes I think that I am bothering class time when I ask a question, so I would always shelter them in my mind and find out the answer by myself.

   

     I agree that asking questions can help you learn, but it can also help other students as well. Subsequent to no one asking questions in class, students would not learn a lot. Questions are mean to be asked, not kept inside. I think that we learn from each others questions because we all think different. I have personally learned a lot from what people ask in class because they would ask questions that are what I need help in. Then when the teacher explains it, I get a clear understanding of that subject. Thanks to all those questions that I am so successful in class, but I think that I have to learn how to ask questions later on because it will be very helpful.

     I think that we should not let our fear conduct our minds when we are in need. I have let my fear control me many times and I have not been able to break away from it. We should not be afraid of our fears, but our fears should be afraid of us. We have more power than them. Now I think that I should keep this thought in mind and let my questions run free. I will try to ask more questions instead of telling my friends to ask. I need to be more brave so that I could be able to speak up for myself because my friends are not always there to help me when I am in need.

Ofwfq: In Class Essay

Thesis: Qfwfq cannot escape from his inner self; he is trapped in his own fantasy, but gradually realizes what is reality.
   
     Q was not able to persuade and follow his own steps to his own decisions. He was lost in love and doesn't seem to be the one guiding Lll, but Lll is the one pushing Q on, “I, with slower and somewhat clumsier movements, followed her,” (Calvino 94). This shows that Q is not able to express himself. He is misunderstanding the situation. He would follow Lll's every action, but because of this, he doesn't seem to notice what is ahead of him. When Q gets separated from Lll, Q would have no idea what to do and he would be stuck with thoughts wondering, “More than one in the past her irony has disarmed me; but the icy sensation that filled me at this remark was so careful that I would rather not have seen her anymore than to have to face the subject again,” (Calvino 77). Q is very hesitant, he thinks everything would be what he wanted till this point. It is like he is running away from the truth instead of surpassing it. All he thinks about is that it is Lll's fault. He doesn't notice his mistakes. His icy sensation proves that he did not completely understand his own feelings, yet he ignores them and hopes they will vanish.

     Q is not able to learn from his mistakes and move on to realize. He thinks that things are still the same as before. When he started to understand Lll's true feelings, he was stuck, “It was a hard blow for me. But after all, what could I do about it? I went my way, in thee midst of the world's transformations, being transformed myself...I encountered one who was somebody more than I was: she was announced the future,” (Calvino 81). From this point Q starts to realize what he has been doing wrong from the beginning, but it was too late to change as he assumed. If he would not notice about his own feelings and expressed it, this wouldn't have happened. He was in his own world's transformations to being fully transforming his inner-self. He has changed himself, for Lll has made him notice something about him that was not right. Now he fully understands what he is suppose to do. He would never look back at his actions for it is the future that he should look forward to. Q is starting to look for a new beginning for he is not trapped in his own fantasy. From being so confused about his feelings, Q has finally understand the world is different as it seems and it has transformed.

     In “The Dinosaurs,” Q has realized the transformation from his world to the future. He seems to be very confused and lost at first, but learned to adjust. He now has a different feeling, “Now I recognized the greatness of spirit that had made us choose to disappear rather than live in a world no longer suited for us,” (Calvino107). These two stories kind of composed Q's character and they both seem to fit together as one. When Q was put into another world, he learns to realize the transformations that was happening near the ending. Q has realized he was not the one he was before. He doesn't seem to be upset at this point, but is adjusting to the situation as it is. It seems that Q from this story has learned from his mistakes and learned to change his future so that he would not follow the same decision from the other Q. He has learned to express his inner-self and break away from the wall that separated him from reality. He slowly is adjusting to another path and just moving forward and not looking at his past. Because he would not turn back, he will become stronger and overcome more challenges. In this point Q has finally transformed himself from not being able to escape from his inner-self to a free person.

The word "Friend"

     How do we define the word friend? Have we ever thought about what the word friend mean to us? I read this article in writing last year that really made me think about my friends. It made me think a great about how I treat them and the different categories I put them into.

     In the dictionary friends is defined as a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. This is equivalent to what I think friend is, but I kind of disagree with the meaning that they give in the dictionary. It does not fully define what this word mean. To me, friend is defined as a person that we treasure, appreciate, and someone who we think is trustworthy. It is also someone that we can ask for help and support. 

     Does "friendship" also have the same meaning as "friend," or does it have a different meaning? I think they have a specific meaning, but it is just my own opinion. Subsequent when we meet someone new, we usually become friends later on. This is what I define friend. A friend is someone we kind of know and someone we just talk and learn to trust each other later on. The other word "friendship" shows a deeper relationship with our friends. I don't know if there is a difference to others, but to me they seem like two very different words.

     Do we every classify our friends and put them in different groups? Maybe you would say no to this question, but later on you would understand what I mean. Have we thought we constantly use our friends just to make us feel better like they are tools to us. Are there some friends that are just your friends because you want to know more about them so that you can spread rumors? To notice the initial stages of a fake friendship you would notice that he/she would not care much about your feelings and they would be the one that is mostly taking control of you. This seems to be a friendship that I would not want. There are some more classifications of friends that we have: the ones we find for support, the ones we hate, the ones we laugh with, and so much more. Have you ever thought about these categories and that we do not truly treat all our friends the same? Do we know the meaning of friendship and how we put them in categories that we don't even notice? I would like you to think of these questions and tell me what you think.

   

 

Response; "Stage Fright"

While I was reading David's post, I thought that I could really relate to it:

 "Ever since I was a kid, I always acquired the trait stage fright when I was on stage. I disliked the feeling of everyone constantly staring at me. It makes me feel as if I was an important person and that I had to become perfect. I felt that if I made a mistake, everyone would laugh at me and tease me afterward."

     I felt like I have attribute this characteristic of stage fright ever since I was in elementary. This is something that I would like to overcome. I want to change this to a strength of mines that I would be able to use on my educational career. Stage fright is very common, and people mostly derive this feeling when they are going to have a presentation in from of an audience. I personally have improved from being really nervous in front of the class and start to shift away from that position.

     This kind of feeling always occur no matter how much I have practiced. I noticed that my words will start sounding really dis-formed like I was a beginner in learning English. Then I would just start speaking very fast and not notice it. Something very embarrassing that would always happen when I am presenting is that my face would just turn bright red and I would start to feel my face burning up. If I start being really nervous, my hands would start to shake uncontrollably and start to mispronounce words.

     Having everyone staring at me makes me feel that I have to do a really good; this kind of relate to what David said. I have found something that I should do when I get really nervous and keep me very calm. This is a thing I know that a lot of people do before they present. I have learned to take a deep breath and think of a positive thing, and hence you would have faith in ourselves that we will not fail. I will try to use this skill to the fullest, but I often seem to forget to take a deep breath and also I would feel that everyone will think I am weird when I am taking a deep breath in the middle of speaking.

   

The Rich and the Poor: Part 2

Continued...    

     From friend experiences, I noticed that poor are more independent than the rich. As you can see poor depend on themselves. They do everything with their own hands and earn their own money. They learn to take care of themselves since their parents are not around. They also seem to know more about everything. Cooking and house chores are not a problem to them and hard labor. Since they can take care of themselves and don't really need their parents, they can live alone and be independent. Rich people on the contrary really need their parents. Since growing up was easy for them because their parents would have all the money to do everything, the child don't learn how to live by themselves without support of their parents. This is true because servants are usually visible in a rich person's house so they don't have to work, do chores, or even cook. From part of their lives, it is support from others. This keeps them from being not independent because if they were left alone without any money, they would not know how to survive or live. Being independent is quite necessary when being an adult.

      Not only do they have differences, but they also have similarities. The rich and the poor would also do the same things, like going to school. They will still go to school to learn and show their strengths by their own. No matter if they are rich or poor, they will likely have the same education. It just counts on their inspiration to either fail or be successful in school. Rich can have good and bad grades; this is the same for poor. There are some rich people that are really dumb and some that are really smart. Some may appreciate and learn with all their might and dome may not need the education to survive since they are already and they don't really need a job. Poor people can also be dumb and smart. Their reasons for being dumb might be because they find that it is impossible for them to be better than the rich and cause the education they might be getting is too hard since they have no support. It feels like they aren't able to go anymore further. Poor people that are smart try hard with what they have, which is studying. They appreciate that they have the chance to learn and that one day they might be able to make a good living with their knowledge. So this does not mean that the poor can't do what rich can, but they have to try harder.

      From examples of differences and similarities between rich people and poor people. I seem to discover that bring rich isn't really wonderful, but being poor will make u successful. As you can see that rich and poor are very far apart. Their similarities will depend who they want to be. The world is rally unpredictable and it depends on your hard work and personalities.

The Rich and the Poor: Part 1

The Rich and the Poor

      Poor people and rich people are really different in a way. Although rich people may have lots of money, poor people seem to have a much better life. I noticed that poor people mostly have trustful friends, nice, and independent; while rich people don't have trustful friends, they are mean, and not independent. Either way, they still have some similarities; both will got to school, have a family, and the knowledge is equal.

      Poor people have really trustful friends; they are true and real. Those are friends who are always there for them when they need help. Friends that want to be with them because of their personalities and the way they treat others. They don't choose for how they look, but the way they are. In contrast rich have distrustful friends. Most of their friends aren't really real; but fake. Those friends are not the ones that are great to have. They approach them just because they are rich so that they could get their money. They choose for looks and not personalities; friends that won't come when they need help. On the other hand having a friends for support is the best.

      Although rich people may look very nice as if they will give you anything you might need. I noticed that they are very selfish. They don't seem to share their things. Rich people are quite mean to people that are not as rich as them. They don't care much about others feelings because they know their the best and they deserve anything they want. On the outside they might seem very nice and beautiful, but at the inside of their heart, they are very cruel; like a which that wishes to rule the world. On the other hand, poor people seem to be much more nicer. Even though they don't have much, they will still pitch in when someone needs there help. They don't get everything they need, but they don't complain about it; they appreciate what they have. Poor people are really nice and caring. I have seem one that would even give a homeless person food even though she has little. They care a lot about others because they know how others that are like them feel. For poor people, they might seem ugly and mean, yet they are very nice and sweet like roses.

Response Post: "Child Parent Relationship"

This quote is from Crystal's response to Karen's Blog:

"One day, whether we like it or not, our parents will leave us. It is just a fact of life. No one will live forever-assuming that the logic of life and death applies to everyone... I think that this is the wish of all parents: to be able to see their child grow up happy and healthy.Therefore, whenever possible, we should take time away from chatting online or playing video games and spend time with our family, who will not be by your side forever-which we often think they will."

     This quote relates to our life in some ways and how we all treat our parents. We never really realize what our parents has prepare for us and all they want is let us "grow up happy and healthy." We have never really thought about the intentions that that leave us and the lessons that they teach us. Yes, we have all disagreed with our parents at some point and we have lots of arguments. This mostly happens when we reach our teenage years, but they all have a meaning to it. Every time our parents yell at us or spank us, they are trying to say that you are doing the wrong thing. They just want you to make the right decisions next time and not make the same mistake again.

      We have all took our parents for granted and make a big fuss about the chores they make us do, like Crystal said. Have you ever thought about why they make us do all these chores and tell us to help them out. They are basically just preparing us to be more independent, so that when they do leave us, we would be able to take care of ourselves. Also about college readiness. In college, we can't count on our parents any more to help us, we have to do things from out own hands: such as cooking, cleaning, doing your laundry, etc. 

     Reading this made me learn a lot about my relationships with my parents. Since I was eight, my dad wasn't here to take care of me and my sibling and it was only my mom taking care of us. I have always had arguments with my mom. Rethinking from what I did, I really regret it. I want to go back and change the past so that I have never made my mom really angry. I didn't really spent much time with my mom and talking to her. From reading this quote I agree with it a lot. I think that I will try to think more open and respect my mom's feelings. If I don't start cherishing the moments that i have now with my mom, I would really regret it in the future.

My Vocabulary List

These are the words that I am focusing on:

1. Derive
2. Conduct
3. Initial
4. Attribute
5. Hence
6. Regime
7. Sufficient
8. Equivalent
9. Alter
10. Subsequent

Is Obiesity a Disease? : Rebuttal

In Wendy and Cindy's opening statement, they stated that:

"that obesity is in fact a medical condition in which excess body fat is accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. It is also a risk factor for diabetes and certain types of cancer. I would like to include that there are studies on this disease and there are proof of it having to do with genetics. This means that obesity is not something someone can control."

     Nawara and I have found information that, "unlike other diseases that lead to shortened life expectancy or death, some obese people live long lives and do not develop diseases commonly associated with obesity, such as diabetes." This prove your point wrong because if some people have developed a excess of fat and are still healthy, this doesn't mean that it is a disease. You are just assuming that all obese people that are obese develop medical problems and shorten their life span, but you didn't state that certain people may not have access to these medical issues. You also have not proved that all people that are obese leads to medical problems.

     Even thought there are studies that have shown that it has to do with heredity and that we have no control over it, it does not mean that they do not have the ability to manage their weight and life decisions. Obesity is a matter of personal life decisions we make; we can choose to make good dietary decisions and exercise. Even though you might say that when it is heredity, you get fat when you eat. We believe that if people just make good life decisions, they might end up being healthy even tough they gain weight when they eat.

 In your rebuttal, Cindy also stated that:

"never have I seen an obese person who is “very healthy.” When I think of a healthy person, I think of someone who is active, who's body is functioning well, and who does not have excess fat."

     Isn't this your own opinion? I believe what you stated is wrong because don't you see people that are obese around you every single day, even at school. Does that mean that you think that they are obese and they are absolutely not healthy and are not able to be active like others that are not as fat. In fact, I know one person that is obese and he is in fact my friend. His body is functioning quite properly and he is also great at sports. You just think that all people that are fat have caught a type of disease. There is no prove in what you have stated.

     Obesity is just a just a word that means that you have excess body fact. Not everyone that is obese, have the same outcome. Not all obese people are sick and have medical problems. Everyone leads to a different outcome and you can not decide that outcome for them. In your opening statement and rebuttal, I have noticed that you do not have enough evidence in your argument and you did not state where it is coming from. Therefore, me and Nawara declared that obesity is not a disease.

ASTI Constitution

This was something interesting that i found on Carly's Blog that was particular interesting. It talks about how bullies also have feelings and reasons for bullying others:

People say bullies want to be loved. In order to raise their own self-esteem, they have to lower others'. I think bullies may be treated the same way elsewhere, where they are accustomed to that kind of attitude and then learned to use it towards others. There are many reasons for bullies to want to hurt others, including staying popular, and raising self-esteem. Many dramas start with people judging each other when they know barely anything about one another. It is hard not to judge people, but we should keep an open-mind to different people.

In Carly's analysis, she states that bullies also have feelings; they also want to be loved. Even though they bully others in order to raise their self-esteem, in the inside, they might feel guilty by their actions. I believe that bullies are not bad people and we should not hate on them. I think that we should talk to them and get to know them more. Bullies might have been bullied before and that's why they bully others. They don't want to get themselves hurt so they hurt others instead. They don't want to feel left out from the group and they want people to know them, such as becoming popular so that no one would hurt them. Judgement is also a problem because if we judge we will learn to exclude others.

This relates to the second rule of the ASTI constitution: Include, don't exclude. Even though everyone might hate bullies, we should try talking to them about how you feel and understand more about their feelings. We can try to change their personality, and they will soon learn that bullying can hurt others feelings. You might also help them with their problems and help them find a better solution. This also relates to building mutual respect according to the fourth rule of the ASTI constitution. If we get to know them more, we will find out that they are not that bad.

In others words, judgment always leads to ungrateful things because we mostly make wrong assumptions about others without getting to know them. I agree with Carly that we should be more open-minded. We should try to know them first before deciding if you like them or not. This relates to the third rule of the ASTI constitution: accept others for who they are. We are all different people and none of us are the same. We are unique in our own ways, and getting to know people that are different from you is more exciting that hanging around the same people everyday. Sooner or later you might learn something new about them. We should accept people for who they are because not every one is the same.

By following the ASTI constitution we will get to understand others more and not to make assumptions that are wrong. We should never judge people for who we are because how would you feel if people judge you. I think that we should think before we act and put yourseld in the postition of that person so that you could understand them.

'Just Kidding' and 'Ganging Up'

'Just Kidding' and 'Ganging Up'
From Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons

     I don't think that I have ever been part of an alliance that made someone feel bad or been harassed by a larger group. Even though I have not have experience these things, I have seen someone being harassed by a group of people. It was not a very good sight and it was very sad. I felt bad that o could not help that person though. I felt very scared for that kid that was being harassed and I could understand how he could have felt. I wanted to help very badly, but I was scared that they were going to harass me back.
 
      I think the other options to these situations is telling the principal about it. If that person doesn't do so they might get harassed for a long time. Try talking to them to tell them to stop, and if that does not work, they should try consulting someone about it. As for the alliance, I think they should treat people nicer. They harass other kids and think that it is funny, they should do something instead of hurting others feelings.

      I think people bully others because they want others to think that they are powerful and strong. They want to let others know that they are weak and they are not able to hurt them. I think people also bully others because they feel bad about themselves, so they hurt others instead to make themselves feel better. Bullies don't want to look weak and in the inside they feel that they are below everyone, so they find other things to make them feel better. They also bully people to gather people on their side and make them agree with them when they are dealing with an enemy.
 
      What makes them want to hurt their peers? I think the thing that makes them want to hurt their peers is they want them to feel that they are not weaklings. They want them to feel that they are all the same no matter where they stand. Or their might be in a situation where one side is especially mad at the other and they want to get people to agree with them. Their might be other things that make them hurt their peers, but I am not really sure about it because I was never in this situation.