This is my 100th post and the final one of the year! We are officially done with high school and tomorrow we graduate! I do not know whether to be happy or sad about it. Both. I do have a massive weight of nonsense lifted off my shoulders though, and it feels amazing. We are now all onto bigger and better things in our lives and as much as I hated the system in high school, lack of freedom of speech and rights, and a couple of my teachers as well as the grading system, I will definitely miss all those few exceptional teachers who did encourage me to follow my dreams no matter what anyone does to me. I will also deeply miss my friends, we ll not really since we just found out 9 out of 11 of us will be attending community college next year :( Oh well, but I will miss and always reminisce the great truly unforgettable memories we all created with one another. And how could I forget my AVID family who has been there since day 1, freshmen year and guided me all the way through Senior year with warming welcoming hands; the family at school whom I could always turn to and always provided me with the best possible advice, I do not think I would have the goals and mindset I have today if it had not been for our Avid advisor a.k.a our dad. He will unfortunately not be attending our graduation for innocent accusations, which I cannot hate the school board even more for, their idiotic judgments and I wish them the worst in life; but somehow I feel as though he never left, maybe it is because he has been in our hearts and will always remain there no matter what. I am glad I no longer have to deal with the stupid dress code violations or the ignorant security guards who are all best friends with the trouble makers at school or the disgusting trashed campus or the nasty cafeteria food or being treated as a child, none of that. Thank God. I am done caring about a mindless four year "college preparatory" institution. We are out son. Gracias a mis padres por ser los mejores en el mundo y tener que continuar a apoyarme despues de mis multiples pendejadas. Los amo.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Literary Analysis #3
Eleven Minutes
By: Paulo Coelho
TOPICS/EVENTS
1) My book was generally about sex; not necessarily just the act of sex but making love and how pleasure can be mistaken many times. It was about the opposite gender getting to know the male and female body in order to be able to please them properly. This wonderful novel also covered the importance of the journey in uniting the two missing souls together which is indeed your missing life partner whom you should by fate marry and spend the rest of your life with. The novel was centered on the life of a single Brazilian woman, Maria, who was extracted almost by force from her country who was promised a better life but ended up becoming a prostitute at one of the nightclubs for two years.
2) My author chose to write about this topic mainly because it is one that is ignored the majority of the time and should not be. I do not understand why so many people resent this topic when it is one of the most important ones. People censor this topic far too much when it is human nature and it deserves to be talked about just as much since everyone has so many questions about it. People, especially adults need to grow up and maturely be able to handle to this conversation with respect because after all, it is how we are all created.
3) I have just continuously chosen to read books by the Brazilian author, my favorite author, Paulo Coelho regardless of the topic because even when I check out one of his books and I have no idea what it will be about, I know the topic will be just as good as the next one, if not better because he continues to amaze me and inspire me. I will continue to chose his books. When I first chose this book the title told me nothing, Eleven Minutes, it could have been referring to anything and I did not discover its true theme until the first couple of pages mainly through the dedication at the beginning of the book. It made me want to continue reading precisely because I am well aware of the fact that it is a topic not often discussed.
4) The book was definitely realistic since it was a universal topic and I found myself relating to myself back and fourth through all the discoveries and examples. I can picture many human beings having to deal with the same problems and having the same frightening questions that this novel managed to cover but not addressing them properly strictly out of fear for what another might think which is complete idiocy.
PEOPLE
1) Yes, it is almost impossible for the author to not impose their own specific beliefs and thoughts and feelings on a subject that they are covering and creating an entire novel on. It is completely okay with me however though because his intellectual insight is much appreciated and I would even dare to say necessary. I am not sure if I would feel the same about any other authors though. The author definitely analyzed much of the protagonist's actions but also kept it very personal and accurate because he mentioned her journal writings and personal insight which is definitely necessary in a non fiction novel. '
2) The main and most important person would be Maria, she is Brazilian so I imagine her to be extremely attractive with a nice hour-glass body. Her personality could be characterized as a kind and warming intelligent human being with good intentions and with real life goals. I picture her as a persevere since she has managed to endure so much over time and always stand back up. A second and probably the most relevant character on her behalf would be her newly discovered lover, her missing and now found partner in life who goes by the name of Ralf Hart. Since he is described as an artist I picture him as a very intelligent and wise free man with no limits as to what he can do on this planet also considering the fact that he is extremely wealthy. Regardless of all his luxuries, I see him as being uncertain about what he wants.
3) I find these characters interesting enough to write about since they are almost a portrayed image of ourselves because I can almost guarantee that 90% of the world experiences these problems. I think the topic is more interesting than the actual characters and that is what makes the characters so fascinating because they experience what we experience in a world where such an important topic is never discussed.
CHARACTER
1) There were multiple examples of direct and indirect characterization throughout the novel. An example of indirect characterizations could have been the moments in which they were inside each other both physically and spiritually and were able to experience something much greater than the both of them and not have to communicate a single word while they were both simultaneously feeling the same thing. An example of direct characterization would be when they teach other about each other as a man and a woman and as individuals because as they do this, they express their true feelings and thoughts about each other to each other.
2) The authors syntax and diction never really changes, it remains solid throughout the novel because he sticks to the same subject and there is no need to change it.
3) The protagonist is very dynamic but at the same time static, which I believe is for the first time not bad at all. She is dynamic in the sense that her thoughts and feelings about the subject change overtime however her morals and what she has always wanted remained intertwined to her personality from the start which is fascinating.
4) Yes definitely, I felt as if she was a real person all along and I could definitely relate to her pain. She states through poetry, "A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to heal;...etc." I very much enjoyed and related to these words because they showed me that it is possible to feel two things at once even if those two things are complete opposites of each other and I really appreciated this.
STYLE
1) The only tool I would say that the author used from fictional writing would be foreshadowing but mainly the type from romantic movies when the man follows the woman to the airport and tells her to stay because that is exactly what happened and it all seemed much too predictable. Other than that, the rest of the details were unexpected and continued to surprise me.
2) Yes, the author does both, he uses lengthy descriptions on places as well as dialogue which is extremely important and I appreciate the fact that he concentrated on both because it shows that they are both just as important. The detail in the surroundings of places demonstrate the appreciation for nature and beauty and a body with a peaceful state of mind. The stress on the dialogue and communication just demonstrates the importance of human interaction throughout the world.
3) The author creates a mood with simple words that describe things just as they are and not sugar coding everything and that is exactly why I love this author so much, he remains humble, real and down to earth as I believe all human kind should be.
4) I think the authors attitude toward the subject and the characters was sincere and understanding which is important because in order to actually discuss something so important, you need to actually believe in in and have to have experienced it for yourself in as much as you possibly could and that is why there is so much ignorance in the world because we fail to understand many things. He definitely a lot of dedication and time well spent into thinking about this particular topic.
5) The author used prostitutes' insights to reflect and write his novel which is precisely everything he needed because, who is more of an expert on sex and human physical pleasure than prostitutes? Probably no one else, but the fact that he utilized their own backgrounds and life stories demonstrates much time put into this and proving the fact that it is not merely a reflection of only his own thoughts and beliefs.
ENDURING MEMORY
"Life moves very fast, it rushes us from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds." This quote amazes me because it could not be truer or said in any better form. Most of us unfortunately remain stuck on something once it happens and cannot seem to get out. We seem to forget that life is continuously changing at all times and that we need to move along with it because if we do not, we will remain in the same old boring spot filled with regret. When something happens and we do not like the results, we need to be aware of the fact that we have the ability and power to change it. We are responsible for our own happiness; and the things that we cannot change should not be worried about any longer, we must learn to forget about them and move on.
By: Paulo Coelho
TOPICS/EVENTS
1) My book was generally about sex; not necessarily just the act of sex but making love and how pleasure can be mistaken many times. It was about the opposite gender getting to know the male and female body in order to be able to please them properly. This wonderful novel also covered the importance of the journey in uniting the two missing souls together which is indeed your missing life partner whom you should by fate marry and spend the rest of your life with. The novel was centered on the life of a single Brazilian woman, Maria, who was extracted almost by force from her country who was promised a better life but ended up becoming a prostitute at one of the nightclubs for two years.
2) My author chose to write about this topic mainly because it is one that is ignored the majority of the time and should not be. I do not understand why so many people resent this topic when it is one of the most important ones. People censor this topic far too much when it is human nature and it deserves to be talked about just as much since everyone has so many questions about it. People, especially adults need to grow up and maturely be able to handle to this conversation with respect because after all, it is how we are all created.
3) I have just continuously chosen to read books by the Brazilian author, my favorite author, Paulo Coelho regardless of the topic because even when I check out one of his books and I have no idea what it will be about, I know the topic will be just as good as the next one, if not better because he continues to amaze me and inspire me. I will continue to chose his books. When I first chose this book the title told me nothing, Eleven Minutes, it could have been referring to anything and I did not discover its true theme until the first couple of pages mainly through the dedication at the beginning of the book. It made me want to continue reading precisely because I am well aware of the fact that it is a topic not often discussed.
4) The book was definitely realistic since it was a universal topic and I found myself relating to myself back and fourth through all the discoveries and examples. I can picture many human beings having to deal with the same problems and having the same frightening questions that this novel managed to cover but not addressing them properly strictly out of fear for what another might think which is complete idiocy.
PEOPLE
1) Yes, it is almost impossible for the author to not impose their own specific beliefs and thoughts and feelings on a subject that they are covering and creating an entire novel on. It is completely okay with me however though because his intellectual insight is much appreciated and I would even dare to say necessary. I am not sure if I would feel the same about any other authors though. The author definitely analyzed much of the protagonist's actions but also kept it very personal and accurate because he mentioned her journal writings and personal insight which is definitely necessary in a non fiction novel. '
2) The main and most important person would be Maria, she is Brazilian so I imagine her to be extremely attractive with a nice hour-glass body. Her personality could be characterized as a kind and warming intelligent human being with good intentions and with real life goals. I picture her as a persevere since she has managed to endure so much over time and always stand back up. A second and probably the most relevant character on her behalf would be her newly discovered lover, her missing and now found partner in life who goes by the name of Ralf Hart. Since he is described as an artist I picture him as a very intelligent and wise free man with no limits as to what he can do on this planet also considering the fact that he is extremely wealthy. Regardless of all his luxuries, I see him as being uncertain about what he wants.
3) I find these characters interesting enough to write about since they are almost a portrayed image of ourselves because I can almost guarantee that 90% of the world experiences these problems. I think the topic is more interesting than the actual characters and that is what makes the characters so fascinating because they experience what we experience in a world where such an important topic is never discussed.
CHARACTER
1) There were multiple examples of direct and indirect characterization throughout the novel. An example of indirect characterizations could have been the moments in which they were inside each other both physically and spiritually and were able to experience something much greater than the both of them and not have to communicate a single word while they were both simultaneously feeling the same thing. An example of direct characterization would be when they teach other about each other as a man and a woman and as individuals because as they do this, they express their true feelings and thoughts about each other to each other.
2) The authors syntax and diction never really changes, it remains solid throughout the novel because he sticks to the same subject and there is no need to change it.
3) The protagonist is very dynamic but at the same time static, which I believe is for the first time not bad at all. She is dynamic in the sense that her thoughts and feelings about the subject change overtime however her morals and what she has always wanted remained intertwined to her personality from the start which is fascinating.
4) Yes definitely, I felt as if she was a real person all along and I could definitely relate to her pain. She states through poetry, "A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to heal;...etc." I very much enjoyed and related to these words because they showed me that it is possible to feel two things at once even if those two things are complete opposites of each other and I really appreciated this.
STYLE
1) The only tool I would say that the author used from fictional writing would be foreshadowing but mainly the type from romantic movies when the man follows the woman to the airport and tells her to stay because that is exactly what happened and it all seemed much too predictable. Other than that, the rest of the details were unexpected and continued to surprise me.
2) Yes, the author does both, he uses lengthy descriptions on places as well as dialogue which is extremely important and I appreciate the fact that he concentrated on both because it shows that they are both just as important. The detail in the surroundings of places demonstrate the appreciation for nature and beauty and a body with a peaceful state of mind. The stress on the dialogue and communication just demonstrates the importance of human interaction throughout the world.
3) The author creates a mood with simple words that describe things just as they are and not sugar coding everything and that is exactly why I love this author so much, he remains humble, real and down to earth as I believe all human kind should be.
4) I think the authors attitude toward the subject and the characters was sincere and understanding which is important because in order to actually discuss something so important, you need to actually believe in in and have to have experienced it for yourself in as much as you possibly could and that is why there is so much ignorance in the world because we fail to understand many things. He definitely a lot of dedication and time well spent into thinking about this particular topic.
5) The author used prostitutes' insights to reflect and write his novel which is precisely everything he needed because, who is more of an expert on sex and human physical pleasure than prostitutes? Probably no one else, but the fact that he utilized their own backgrounds and life stories demonstrates much time put into this and proving the fact that it is not merely a reflection of only his own thoughts and beliefs.
ENDURING MEMORY
"Life moves very fast, it rushes us from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds." This quote amazes me because it could not be truer or said in any better form. Most of us unfortunately remain stuck on something once it happens and cannot seem to get out. We seem to forget that life is continuously changing at all times and that we need to move along with it because if we do not, we will remain in the same old boring spot filled with regret. When something happens and we do not like the results, we need to be aware of the fact that we have the ability and power to change it. We are responsible for our own happiness; and the things that we cannot change should not be worried about any longer, we must learn to forget about them and move on.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Masterpiece/Course Reflection
Alvarado 1
Masterpiece/Course Reflection
The Open Source Learning course
definitely comes with a great deal of responsibility and passion. I would say
the second one is probably the most important one. From the moment I chose to
be in this course I knew it would be extremely different from the rest, little
did I know exactly how different. I
definitely believe we as students deserve it because each and every single one
of these students have been brainwashed since the minute they began their
education and it is fair to say that we all deserve this chance to prove the
many things we are capable of doing when a magnificent teacher, such as our
conductor did, provides us with the chance to by letting us have the world in
the palm of our hands. I feel like every student has earned it and there is no
one thing anyone could have done to earn it because we all need it and so do
the generations to come. I would now say that we definitely all did not honor
it as much we should have and this goes directly back to what I spoke about in
the survey when I mentioned that a few of us remained “stuck” if I may, in a
certain trance where we knew exactly what our passion was and what excites us
and what makes us get up every morning but just not exactly how to accomplish
it or in which direction to go, however, other students did break these
boundaries though. It is okay for those who have not reached their desired
destiny or goal yet because that just means they are in the process and will
soon get there.
I definitely reconnected with my life-long passion because as ironic as it is, school absolutely prevented me from doing so with all their pointless assignments and constant irrelevant requests; with the exception of this course. I apologize but we as students know nothing but the truth and school is suppose to be about the students in a positive manner not negatively as it has been overtime with its strict expectations and lack of variety in chosen paths for students. I have many passion but my main one which is what I see myself doing with the rest of my life will always be the desire to make the world a better place because I strongly believe that if I can change the mind of just a single person then that will be enough to continue the chain of spreading love throughout the world. I also realized that this is the reason why I become upset many times- because I see far too many bad things in this world and not knowing exactly how to handle some situations really angers me but I guess that just means I still have much to learn about my masterpiece field and how exactly I transition it into a lifestyle. If and when I go to college I will continue to take classes that help broaden my view on the mental aspect of the human being and what I can do to change it and better it.
I am not too sure about “laugh out loud” but I definitely did read many things that inspired me and taught me a lot about my passion. On second thought, the very first novel I chose to read for this particular course was “Ishmael“ by Daniel Quinn I believe, just going based off my memory, because it spoke about human beings and our history overtime and the two types of people we have chosen to be and have evolved to until present day. The part I find
I definitely reconnected with my life-long passion because as ironic as it is, school absolutely prevented me from doing so with all their pointless assignments and constant irrelevant requests; with the exception of this course. I apologize but we as students know nothing but the truth and school is suppose to be about the students in a positive manner not negatively as it has been overtime with its strict expectations and lack of variety in chosen paths for students. I have many passion but my main one which is what I see myself doing with the rest of my life will always be the desire to make the world a better place because I strongly believe that if I can change the mind of just a single person then that will be enough to continue the chain of spreading love throughout the world. I also realized that this is the reason why I become upset many times- because I see far too many bad things in this world and not knowing exactly how to handle some situations really angers me but I guess that just means I still have much to learn about my masterpiece field and how exactly I transition it into a lifestyle. If and when I go to college I will continue to take classes that help broaden my view on the mental aspect of the human being and what I can do to change it and better it.
I am not too sure about “laugh out loud” but I definitely did read many things that inspired me and taught me a lot about my passion. On second thought, the very first novel I chose to read for this particular course was “Ishmael“ by Daniel Quinn I believe, just going based off my memory, because it spoke about human beings and our history overtime and the two types of people we have chosen to be and have evolved to until present day. The part I find
Alvarado 2
humorous in
this piece was the fact that they decided to make the most important character
in the story a gorilla; a gorilla that speaks and has a complete intellectual
mind of his own. It was fascinating because everything said could not be truer
and the fact that it was a gorilla speaking allowed us to view ourselves as humans
through the eyes of a different species who knew much more about us than we did
about ourselves. The moral of that story was to prove to us that we as human
beings grew to become far too possessive and materialistic. We began owning
things as if they had always belonged to us including mother nature, when in
reality, mother nature controls us and there is nothing we can do about it but
wonder.
The unifying theme that runs through
each and every single presentation in the classroom has got to be passion.
Passion is the underlying basis for all the foundations we have formed here.
Without passion there is nothing, and we all know that that is true. You can
tell if and when there is passion in these presentations when it is everyone’s
time to present. I could feel the love in Daniel’s presentation when he spoke
about cooking because I know that it is what he loves to do. I could feel the
passion Bobby has for art whether it is on the streets or on a sheet of paper.
I could see Tiana’s fascination when she traveled across the Atlantic to
another world of culture, language and customs etc. especially because I myself
love and want to travel the world. Passion is just something you can feel and
no one else. What is important or fascinates you may not fascinate others but
that is only because everyone is different and that is perfectly fine. Could
you imagine if everyone was the same and we had everyone doing the same boring
thing as the next person for the rest of our lives? Well then, as we all know,
the world would not function.
I am not the hero I have planned yet
to be, but I feel like a hero on the sense that I have become so much closer to
that thing that I love and feel completely inseparable to my passion because I have
chosen to learn so much more about it thanks to this course. I found multiple
mentors and I have come to realize that many of the people I have helped,
physically and mentally, have served me that purpose of being mentors in a way
because they are my learning tools and they are exactly what I am studying. I
feel like I am not done yet and I still have so much more to cover and I will
probably create another blog in my adventure if not keep this one to continue
reflecting and sharing my opinions, thoughts and revelations about the subject.
There is no way in hell I would have been able to pay more attention to the
subject of my interest if it would have not been for this class and our savior
Doctor Preston. I hope this course serves the future generations of students
that will hopefully follow in our paths, if not achieve bigger and better
things than we will.
Is school really providing the education they should be?
I am currently eating ice cream at one in the morning on a Sunday night watching one of my best friends, LC, sleep because she has decided to take a 30 minute nap and told me to awake her in 30 minutes time in order for her to return to her homework. It is one in the morning and unfortunately we have school tomorrow. No teenager should involuntarily be awake at these hours on a school night. This is normal for me and it is the usual time I go to sleep because of the numerous times I close at work and by the time I bathe and attempt to do homework, but for someone with free time it is not so normal. I now begin to wonder if this is all worth it, what school is "preparing" us to do with the rest of our lives because I am sure no student wants to do this that we are doing right now, unless it had a real point to it. What is the point of homework (which is suppose to be a type of exercise to prepare us for our future desires and goals in life) if we are not already doing the things that make us happy? My goal is not to criticize the school system, well sort of, but mainly to help everyone realize something much more important- the way we choose to teach. I say 'choose to' because each and every single individual has the power to teach in a way that is personal to them and different from all the rest. This is exactly what my intellectual teacher has been trying to get across and I know most of the students understand it but the staff, teachers, school board etc. most likely never will understand it because they will continue to follow the traditional ways of "teaching" which have failed in inspiring students in this era, the majority of the time. I cannot wait to grow and change the system as I do so. And the worst part is, my ice cream has melted.
Monday, April 7, 2014
LIVE IN THE MOMENT
Why do we indulge in sugary foods that are poisonous to our bodies and choose to deal with the consequences of working out later or not?
Why do we choose to take a nap and continue to procrastinate instead of finishing our homework due the next day?
Why do we consume ten too many alcoholic beverages when we know that the next day we will have the worst hangover of our lives?
The above questions all have one thing in common- thinking in the present and not worrying about the future. You may think many people have this problem and that we should begin to worry about the future and begin planning and such but the truth of the matter is that the majority of this procrastinating relaxed group of individuals lies mostly between the ages of 13 and 19 which is basically in the teenage years. We have no real perception of reality and feel as though we must live life fast paced and for the most part do not handle our responsibilities as much as we should. For the most part we care about our current status of happiness without realizing the consequences of tomorrow.
However, on the complete opposite aspect, our lives for the next 40, 60, 80 years is also not guaranteed and we must learn to live in the moment and do exactly what makes us happy because we could die tomorrow. People who do not relax and break the rules every once in a while tend to suffer more socially and live more depressing lives. I would go as far to as to say that these people are too caught up in the system that society has created for us in this life and have closed-minds. Learn to be happy on your own and not through the way someone else's guidelines and checklists have provided you with.
Why do we choose to take a nap and continue to procrastinate instead of finishing our homework due the next day?
Why do we consume ten too many alcoholic beverages when we know that the next day we will have the worst hangover of our lives?
The above questions all have one thing in common- thinking in the present and not worrying about the future. You may think many people have this problem and that we should begin to worry about the future and begin planning and such but the truth of the matter is that the majority of this procrastinating relaxed group of individuals lies mostly between the ages of 13 and 19 which is basically in the teenage years. We have no real perception of reality and feel as though we must live life fast paced and for the most part do not handle our responsibilities as much as we should. For the most part we care about our current status of happiness without realizing the consequences of tomorrow.
However, on the complete opposite aspect, our lives for the next 40, 60, 80 years is also not guaranteed and we must learn to live in the moment and do exactly what makes us happy because we could die tomorrow. People who do not relax and break the rules every once in a while tend to suffer more socially and live more depressing lives. I would go as far to as to say that these people are too caught up in the system that society has created for us in this life and have closed-minds. Learn to be happy on your own and not through the way someone else's guidelines and checklists have provided you with.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The System
Many of us are just realizing that we could have achieved so much more than we did throughout high school and when we make this realization unfortunately we do not know exactly how to respond to it. We have realized that maybe if we had paid more attention in our classes our freshmen and sophomore years, we would not be in the positions we are now.
For me, it was sophomore year that was basically a complete fail. I failed one class all year, Chemistry, with a D+ and failed the first semesters of both Algebra II and AP Modern World History. Junior year I retook all those classes and passed them with A's and B's. Now, my reason for failure was definitely not for lack of intelligence because believe me, I was that skilled smart student. The problem was more because of my immaturity and lack of understanding how gravely any choice I made then affected my future now. I was extremely lazy and simply did not care. I used to put the PRO in PROcrastination! I was also on the verge of quitting AVID which was the only real helpful class in which I benefited and acquired multiple academic skills that I still utilize today. However, I am so glad I never did.
Anyways, I did not get my things together until Junior year and by then as many of you have realized it was far too late since colleges calculate our grade point average through our sophomore and junior years. Which brings me to my next point, I find it terrible that we as students are only judged based off our test scores because these honestly do not reflect our true persona. Students are not evaluated on personality or social skills and interactions with human beings which actually matters greatly in the world because we are constantly dealing with humans and there will be no way to isolate ourselves from them if we expect to live in this country then we will be forced to engage in society. However, the way college admissions decide to choose their students is ineffective but it will soon be their loss for missing out on amazing, well-balanced, creative, wise, life-changing students.
For me, it was sophomore year that was basically a complete fail. I failed one class all year, Chemistry, with a D+ and failed the first semesters of both Algebra II and AP Modern World History. Junior year I retook all those classes and passed them with A's and B's. Now, my reason for failure was definitely not for lack of intelligence because believe me, I was that skilled smart student. The problem was more because of my immaturity and lack of understanding how gravely any choice I made then affected my future now. I was extremely lazy and simply did not care. I used to put the PRO in PROcrastination! I was also on the verge of quitting AVID which was the only real helpful class in which I benefited and acquired multiple academic skills that I still utilize today. However, I am so glad I never did.
Anyways, I did not get my things together until Junior year and by then as many of you have realized it was far too late since colleges calculate our grade point average through our sophomore and junior years. Which brings me to my next point, I find it terrible that we as students are only judged based off our test scores because these honestly do not reflect our true persona. Students are not evaluated on personality or social skills and interactions with human beings which actually matters greatly in the world because we are constantly dealing with humans and there will be no way to isolate ourselves from them if we expect to live in this country then we will be forced to engage in society. However, the way college admissions decide to choose their students is ineffective but it will soon be their loss for missing out on amazing, well-balanced, creative, wise, life-changing students.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
In 5 Months
It used to scare me back then to not know where I was going to be exactly a year from now... And now I still do not know exactly what university I will be attending in just five months! FIVE MONTHS. Do you understand how insane that is? I have been accepted to colleges but not too interested in attending any of them really. I envy those of my peers that know exactly where they are going next year and what they are doing. I am double thinking college now and sort of want to join the Peace Corps but everyone says "Why would you do that? You don't make any money!" A part of me does not care because helping others is my passion and another part of me says, "Well how am I going to make a living?" Or "What about college?" It is scary and I fear what the future will bring, whatever it is, I hope I am happy doing what I am doing.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The Struggle of Senior Year
I have been contemplating Senior year for the longest time-well this entire second semester. What about it exactly? The term we all familiarize ourselves with as "senioritis." We use this as an excuse for not doing our homework, for not caring about our responsibilities because we would much rather relax and live in the moment and not think about the future and its consequences, I know this from this experience and because I do this myself literally ALL THE TIME. I still somehow manage to get my work done and 90% of it on time and that is usually all that matters to me. But I have noticed that as the end of the year approaches, it has just gotten worse. Not just with myself but also with others. My peers are experiencing the exact same struggle and we all have mutual feelings towards it because we are all living it and seem to understand it or much rather accept it.
Life is finally hitting us at the age of 17, many soon 18, and we are realizing that soon we will not be able to continue living as kids or without responsibilities as we pretty much have been all our lives. Soon we will be on our own without our parents or legal guardians and we just do not wish to deal with it yet so we decide that our last year as either legal children or dependents should be spend having fun or making wrong decisions. That is my logic. We are young dumb and feel like we have life at our fingertips and want to enjoy it because for some reason we feel like it is almost over when in reality we have a long way to go. We want to enjoy our youth and do all the things we are not suppose to while still not falling too behind to the point of messing up the course of our plans for the future, next year.
However, I am proud of many of my peers for not giving up and although they have been screwing around like me for the most part, they are still getting their work done and doing amazing things. I guess this is just another stage for us to practice balancing our responsibilities with what we really want to do. The key to life is balance and although many of us have not yet learned that, the time will come and it is all part of growing up from the children many of us still are to young adults. Sometimes, I just wish teachers or parents would understand this since I am sure many of them experiences it themselves. Parents also tend to treat us more like children as we get older out of pure fear and yet still expect you to act like an adult but that just confuses their son or daughter even more. The best of luck to all my Seniors and continue to do the great things you are already doing and balance the choice of having fun properly! :)
Life is finally hitting us at the age of 17, many soon 18, and we are realizing that soon we will not be able to continue living as kids or without responsibilities as we pretty much have been all our lives. Soon we will be on our own without our parents or legal guardians and we just do not wish to deal with it yet so we decide that our last year as either legal children or dependents should be spend having fun or making wrong decisions. That is my logic. We are young dumb and feel like we have life at our fingertips and want to enjoy it because for some reason we feel like it is almost over when in reality we have a long way to go. We want to enjoy our youth and do all the things we are not suppose to while still not falling too behind to the point of messing up the course of our plans for the future, next year.
However, I am proud of many of my peers for not giving up and although they have been screwing around like me for the most part, they are still getting their work done and doing amazing things. I guess this is just another stage for us to practice balancing our responsibilities with what we really want to do. The key to life is balance and although many of us have not yet learned that, the time will come and it is all part of growing up from the children many of us still are to young adults. Sometimes, I just wish teachers or parents would understand this since I am sure many of them experiences it themselves. Parents also tend to treat us more like children as we get older out of pure fear and yet still expect you to act like an adult but that just confuses their son or daughter even more. The best of luck to all my Seniors and continue to do the great things you are already doing and balance the choice of having fun properly! :)
Changes
Ever listened to a old song that maybe you did not really like as much before but you realize you are actually really into it now? Ever wonder why that happens? Because of change. With time, we grow and with growth comes change. You suddenly do not feel the same about some people, clothes, controversial topics or even the same food. But why is it so hard for people to accept change? Why can't people simply enjoy change and move on with their lives? No, unfortunately too many people over-think things and for some reason feel as though maybe they need to hang on to their old lives or the people they once were. Things would be much easier if people did. People need to become more accustomed to change and living with it constantly because that is how life is and will continue to be.
Reflection
I definitely see myself and my work differently when I think of myself as an entrepeneur in regards to my masterpiece field because it goes from just simply being an idea in your head to actually a product or a result. The way we handle our projects makes all the difference in the world because that is how we can tell how great we did. We pretty much have to evaluate ourselves because only we will know if we did great or not. You can tell when someone put all the effort into their project by contacting as many references and experts as they could or if you can view that they obviously did not seek out as many sources as they could have to make their idea happen. But the one important thing about an entrepeneur is that they do things because they WANT TO not because they have to and this establishes our reputation for the way we choose to do things in the future. Interest has everything to do with it, therefore, depending on how bad someone wants their dream to become a reality, then that is when it will occur. If nothing happens, you have no excuse because that is when everyone will know you did not put enough time into it because you chose not to and this is also when you yourself will know that the possibility that you may have chosen the wrong interest does exist because you were clearly not as passionate about it as you thought you were.
The Witch of Portobello by: Paulo Coelho
PLOT/AUTHOR/THEME
1) The course of the novel was something new that I had never read before. Instead of choosing the traditional story form to present the tale being told, the author chose to present to us this novel through personal scripts of occurrences from specified characters themselves, sort of like diaries in which each individual shared their thoughts on the situation and core beliefs. It still managed to follow a chronological order which made it much more easier to focus rather than scattered information everywhere. The novel was about a mysterious young woman who went by the name of Athena who chose to preach to the world about the Voice and the Mother of the world which in our terms would and could be translated into our intuition and encouraged us to follow it because it can save us from many situations. The author also demonstrated a corrupt society in which freedom of choice and speech fail to exist and how the fight to practice our beliefs becomes so intense that unfortunately making an escape only frees you in the moment but does not fix the situation. This amazing author managed to portray his many themes in multiple different and distinct ways throughout the novel.
2) The were far too many themes in the novel. One of the main ones was to follow your instincts which could not be stressed enough. No matter how difficult it may be to choose what you think is right and follow it regardless. He talked about not giving up because you will fall many times as shown in the novel, but the minute you allow the other side to tell you that your way of living and morals are wrong, then that is when they have won. Another theme that really caught my attention and I felt spoke directly to my heart was the example of human beings following the life of an everyday ant in the world; how we do as we were told to do from the start, from the minute we were born and live our entire lives this way never questioning why. It sounds ridiculous but that is exactly what it is, and it just shows how caught up in the system we are that we are far too unaware of how great life is in order to realize it and instead engage in such idiotic behavior. Another great theme I took from it was to do the things that make you happy. It is your life and no one can take that away from you, at least not mentally or spiritually; so live it the way it should be lived with happiness.
3) The author's tone was a very straightforward one that approached every lesson with love for human beings which is one of the many reasons I very much enjoy reading about this author. On the top of page 12, Edda, character in the novel, states that, "Athena brought to the surface the immensely rich world we all carry in our souls, without realizing that people aren't yet ready to accept their own powers." This is a life lesson because far too many people do not understand the things they are capable of and instead live the majority of their lives in misery and failure because they were too afraid to take risks and do the things they should have been doing all along. On page 27 Lukas shares, "When I sit still or when I'm feeling very agitated, I feel as though I am vibrating along with the whole Universe..." If you have ever felt like this, it is simply a state of inquiry. It is us questioning ourselves, what we are and who we want to be. It is us extracting ourselves from daily activities and what is "important" in society and the world at the moment and just engaging in a sense of isolationism, however, at the same time still with a whole universe. On page 35 Lukas again speaks of a concept that is universal and dear to all of us when he says, "Music isn't just something that conforms or distracts us, it goes beyond that-it's an ideology. You can judge people by the kind of music they listen to." This is very interesting as many of us may take offense to it but it can be true. For example, I myself listen to various different genres of music instead of a single one, from this you can draw insight to my flexibility in interests and what they all mean to me. You probably could not judge entirely on a person's character through music but for the most part you are able to learn much about a person and their personality by studying the type of music they listen to.
4) *Allusion; page 193- "Maybe the Mother wanted to appear that night, and perhaps she whispered something in her ear: Go against everything you've learned so far. You, who are a mistress of rhythm, allow the rhythm to pass through your body, but don't obey it." Translation: Sometimes, whether you are aware of it or not. you may be being taught the wrong things unfortunately enough and there will come a time in which you will have to make that decision on your own.
*Analogy; page 53- "Dance until you are so out of breath that your organism is forced to obtain oxygen in some other way, and it is that, in the end, that will cause you to lose your identity and your relationship with space and time." Translation: You should put your entire heart and soul into everything you do. Go hard.
*Antithesis; page 52- "Paintings and sculptures were quickly sold, but the books remained, gathering dust." Translation: Two contrasting meanings in proximity to one another.
*Assonance; page 209- "Last night, I died." Translation: The repetition of the vowel sound i takes place and is repeated about three times in the sentence to catch the readers attention.
*Cacophony; page 254- "And so, when the first bailiff arrives, I'll shoot, and I'll keep shooting until the bullets run out. If they don't shoot me first, I'll use the knives in my house. If they take the knives, I'll use my teeth and my nails. But no one is going to take Viorel away from me, or only over my dead body." Translation: The words utilized in this sentence create a disturbing, uncomfortable atmosphere by also demonstrating the love from a mother and what she is willing to do.
*Flashback; page 144- "When you dance you can enjoy the luxury of being you."
Translation: Atehna is thinking back to all the times she has danced crazily and her feelings at the time.
*Point of View; page 145- "Athena moved closer. We were now less than an arm's length from each other, and I started to feel afraid." Translation: The point of view of Andrea is much different from Athena's. While Athena is calm and does not feel threatened, Andrea is freaking out and wants to leave the place.
*Mood; page 145- "Her gray eyes were fixed on mine\, but I held firm and didn't look away." Translation: Intensity is the mood reflected from this. The atmosphere here is very tense and uncomfortable probably for both even though only one may be expressing it.
*Motif; page 254- "I'll shoot, and I'll keep shooting until the bullets run out. If they don't shoot me first, I'll use the knives in my house. If they take the knives, I'll use my teeth and my nails. But no one is going to take Viorel away from me, or only over my dead body." Translation: The motif here is to fight for what you believe in even if it gets to a point where it is physical. This concept is carried out through the entire novel. It is expressed numerous times to never give up on your dreams because then your life will have absolutely no purpose.
*Irony; page 264- "It wasn't my idea to make it look as if she'd been murdered. Athena wanted to disappear..." Translation: The irony here is that she herself was abandoned at a young age by her mother and she despised her for that and now that she has chosen to leave, she has thought nothing of her son and has abandoned him as well.
CHARACTERIZATION
1) The author utilizes both indirect and direct characterization to present with more than one perspective which is essential in life because too many people are too quick to judge when they hear a story or rumor since they only pay attention to one side of the story or listen to one person's view of the topic not multiple. Examples of indirect characterization throughout this novel would be the entire book because throughout the entire novel we are given articles with accounts from different people from all areas about a single person-Athena. He does this for the same reason I stated; to provide us with a variety of fruitful opinions and accurate facts. Examples of direct characterization would be when he says thing such as "No one can manipulate anyone else. In any relationship, both parties know what they're doing, even if one of them complains later on that they were used," or "I'm not surprised that her life ended as it did: she was always flirting with danger," both by Andrea McCain the author is giving us direct insight into their character and the type of personality they possess through these direct words about themselves or individuals. Like this we are able to judge the characters directly because we have heard what they have to say and it is not what someone else said about them, therefore, we do not have to validate it or verify it before making inferences.
2) The author's syntax and diction definitely changes because the book is set up not as a regular novel but as more of a gathering of facts and opinions from others left to our judgment about Athena so the context definitely changes because it has to. Every single account is unique, special, different and important to the novel.
3) The protagonist is very dynamic which is why the novel is so interesting because it gives the characters so much to talk about especially since her actions vary throughout the entire novel. Her desires for the most part don't change but her approach and discoveries all around definitely do and it is definitely a journey not just for the characters themselves but also the reader.
4) One of the many phrases I have come to learn and appreciate is "But the world has progressed...But although we have managed to replace slaves with wage slaves, all the advances we've made have been in the field of science. Human beings are still asking the same questions as their ancestors. In short, they haven't evolved at all." I love this because it is so true. This entire time I have thought and been confused as to why some things are so bad, such as racism or why some things just never seem to change, such as religion; when all along it seems as though we have only evolved physically because we are never taught how to coach with our feelings or handle them individually and even then, everyone denies it or acts as if they are suddenly too great and can manage these things on their own(ex: macho man). What I am trying to say is that we have not evolved psychologically or socially. There is still much room for improvement for us in these areas and have much to discover about ourselves. After reading the book I feel like I have gotten to know the author better and have been thankfully enlightened by his wisdom. Every single time I read one of this author's novels I feel as though I become wiser and wiser and it is not really anymore about the story itself but all about the life lessons being taught in the story that make you understand so much about life. This man is truly amazing and I am obsessed with reading each and every single one of his existentialist novels.
1) The course of the novel was something new that I had never read before. Instead of choosing the traditional story form to present the tale being told, the author chose to present to us this novel through personal scripts of occurrences from specified characters themselves, sort of like diaries in which each individual shared their thoughts on the situation and core beliefs. It still managed to follow a chronological order which made it much more easier to focus rather than scattered information everywhere. The novel was about a mysterious young woman who went by the name of Athena who chose to preach to the world about the Voice and the Mother of the world which in our terms would and could be translated into our intuition and encouraged us to follow it because it can save us from many situations. The author also demonstrated a corrupt society in which freedom of choice and speech fail to exist and how the fight to practice our beliefs becomes so intense that unfortunately making an escape only frees you in the moment but does not fix the situation. This amazing author managed to portray his many themes in multiple different and distinct ways throughout the novel.
2) The were far too many themes in the novel. One of the main ones was to follow your instincts which could not be stressed enough. No matter how difficult it may be to choose what you think is right and follow it regardless. He talked about not giving up because you will fall many times as shown in the novel, but the minute you allow the other side to tell you that your way of living and morals are wrong, then that is when they have won. Another theme that really caught my attention and I felt spoke directly to my heart was the example of human beings following the life of an everyday ant in the world; how we do as we were told to do from the start, from the minute we were born and live our entire lives this way never questioning why. It sounds ridiculous but that is exactly what it is, and it just shows how caught up in the system we are that we are far too unaware of how great life is in order to realize it and instead engage in such idiotic behavior. Another great theme I took from it was to do the things that make you happy. It is your life and no one can take that away from you, at least not mentally or spiritually; so live it the way it should be lived with happiness.
3) The author's tone was a very straightforward one that approached every lesson with love for human beings which is one of the many reasons I very much enjoy reading about this author. On the top of page 12, Edda, character in the novel, states that, "Athena brought to the surface the immensely rich world we all carry in our souls, without realizing that people aren't yet ready to accept their own powers." This is a life lesson because far too many people do not understand the things they are capable of and instead live the majority of their lives in misery and failure because they were too afraid to take risks and do the things they should have been doing all along. On page 27 Lukas shares, "When I sit still or when I'm feeling very agitated, I feel as though I am vibrating along with the whole Universe..." If you have ever felt like this, it is simply a state of inquiry. It is us questioning ourselves, what we are and who we want to be. It is us extracting ourselves from daily activities and what is "important" in society and the world at the moment and just engaging in a sense of isolationism, however, at the same time still with a whole universe. On page 35 Lukas again speaks of a concept that is universal and dear to all of us when he says, "Music isn't just something that conforms or distracts us, it goes beyond that-it's an ideology. You can judge people by the kind of music they listen to." This is very interesting as many of us may take offense to it but it can be true. For example, I myself listen to various different genres of music instead of a single one, from this you can draw insight to my flexibility in interests and what they all mean to me. You probably could not judge entirely on a person's character through music but for the most part you are able to learn much about a person and their personality by studying the type of music they listen to.
4) *Allusion; page 193- "Maybe the Mother wanted to appear that night, and perhaps she whispered something in her ear: Go against everything you've learned so far. You, who are a mistress of rhythm, allow the rhythm to pass through your body, but don't obey it." Translation: Sometimes, whether you are aware of it or not. you may be being taught the wrong things unfortunately enough and there will come a time in which you will have to make that decision on your own.
*Analogy; page 53- "Dance until you are so out of breath that your organism is forced to obtain oxygen in some other way, and it is that, in the end, that will cause you to lose your identity and your relationship with space and time." Translation: You should put your entire heart and soul into everything you do. Go hard.
*Antithesis; page 52- "Paintings and sculptures were quickly sold, but the books remained, gathering dust." Translation: Two contrasting meanings in proximity to one another.
*Assonance; page 209- "Last night, I died." Translation: The repetition of the vowel sound i takes place and is repeated about three times in the sentence to catch the readers attention.
*Cacophony; page 254- "And so, when the first bailiff arrives, I'll shoot, and I'll keep shooting until the bullets run out. If they don't shoot me first, I'll use the knives in my house. If they take the knives, I'll use my teeth and my nails. But no one is going to take Viorel away from me, or only over my dead body." Translation: The words utilized in this sentence create a disturbing, uncomfortable atmosphere by also demonstrating the love from a mother and what she is willing to do.
*Flashback; page 144- "When you dance you can enjoy the luxury of being you."
Translation: Atehna is thinking back to all the times she has danced crazily and her feelings at the time.
*Point of View; page 145- "Athena moved closer. We were now less than an arm's length from each other, and I started to feel afraid." Translation: The point of view of Andrea is much different from Athena's. While Athena is calm and does not feel threatened, Andrea is freaking out and wants to leave the place.
*Mood; page 145- "Her gray eyes were fixed on mine\, but I held firm and didn't look away." Translation: Intensity is the mood reflected from this. The atmosphere here is very tense and uncomfortable probably for both even though only one may be expressing it.
*Motif; page 254- "I'll shoot, and I'll keep shooting until the bullets run out. If they don't shoot me first, I'll use the knives in my house. If they take the knives, I'll use my teeth and my nails. But no one is going to take Viorel away from me, or only over my dead body." Translation: The motif here is to fight for what you believe in even if it gets to a point where it is physical. This concept is carried out through the entire novel. It is expressed numerous times to never give up on your dreams because then your life will have absolutely no purpose.
*Irony; page 264- "It wasn't my idea to make it look as if she'd been murdered. Athena wanted to disappear..." Translation: The irony here is that she herself was abandoned at a young age by her mother and she despised her for that and now that she has chosen to leave, she has thought nothing of her son and has abandoned him as well.
CHARACTERIZATION
1) The author utilizes both indirect and direct characterization to present with more than one perspective which is essential in life because too many people are too quick to judge when they hear a story or rumor since they only pay attention to one side of the story or listen to one person's view of the topic not multiple. Examples of indirect characterization throughout this novel would be the entire book because throughout the entire novel we are given articles with accounts from different people from all areas about a single person-Athena. He does this for the same reason I stated; to provide us with a variety of fruitful opinions and accurate facts. Examples of direct characterization would be when he says thing such as "No one can manipulate anyone else. In any relationship, both parties know what they're doing, even if one of them complains later on that they were used," or "I'm not surprised that her life ended as it did: she was always flirting with danger," both by Andrea McCain the author is giving us direct insight into their character and the type of personality they possess through these direct words about themselves or individuals. Like this we are able to judge the characters directly because we have heard what they have to say and it is not what someone else said about them, therefore, we do not have to validate it or verify it before making inferences.
2) The author's syntax and diction definitely changes because the book is set up not as a regular novel but as more of a gathering of facts and opinions from others left to our judgment about Athena so the context definitely changes because it has to. Every single account is unique, special, different and important to the novel.
3) The protagonist is very dynamic which is why the novel is so interesting because it gives the characters so much to talk about especially since her actions vary throughout the entire novel. Her desires for the most part don't change but her approach and discoveries all around definitely do and it is definitely a journey not just for the characters themselves but also the reader.
4) One of the many phrases I have come to learn and appreciate is "But the world has progressed...But although we have managed to replace slaves with wage slaves, all the advances we've made have been in the field of science. Human beings are still asking the same questions as their ancestors. In short, they haven't evolved at all." I love this because it is so true. This entire time I have thought and been confused as to why some things are so bad, such as racism or why some things just never seem to change, such as religion; when all along it seems as though we have only evolved physically because we are never taught how to coach with our feelings or handle them individually and even then, everyone denies it or acts as if they are suddenly too great and can manage these things on their own(ex: macho man). What I am trying to say is that we have not evolved psychologically or socially. There is still much room for improvement for us in these areas and have much to discover about ourselves. After reading the book I feel like I have gotten to know the author better and have been thankfully enlightened by his wisdom. Every single time I read one of this author's novels I feel as though I become wiser and wiser and it is not really anymore about the story itself but all about the life lessons being taught in the story that make you understand so much about life. This man is truly amazing and I am obsessed with reading each and every single one of his existentialist novels.
Friday, March 14, 2014
AVID Reps for the Day! 😊✌️
Today we went back to our Kermit McKenzie Jr. High School to give a presentation on AVID. It was great, we ended up motivating ourselves rather than just the students!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Benchmark Project- Research Paper/Progress
Valentina Alvarado
Dr. Preston
Expository Composition
9 March 2014
When someone interrupts the daily intoxicating world of“education” that we as students are unfortunately living in everyday to ask you what you are passionate about, you become extremely troubled at first, just as I did. I was busy attempting to keep up with important and unrealistic deadlines for scholarships and classwork in my AP classes as well as worrying about my responsibilities at home when I should not have to when, bam! I am finally given the opportunity to do something highly relevant to real life in school! I can finally connect my own interests in the work place or as I like to call kid jail, and not only physically but mainly mentally. Things are twisted for once and I am finally able to think and spur up thoughts about my passion that had been thrown to the back of my brain for multiple school years. As a young child I always knew what I wanted to do which was to help other human beings be happy with themselves and their lives even if I was not content with my own. My parents never kept things from me about the world and always exposed me to the beautiful and also horrific things that took place in our society at the appropriate age and for that I thank them with all my heart because it taught me that the world needs me now more than ever.
To learn how I can best help others in the world, my studies consisted of almost eighty percent human psychology and human interactions while the other twenty percent consisted of human compassion. Under these specific subjects, I realized what huge relevance they have to my field of study. It helped me to understand why so many relationships fail as well as what makes us reach what every human being in this world wants and that is happiness. We are not alone in this world and as unappealing as it may sound we have no other choice but to interact with one another and we will be forced to do so for the rest of our lives. It has also been proving that it is within our nature to love and care for one another which is the fruit of all good. We want others to be happy simply because we want to be happy and because of karma. Things will pay off for you if you are a good man just as things will also go bad for you if you deserve it in every way. The point is, we interact with each other in two ways, either negatively or positively. I began studying the positive way at first because that was my focus but then asked myself if I wanted to continue without studying the negative side first and of course the answer was no. I had to study the complete opposite part of my passion in order to fully understand what I was one day going to preach so I have been studying both, randomly.
I have come to understand many things in this world and one of the most important things I cannot stress enough would be your own experiences. Not a single person could understand something unless it has personally occurred to them as well. Until then, they will understand, and be able to guide others on the steps of recuperation. Knowing this important fact many things in my life changed as I began to experience things that I never thought would happen to me but with every lost moment and constant inquiry about the reasoning behind all this I came to a conclusion. Human beings physically, mentally and emotionally need each other. Although many would hate to admit it, it is true. We think we can get by completely on our own and that we do not need anyone else but the truth of the matter is that we do not know everything and sometimes we need that shoulder to cry on, or that piece of advice that changed your life. Do not get me wrong, I am in no way saying that we should not value ourselves as individuals and the willpower that has led us to succeed in life because loving ourselves is the necessary in this life. But just as people put us down, we need those other people who help us skyrocket back up.
One of the most important things in life, this world and especially this country is something I learned last semester in the classroom which was freedom. A great teacher of mine once told me that freedom is unfortunately not free, which is ironic is it not? Why should we have to pay in any physical way, shape, or form for something we feel that we were innately born with? I did for a while contemplate on making freedom my masterpiece field but instead realized that to understand why so many countries’ governments resent freedom I would first have to dig deep enough into our heads and understand what exactly was going on in our brains. The greatest thing I learned was something I had always believed to be true from the start- the majority of your character, morals, ideals and beliefs all begin during your childhood. Your childhood is so important. Human brains are extremely delicate at this stage, where most of our knowledge comes directly from our parents’ which leads me to my next conclusion. How we are raised and what we were taught to believe true at some point in our lives has a massive impact on our ideology and perception of what is true and what is false. Unfortunately as children, we do not have the ability to tell the difference of many things for example right from wrong unless our parents took on the responsibility of teaching us this properly. But everything can go wrong if the parents mix these two up or teach their kids negative thing such as racial stereotypes or a lack of manners and decent behavior. This then leads to a child being brainwashed in a less extremist way as you would see in a country such as North Korea. In this country, they are brainwashed from the start that the American public are terrible people whose only desire is to kill them and from this, ignorant human beings would choose to fight back or “hate them” back when in reality it is not at all their fault. They are just as innocent as the person sitting next to you. This is too complex to understand or accept for many people but this is what leads many idiots making world decisions into heavy destruction and disruption of peace in many countries and the world overall. This study in particular forced me to open my eyes to the reality that we need to stick together and instead of pushing each other down we help rise each other up just as some of our brave ancestors Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, etcetera did. If it were not for people like these who risked their own sacred beautiful lives for the weaker and less daring to those who preached hatred for humanity then the world would be even worse than it is today.
It is people like these who inspire me to help get everyone on a universal level of understanding and embrace human compassion for one another. To be content with myself by the end of June I will first need to put a halt to the various ideas and desires in my head under this one vague topic and finally choose one or a couple that I can work something up with along with others and make a change that will hopefully leave me satisfied with my overall work this entire school year. One of the things I think will impress my audience would be reaching out to the world itself and contacting people in other countries (probably mainly the ones that are English and Spanish-speaking) and communicating with them my ideas and having them install and foster positive change in their areas as well. To implement my ideas, I would need to speak to experts on specific things that I would be needing help with. As I am doing so I should probably also develop frequent contacts in the right fields for future references.
The biggest thing I would need to do for myself in order for any of this to take place would be to have confidence in myself and what I am doing. This project was at first a little difficult for me to being because I did not see myself taking action with my passion until way after high school because I did not think I would be given the opportunity during my teenage years and now that I have it is sort of a slap in the face because it tells me that I could have been doing this all along and I did not need someone to tell me when to do it and it feels amazing to finally take action. I would very much prefer as many people to join my network as possible because I know that everyone has great ideas and maybe I can incorporate their ideas with my own and form something greater which would be absolutely fascinating.It really does not matter what my classmates passions are because whatever they are, they can still help in my network regardless because everyone should want to help because whatever they love would not be possible if that idea in the head was not encouraged by another human being and for this and an infinite amount of reasons helping each other progress in the world should be valued greatly.
Whether we choose to accept it now or not, helping others which would in turn benefit you because others would also be helping you is the only way out. It is the only way out of the torture we choose to put ourselves in everyday when we need help and decide instead not to ask for it because we are too shy or embarrassed to seek that attention when it can save your life. Helping one another would not only make your own life easier but the world overall as well in every way. If the borders could be erased amongst people and if communication would be improved, positive changes would take place and beautiful things would begin happen to the planet as we learn from one another. This may seem to take a lot of time,perhaps maybe even centuries for us to reach a point of understanding worldwide and agree on the fact that working together and being less selfish will save us and reward us in the end, but it all starts small and will progress to the next stages. We all need each other. Just as President Ronald Reagan once stated, “We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
10 Questions
1) What first caught your interest about making positive changes throughout the world?
2) Why did you decide to do this for the rest of your life?
3) Do you think many people would take initiative on this movement if perhaps they were more educated about it and what to do?
4) Why do you feel that helping others is important?
5) Are you passionate about anything else as much as this? If so, what? And why?
6) What is the first step you took to begin your long journey?
7) Where there any roadblocks on the path towards your success, if so how did you deal with them?
8) Have you been capable of spreading and sharing your acquired knowledge based on experience?
9) Have you taught others how to do exactly what you are you doing?
10) What is your next plan and do you feel like you are completely done with the project or are you able to say you finally succeeded?
2) Why did you decide to do this for the rest of your life?
3) Do you think many people would take initiative on this movement if perhaps they were more educated about it and what to do?
4) Why do you feel that helping others is important?
5) Are you passionate about anything else as much as this? If so, what? And why?
6) What is the first step you took to begin your long journey?
7) Where there any roadblocks on the path towards your success, if so how did you deal with them?
8) Have you been capable of spreading and sharing your acquired knowledge based on experience?
9) Have you taught others how to do exactly what you are you doing?
10) What is your next plan and do you feel like you are completely done with the project or are you able to say you finally succeeded?
Parenting
http://www.apa.org/topics/parenting/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Parenting is a world-wide practice that should be the responsibility to ensure child's health and safety, preparing the child for life as productive useful adults in the world and transmitting cultural values
-Parenting should most of the time come naturally, unfortunately many times it doesn't because people are inexperienced and simply have no idea what to do; the sad part is if a couple has more children, they usually are not experts until their third to fourth child
-One of the main things to understand is that each child is 100% UNIQUE and not exactly as his or her brother or sister; therefore what worked for one child may not work for another and you must accept that
-A high-quality parent-child relationship is critical for early development and you should understand that this IS the basis and foundation for all trust and communication between you and your child for the future
-Never be afraid to tell your child the truth at the appropriate life and understand the heavy demoralization taking place in our children's generation in society and that unfortunately many trends that would take place during high school are now occurring in middle school and even ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! This should scare you, if it doesn't I do not know what will
-You may want to become your child's best friend so that they could trust you and tell you everything, every parents wish of course but you need to be careful because you need to remember that you are still their mother/father and still need to establish that line of respect between the two
-You learn from your mistakes so if something is not working out, try something else
-Could potentially join groups with other parents in which you discuss many of these ideas and how you can each help each other
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Parenting is a world-wide practice that should be the responsibility to ensure child's health and safety, preparing the child for life as productive useful adults in the world and transmitting cultural values
-Parenting should most of the time come naturally, unfortunately many times it doesn't because people are inexperienced and simply have no idea what to do; the sad part is if a couple has more children, they usually are not experts until their third to fourth child
-One of the main things to understand is that each child is 100% UNIQUE and not exactly as his or her brother or sister; therefore what worked for one child may not work for another and you must accept that
-A high-quality parent-child relationship is critical for early development and you should understand that this IS the basis and foundation for all trust and communication between you and your child for the future
-Never be afraid to tell your child the truth at the appropriate life and understand the heavy demoralization taking place in our children's generation in society and that unfortunately many trends that would take place during high school are now occurring in middle school and even ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! This should scare you, if it doesn't I do not know what will
-You may want to become your child's best friend so that they could trust you and tell you everything, every parents wish of course but you need to be careful because you need to remember that you are still their mother/father and still need to establish that line of respect between the two
-You learn from your mistakes so if something is not working out, try something else
-Could potentially join groups with other parents in which you discuss many of these ideas and how you can each help each other
Natural Disasters
http://www.apa.org/topics/disasters/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Natural disasters range anywhere from tornadoes to floods to hurricanes to earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis
-This is the one thing in life on the planet that we unfortunately have to accept because unlike disease, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it since mother nature has a mind of its own
-Very few on the planet are unfortunate enough to experience these tragedies and many remain in shock because each and every single tragedy can have such a massive impact on their lives and although not suffering physically, they are suffering mentally and that is an even worse kind of pain and suffering
-The best way to deal with these tragedies would be to raise as much money for damage and the health of those injured and the many lives lost and for those in post-traumatic stress
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Natural disasters range anywhere from tornadoes to floods to hurricanes to earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis
-This is the one thing in life on the planet that we unfortunately have to accept because unlike disease, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it since mother nature has a mind of its own
-Very few on the planet are unfortunate enough to experience these tragedies and many remain in shock because each and every single tragedy can have such a massive impact on their lives and although not suffering physically, they are suffering mentally and that is an even worse kind of pain and suffering
-The best way to deal with these tragedies would be to raise as much money for damage and the health of those injured and the many lives lost and for those in post-traumatic stress
Marriage/Divorce
http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Healthy Marriages are not only beneficial to the adult but also any children growing up in the home
-Positive vibes in the household will be transferred onto the family because of all the love
-However, if a child is living in a home in which violence and constant arguments are common, they will tend to develop these horrible habits and could possibly suffer from the exact same thing in his or her marriage which would end up being a never-ending repeating cycle if help does not take place
-Divorce rate in the United States is up to 50% which is literally HALF of our marriages and that is extremely sad because this number should be significantly lower, meaning people are not using their heads
-I am strongly for marriages but if a couple is unhappy and only causing misery upon themselves and others then they definitely should consider it and take action because all that is completely unnecessary
-The worst thing you can do if you are unhappy is remain with that person so do not do that!
-The two main leading causes would probably be infidelity and lost of interest
-Cheating is one of the worst ways to disrespect a human being in life and I do not know or understand why int he hell so many people think it is okay because it is not and this should never be an answer or even an option, it should never cross your mind; if you are unhappy, leave do not cheat and hurt them even more
-Lost of interest or no longer feeling like you are "in love" with your partner is one of the saddest things because it can happen at any time is the relationship does not continue to be nurtured by both and is failing to grow together with both of them and their new interests and changes in life
-You should not marry unless you are more than positive that you are so in love with that person that you can bet on your life for it and take a bullet for that person hands down
-Love is a beautiful thing and should never be confused with lust
-Marriage can be beautiful if it is done correctly and cautiously
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Healthy Marriages are not only beneficial to the adult but also any children growing up in the home
-Positive vibes in the household will be transferred onto the family because of all the love
-However, if a child is living in a home in which violence and constant arguments are common, they will tend to develop these horrible habits and could possibly suffer from the exact same thing in his or her marriage which would end up being a never-ending repeating cycle if help does not take place
-Divorce rate in the United States is up to 50% which is literally HALF of our marriages and that is extremely sad because this number should be significantly lower, meaning people are not using their heads
-I am strongly for marriages but if a couple is unhappy and only causing misery upon themselves and others then they definitely should consider it and take action because all that is completely unnecessary
-The worst thing you can do if you are unhappy is remain with that person so do not do that!
-The two main leading causes would probably be infidelity and lost of interest
-Cheating is one of the worst ways to disrespect a human being in life and I do not know or understand why int he hell so many people think it is okay because it is not and this should never be an answer or even an option, it should never cross your mind; if you are unhappy, leave do not cheat and hurt them even more
-Lost of interest or no longer feeling like you are "in love" with your partner is one of the saddest things because it can happen at any time is the relationship does not continue to be nurtured by both and is failing to grow together with both of them and their new interests and changes in life
-You should not marry unless you are more than positive that you are so in love with that person that you can bet on your life for it and take a bullet for that person hands down
-Love is a beautiful thing and should never be confused with lust
-Marriage can be beautiful if it is done correctly and cautiously
Eating Disorders
http://www.apa.org/topics/eating/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Eating disorders are abnormal eating habits that could potentially threaten your health and life
-Anorexia Nervosa: In which individuals believe they are fat even though they may be dangerously thin and restrict their eating to the point of starvation
-Bulimia Nervosa: Individuals eat excessive amounts of food and then purge by utilizing laxatives or vomiting
-Binge Eating Disorder: Individuals have out of control eating patterns but do not purge; I myself experience this on a daily basis but I do not see it as a problem, at least up until now
-All three are extremely dangerous and you only end up putting your health at risk for a society with low standards, morals and values
-The Anorexia and Bulimia disorders occur in the minds of weak-minded individuals who unfortunately care way too much about their appearance and if so much desire to "loose weight" are not taking the appropriate routes to do so
-Unfortunately these eating disorders are mostly common in women and unhealthy women can produce unhealthy children
-I view this mainly as a mental issue, and feel that if people could learn to not care so much about their appearance and focus more on their health then things would automatically improve for them and this is necessarily all they need to do which would most likely require some counseling but it definitely needs to grow within them first
5 Vocab Words
Demurrage (n) -the detention port of a vessel by the shipowner, as in loading or unloading, beyond the time allowed or agreed upon
Didactic (adj) -intended for instruction
Mediate (v) -to settle disputes as an intermediary between parties; reconcile
Pedantic (adj) -overly concerned with minute details or formalism
Sententious (adj) -given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Eating disorders are abnormal eating habits that could potentially threaten your health and life
-Anorexia Nervosa: In which individuals believe they are fat even though they may be dangerously thin and restrict their eating to the point of starvation
-Bulimia Nervosa: Individuals eat excessive amounts of food and then purge by utilizing laxatives or vomiting
-Binge Eating Disorder: Individuals have out of control eating patterns but do not purge; I myself experience this on a daily basis but I do not see it as a problem, at least up until now
-All three are extremely dangerous and you only end up putting your health at risk for a society with low standards, morals and values
-The Anorexia and Bulimia disorders occur in the minds of weak-minded individuals who unfortunately care way too much about their appearance and if so much desire to "loose weight" are not taking the appropriate routes to do so
-Unfortunately these eating disorders are mostly common in women and unhealthy women can produce unhealthy children
-I view this mainly as a mental issue, and feel that if people could learn to not care so much about their appearance and focus more on their health then things would automatically improve for them and this is necessarily all they need to do which would most likely require some counseling but it definitely needs to grow within them first
5 Vocab Words
Demurrage (n) -the detention port of a vessel by the shipowner, as in loading or unloading, beyond the time allowed or agreed upon
Didactic (adj) -intended for instruction
Mediate (v) -to settle disputes as an intermediary between parties; reconcile
Pedantic (adj) -overly concerned with minute details or formalism
Sententious (adj) -given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous
MY TEAM
My team consists of pretty much the entire back table where I sit. It is Veronica, Gabi, Alina, Maggie, Eddie and Daniel. We somehow found a special and unique way to combine all of our interests, some similar others not so similar, into a large project. We are attempting to put on a full day of a show, we are to too sure on the details yet but there are many ways in jumping into this. However, this will not be the only group that I am part of. I will also be joining Gabi, Jared, Jasmine and many others in providing random acts of kindness in the community and hopefully not only in one form. Along with these two I am still trying to come up with something to do on my own or perhaps outside of school and with a more expertise group. Regardless, I definitely do see progress and many ideas coming together.
Depression
http://www.apa.org/topics/depress/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Depression is something far more serious and much more than just "sadness"
-It is the absolute most common mental disorder and can, however, be treated
-Someone experiencing depression may begin to loose interest in daily life activities
-Long term depression could lead to significant weight loss or weight gain
-Could also experience insomnia, excessive sleeping, loss of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, and/or recurring thoughts of suicide
-Depression can occur to lack of friends or attention from others or loved ones
-The best way to handle it would be to surround yourself with positive optimistic people and begin to do all the things that truly make you happy inside and change everything outside that doesn't because you have the ability to change anything you dislike, within your means
-More of a mental struggle because it can also all be in your head, and most of it is temporary
-Find new hobbies and join groups with other people if possible to become part of something big
5 Vocab Words
Abate (v) -to reduce in amount, degree, intensity
Beckon (v) -to signal, summon or direct by a gesture of the head or hand
Emanate (v) -to flow out, issue or proceed as from a source or origin
Esoteric (adj) -understood by or meant for only the select few who have knowledge or interest
Reprisal (n) -retaliation against an enemy, for injuries received by the infliction or greater or equal injuries
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Depression is something far more serious and much more than just "sadness"
-It is the absolute most common mental disorder and can, however, be treated
-Someone experiencing depression may begin to loose interest in daily life activities
-Long term depression could lead to significant weight loss or weight gain
-Could also experience insomnia, excessive sleeping, loss of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, and/or recurring thoughts of suicide
-Depression can occur to lack of friends or attention from others or loved ones
-The best way to handle it would be to surround yourself with positive optimistic people and begin to do all the things that truly make you happy inside and change everything outside that doesn't because you have the ability to change anything you dislike, within your means
-More of a mental struggle because it can also all be in your head, and most of it is temporary
-Find new hobbies and join groups with other people if possible to become part of something big
5 Vocab Words
Abate (v) -to reduce in amount, degree, intensity
Beckon (v) -to signal, summon or direct by a gesture of the head or hand
Emanate (v) -to flow out, issue or proceed as from a source or origin
Esoteric (adj) -understood by or meant for only the select few who have knowledge or interest
Reprisal (n) -retaliation against an enemy, for injuries received by the infliction or greater or equal injuries
Masterpiece Gallery
1) Gabrielle Pereverziev: She's pretty much my twin during all this because our masterpiece fields are also the exact same. Human compassion is what I need to study as well in order to help others if I really wanted to study why. She would be a necessity to collaborate with.
2) Jared Perry: He would be extremely beneficial if I were interest in broadcasting my findings into his social networks for projects, in fact he could probably help everyone. I can tell he is passionate about one thing we have in common, and that is spreading positiveness throughout the world, big or small.
3) Loren Birdsall: My second interest next to my social workings would be journalism because I have been told multiple times that I am an amazing writer (when I actually try) and I do believe it myself and very much enjoy it. The great thing about writing is that you can literally discuss anything of interest and I need that flexibility and freedom with projects.
4) Maria Luna: Language, culture and religion is extremely important in my field of study because these three things are the main cause of why so many "different" groups of people in the world hate each other. It is absolutely insane! And I am definitely interested in every single one of her findings!
5) Daniel Alvarez: I just love food. I am interested in everything he does in regards to this. If I could be trapped in an island alone with tons and tons of delicious unhealthy food I could die happy. You may think I am over-exaggerating but I am most definitely not. This probably would not really help me much other than fulfilling one of my other earthly passions.
2) Jared Perry: He would be extremely beneficial if I were interest in broadcasting my findings into his social networks for projects, in fact he could probably help everyone. I can tell he is passionate about one thing we have in common, and that is spreading positiveness throughout the world, big or small.
3) Loren Birdsall: My second interest next to my social workings would be journalism because I have been told multiple times that I am an amazing writer (when I actually try) and I do believe it myself and very much enjoy it. The great thing about writing is that you can literally discuss anything of interest and I need that flexibility and freedom with projects.
4) Maria Luna: Language, culture and religion is extremely important in my field of study because these three things are the main cause of why so many "different" groups of people in the world hate each other. It is absolutely insane! And I am definitely interested in every single one of her findings!
5) Daniel Alvarez: I just love food. I am interested in everything he does in regards to this. If I could be trapped in an island alone with tons and tons of delicious unhealthy food I could die happy. You may think I am over-exaggerating but I am most definitely not. This probably would not really help me much other than fulfilling one of my other earthly passions.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Death
http://www.apa.org/topics/death/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-This is one of the most stressful things for people either experiencing it individually or directly through a family member or loved one
-Death is the worst thing in the world next to a broken heart, and the best way to deal with it is to simply mourn at first, for as long as you feel the need to no matter what people tell you
-You may begin to deny much of the sympathy you are receiving at first which is completely normal but you should know that all those people are really just trying to help
-It is okay to be angry at life and take as much time to recover from it but you do need to understand that there will be a time when you should move on and although you will always cherish their memory it never means that you must completely forget about them
-Know that they would want to see you living a happy life, not continuing to live your life in constant anger or something that cannot be fixed nonetheless explained
5 Vocab Words
Canteen (n) -a general store and cafeteria at a military base
Dissuade (v) -to deter by advice or persuasion
Extroverts (n) -a gregarious outgoing person
Intersperse (v) -to diversify with something placed or scattered at intervals
Malaise (n) -condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort; often marking the onset of a disease
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-This is one of the most stressful things for people either experiencing it individually or directly through a family member or loved one
-Death is the worst thing in the world next to a broken heart, and the best way to deal with it is to simply mourn at first, for as long as you feel the need to no matter what people tell you
-You may begin to deny much of the sympathy you are receiving at first which is completely normal but you should know that all those people are really just trying to help
-It is okay to be angry at life and take as much time to recover from it but you do need to understand that there will be a time when you should move on and although you will always cherish their memory it never means that you must completely forget about them
-Know that they would want to see you living a happy life, not continuing to live your life in constant anger or something that cannot be fixed nonetheless explained
5 Vocab Words
Canteen (n) -a general store and cafeteria at a military base
Dissuade (v) -to deter by advice or persuasion
Extroverts (n) -a gregarious outgoing person
Intersperse (v) -to diversify with something placed or scattered at intervals
Malaise (n) -condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort; often marking the onset of a disease
Anger
http://www.apa.org/topics/anger/index.aspx
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Anger is an emotion characterized with strong antagonism toward someone or something that you feel has deliberately done you wrong
-It's only benefits would possibly be expressing your emotions rather than remaining your true feelings bottled up because that is even worse or actually causing you to take action to solve some of your problems
-Excessive anger however also has its physical negative effects such as the possibility of leading to an increase in blood pressure as well as preventing yourself from thinking straight
-Apart from the mental issues, anger appears for the most part as nothing more but a problem, a problem without a solution and merely being angry will not solve anything
-I think it is healthy to be angry and express that anger in positive ways for example working out not punching a wall, unfortunately too many people express it the wrong way; then again it is anger
-A great effect is that when you are angry and not thinking straight and if you find yourself in an argument with a loved one, you may wound up saying a lot of the things you do not mean and will be difficult to take back in the future
5 Vocab Words
Extravagance (n) -excessive or unnecessary expenditure of money or outlay of money
Manifestations (n) -outward or perceptible indication
Soppy (adj) -soaked, drenched, very wet, as ground
Technician (n) -a person who is trained or skilled in the technicalities of a subject
Vale (n) -the world; or mortal/earthly life
My Masterpiece Field: Helping Others
-Anger is an emotion characterized with strong antagonism toward someone or something that you feel has deliberately done you wrong
-It's only benefits would possibly be expressing your emotions rather than remaining your true feelings bottled up because that is even worse or actually causing you to take action to solve some of your problems
-Excessive anger however also has its physical negative effects such as the possibility of leading to an increase in blood pressure as well as preventing yourself from thinking straight
-Apart from the mental issues, anger appears for the most part as nothing more but a problem, a problem without a solution and merely being angry will not solve anything
-I think it is healthy to be angry and express that anger in positive ways for example working out not punching a wall, unfortunately too many people express it the wrong way; then again it is anger
-A great effect is that when you are angry and not thinking straight and if you find yourself in an argument with a loved one, you may wound up saying a lot of the things you do not mean and will be difficult to take back in the future
5 Vocab Words
Extravagance (n) -excessive or unnecessary expenditure of money or outlay of money
Manifestations (n) -outward or perceptible indication
Soppy (adj) -soaked, drenched, very wet, as ground
Technician (n) -a person who is trained or skilled in the technicalities of a subject
Vale (n) -the world; or mortal/earthly life
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)