Blog Homework #2

After reading, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" written by Julia Alvarez, I learned a lot of valuable lessons and could relate a lot to the book. I too, like the Garcia girls, am tied down between two cultures and can obviously notice some substantial barriers between my two cultures and see myself torn between the two because I have to make some radical decisions at times. The thing that I can take away the most from the book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, by Julia Alvarez is that I definitely noticed and learned more about immigrant parents and how many struggles they will go through just for the better life of their children. I began to think of my own parents while reading and was really thankful and proud of my own parents because they wanted me to have a better education and more chance of success in my life after I grow up and start to live my own life. I think that this will better me down the road because I can always think back when times are bad and know that I have something more to live for and to be inspired by my brave, selfless parents that gave everything up for me. This will greatly impact my life during college because I can decide on a college and education that will really reflect my hard work and endurance that I persevered during my high school studies and can really mirror the hard work of my parents. Overall, the book was filled with multiple messages and lessons to be learned but this was the most evident in my life and what I could take away most to be effected by it each and every day of my life.

Blog Homework #3

Trayvon Martin: Not until last night did I hear about this tragic, sad story. I saw on Facebook that the celebrity Diggy Simmons, son of Reverend Run from Run DMC, posted a picture of Trayvon Martin asking everyone to like the picture and show their respect and prayers for the kid.  I then became curious and looked more into the incident and learned that he was killed one night by a man during the night time. I automatically went back to the picture and clicked the 'like' button because I felt sympathy and sorrow for the young boy who was only 17 years old.

Opinion: Personally, I think that the worst crimes are the ones committed on such young kids such as this incident. There is nothing worse and more painful than a parent having to bury their own children because it really should be the other way around. I think this man should easily get sentenced to life in prison or immediately get the death sentence because he has nothing more to take on now. This is really palatable to the two essential questions; "How are we, as individuals, "products" of our environments?" and "How are we, as individuals, tied to our own past?" When you think about the first question, you can think about the environment that Trayvon Martin is from and easily imagine that that environment lost one of its products and got smaller than it was before. Everyone has something to bring to the table which eventually makes up a whole environment and community. The second question could relate to the murderer of Trayvon Martin because maybe he was shackled down to something that occurred to him in the past and was the reason why he convicted such a heinous murder on such a young boy.

Blog Homework #1

Whenever I get asked the question, "What do you want to be when you're older?" I think of the time that I first had a serious conversation with my dad. I asked him when I was around the age 12, why he became a doctor. He put it very simply and said, "Ever since I was little I used to get sick a lot, and I always had to stay at home. I was constantly sad and was not able to go out a lot, however, I aspired to become a doctor so that I could help people that were sick like me." As soon as I heard my father tell me that, I was forever convinced and inspired that I would want to become a doctor. As I grew older, I began to understand what I really wanted to do for people out in the real world. I understood that when you are out of school, you must really go find what you desire to do for the rest of your life, because otherwise you will have a life filled with misery and boredom. Like the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" (http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thepursuitofhappyness/) I really was inspired by my father who worked hard day in and day out so that my family could have an easier life. Now that I'm on the brink of my high school education, everything is becoming more clear but at the same time moving very quickly. Not until this year, I haven't realized that i wanted to become a doctor and to save somebody's life. After watching this video, (http://darynkagan.com/heroism/stories/he_090309_workertodoctor.html) I was really happy to watch this and be able to relate to the doctor in the video. I plan on going to Penn State University as my under graduate school so that I can get my bachelors degree in biology and go under a pre-medical program. Afterwards, I would love to go to graduate school at University of Pennsylvania so that i can get my Medical Degree and become a doctor. I would love to become a doctor and work at the hospital of the university and my dream goal after graduating from that college, is to be able to save someone's life and make an impact and difference in the world. (http://www.guideposts.org/inspirational-stories/sanjay-guptas-inspirational-story)

Blog Post #7

When the question asked me what type of art amused me to the point that I was inspired, I thought to myself of all the past things that I have listened to, watched, and looked at recently. Then I thought deeper and realized that my favorite artist right now is a singer named Trevor Hall. He is a white singer who has a reggae and raspy voice that sounds very soothing and captures me into all of his songs. My favorite song by Trevor Hall is called Om Shakti Om and it is about his family. He talks about his mom, saying that she is a brave lady and can fight for herself and defend herself in any type of situation. However, his father is the boss of the family, but he still likes her that way because he loves that she is independent and outspoken. She can talk for herself and he thinks that is fine because he does not have to do look after her over silly little things. I really recommend not only this song but any songs made by Trevor Hall to anyone who enjoys chill music and likes to be laid back and can listen to music while doing homework. His music does not really compare to anyone else's that I have ever heard. I really enjoy this because I first heard it during my summer going into freshmen year and it just set the mood perfectly on the warm summer days and nights. Ever since I first heard him sing, it always takes me back to the summer time where the weather is fine, and there is nothing to worry about except for the things you're gonna do the next day. You should definitely try listening to him because he relaxes you so much and brings everything around you down to a slower pace that is easy to deal with and eases your mind of all your stress. I particularly have been listening to this author lately because I am going to his concert at the end of this month. The day before spring break is the perfect time to go to this concert and kick off the great time that I will be having with this wonderful concert. I am so thrilled and excited about this artist and I hoped to share his talent and skills with you. Please take some time to listen to this song.

Blog Post #6

The best (food item) in the area can be found at...

• Chipotle. What a wonderful place. Friendly, cool music playing at all times, and most importantly the delicious food that you never want to end. When you first stand in line at Chipotle, ordering may seem a little intimidating. When the person asks you black or pinto or mild, medium, or hot; you have no clue what to say and you seem to be holding up the line. Now, once you have been experienced, you can stand in line with confidence about what you are going to order and you can keep the fast-paced line moving swiftly. The burrito wrap is warmly pressed down, and you pick between the juicy white or brown rice. Then comes the real part of the meal, the meat. I always love to pick the steak because it is so succulent and perfectly grilled. Afterwards, you pick the level of salsa you want and I personally love to then smother my burrito with sour cream and cheese. Once the meal is paid for you can finally sit down and enjoy the burrito, but wait, you're still missing something. The special Chipotle Tabasco Hot Sauce. This legendary sauce is the key ingredient to binding the whole burrito together, and leaving a keen taste in your mouth after every bite.

10 years from now, I'll likely be (location) doing (occupation) because...

• 10 years from now, I'll likely be at my friend Sean or Brads house, reminiscing all the lost years in the past. After high school, I plan on going to college and then going to grad school, after all that, I will finally be fresh out of education. I would love to be working at a prestige hospital and performing surgery or providing medical attention to anyone in need. My dream hospital to work at would be University of Pennsylvania Hospital. I always dreamed about being a doctor because my father became an acupuncturist. He told me that ever since he was little, he would always get sick and could not do much due to his illnesses. But when he was better, he decided he wanted to be a doctor and an acupuncturist so that he could make medicine for his patients and relieve pain and stress as well. This really inspired be ever since I was little and I now am on a path towards being a doctor. If all fails and doesn't go to plan, I would love to be an international businessman who can travel around the world and introduce new medicine developed at a company in America.

The thing our junior class needs to do as Seniors next year for the Wiss community is...

• The thing that our junior class needs to do as seniors next year for the Wiss community is come out with double the spirit and now just anti up with the seniors this year, but go above and beyond. I believe that we are capable of doing this because of the spirit and compassion we have for all of our friends who are great athletes. Also, I would love if our class would build more unity and have the willingness to reach out to each other and not just stay confined in the boundaries of our own friends. Another thing that our junior class needs to do next year is be more respectful to our teachers and the administrators of the district. I feel that nobody in the school really understands how much the teachers and the administrators do for our school. Although it is hard to notice, our school is pretty well-off and privileged with the money we have and the great opportunities we get out of it. We have a loving community and our class needs to recognize that and really give back to the community through a big charity event or some type of scholarship.

Blog Post #5

1. Sophia Garcia is definitely the character that has been most impacted and had her life changed through events in the book. She has had to move back and forth between the United States of American and the Dominican Republic. She had to move to the Dominican Republic due to the possession of marijuana and her parents thought she had too much freedom living alone at the boarding school; therefore, she was sent to the Dominican Republic to live with her cousins and her extended family. Then once she was in the DR, she was caught having sex with her boyfriend in his car and was told on by her sisters. Once she figured out about who told her parents, she called her sisters traitors and was sent back to America to live so she could no longer ruin the name of her family. She has learned a lot and moved forward in her life due to these events because she has been persecuted so many times by her parents. She then finally decides that she can no longer take the stress that's being put on her by her parents, and decides to go live with her boyfriend in Germany. This encapsulates Sophia to where she is now because she has made a decision for herself that has detrimentally affected her life and relationship with her family.

2. So far in the story, the most positive part in the book was when the mother decided to go visit Sophia in Michigan because she wants to really see her first grandchild. The father has been in resentment for a long time but the mother finally decides to put her husband's demands aside so that she can rekindle her relationship with her lost daughter and hold her first grandchild that is a girl. This sets off a very positive mood and atmosphere because after all the years of disconnection between Sophia and the family, she finally gets in personal touch with her mother who she loves dearly. This was a person to person based positivity because it was between Sophia and her own mother. Another example of positivity in the book so far is when Sophia comes back to see her father and plan his birthday party for him. Although it did not all go according to plan, she finally gets to be with her whole family and even names her son after her father, Carlos. This is also a person to person positive event that occurs in the book.

3. I really think that the national conversation going on daily about Jeremy Lin is a lot about identity and race. Every day after school I go home and watch some TV, and the only channel I really turn to is ESPN. Every time I turn to this channel, and I watch Sports Center and for the whole hour that it's on at least half of the show is about Jeremy Lin. He is an iconic sensation to the world of sports and especially to the fans of basketball. He Is representing not only New York City, but also the rest of the Asian-American society that has been following him since his days in Harvard. Everybody knew who he was, but nobody knew what he could do. His identity is now built through his great achievements as the most points scored by a bench player in a 7-game streak. He is known as the savior of New York's basketball team and he is representing his whole race. People think it's so crazy that an Asian basketball player is running all over these superstars and their teams such as; John Wall and the Wizards, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, and Joe Johnson and the Hawks. Overall, after becoming the nation's talk and the sensation of the NBA, the media has built Jeremy Lin a huge identity that he must try to live up to everyday.

Blog Post #4

4. Jeremy Lin:
This article is stating facts but at the same time is an opinion based article because it is talking about the biggest buzz in the National Basketball League of today. Jeremy Lin, the new star of the New York Knicks who already have Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, is clearly the reigning talent of Madison Square Garden. Jeremy Lin has grown to the attention of the nation by putting up a stunning performance against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. He dropped 30 points on the superstar of the league and surprised the whole crowd. The article is interesting because the author is also Asian American and points out that there is something special about watching someone with the same racial background doing well in sports, particularly in basketball, and especially in the NBA. I think it is interesting after learning about his life that Jeremy Lin has graduated successfully from Harvard University, is very religious, and only wants to be known as a great basketball player. He is a truly genuine guy in retrospect and clearly is loved by the fans, by a matter of hours before the game this sunday, his t-shirts were completely sold out. After reading this article, I couldn't help but think about how cool and life-changing it would be from being a nobody, to having to step up and fill in the spot of Douglas, former point-guard, while Melo and STAT are out, to become the impact player of the franchise. I would recommend this article to anyone who enjoys reading about the success and growing effort of athletes who thrive to get better and prove to the world that they are capable of anything.

1. MIA Superbowl Halftime:
MIA's super bowl appearance was a stunning shock to world of Hip-Hop and Pop-Culture in the world. Being known as a rugged, urban, and indie/foreign artist, performing alongside with the biggest names in hip hop such as; Nicki Minaj and Madonna. She stuns the music world by performing with these people because she is usually known as a small scale artist who usually does not enjoy being in the limelight of everyone's attention. This article was very fact based but at the same time it is also very biased. The author is portraying that she really did sell out to the fame and fortune because clearly she is seeking for more attention and money through the main-stream type of songs. The part of the article that interests me is that when he says she is trying to be a main-stream, it confuses me because she was once into it before and made a song that was widely popular to the world. I really do not agree with the fact that people are saying she is "selling out" because I think she is just trying to receive some attention, I mean who wouldn't wanna be performing at the half time show of the Super Bowl? I really would recommend this article to anyone that enjoys her songs or anyone who is into the stardom world of Hip-Hop and Pop-Culture industry.

6. PA Gun Law arguement
The gun law in PA has been voted down in 2008 by a margin of 128-75 defeat. The state of Pennsylvania has frequent crimes of missing guns or legal licensed gun holders who give them off to the harmful and crime-convicted people in the cities. In several cities such as; Philadelphia, Lancaster, Reading, Pottsville, and Allentown, the people have taken action and the government has decided to make small laws against any trading of guns. This is definitely a biased article because it is stating the author's position on the laws but at the same time using small amounts of statistics. This article is kind of interesting to me because it is talking about a serious and big problem that if it ever got out of hand, people's lives could be in danger and at the risk of one simple pull of a trigger. I agree with the article because Pennsylvania really does lack some order and common sense in selling fire arms to any person. I think that this is crazy and can easily get out of hand. This article then makes me think about possible terrorist attacks and the possibility of another huge shooting involving the death of many innocent people. I really do not know who to recommend this article to, but I do think it is an interesting topic so anybody who enjoys hunting or owns a fire arm should probably read this and reply to the author of the article stating their point of view and stand on the on-going issue.

Blog Post #3

1. According to gender, men and women are expected of many things in life today in society. Men are expected to be able to provide for his family and give them shelter, put food on the table, and offer education to all their kids. Women are expected to give birth to children, nurture them until they are self sufficient, and to keep the house in check. Men are perceived by women as masculine and tough and the people who can provide things for them and protection. They are also perceived as the leader of the house and the disciplinary subject of the house. Women are perceived by men as the care-giver and the loving parent towards the children. They are perceived as loving and nice, the one in the couple that takes care of the children and the one that raises the children. The difficulties of being a man is that you have a lot of responsibility on your arms and that you have to provide for a family. Without being educated, you are pretty much stuck, therefore, to be successful you need a good education. The advantages the men have over women are that they can obtain jobs easier and have more opportunities in the business world. The difficulties of being a women are that they have a double standard; if a guy is dating multiple girls then his friends would think that he is cool, but if a girl was dating multiple guys then her friends would think badly of her. The advantages they have are that they have a smaller bar to achieve and less are expected of them. But being a boy, I do not know that many advantages of being a women versus a man. The stereotypes of being a man are that they are masculine, inconsiderate, and lazy  people that don't care about anyone but themselves. The stereotypes of being a women are that they are weaker, more emotional, more dependent on guys, and always expected to take care of household chores.

2. If Sofia were posed the question of whether or not she would take the pill for her lover, I think that she would take the pill. She was madly in love with a German man and although it was against her culture and her father's wishes, she did it solely because she loved this man and thats all that mattered to her. By knowing this of Sofia, she would definitely take the pill and do anything for her lover because she was even able to go against her father; therefore, she would be able to take a simple pill that would ruin his musical taste for her love.

Blog Post #2

1. I think he is because he is a actualy genuine magician who can do tricks not out of trickery but out of magic. He is more impressive and interesting than Einstein because he knows his limits and uses it to his advantages. Overall, he only has five tricks but they are real and he can actually do them.

5. Yes, I would swallow the pill because I would want my soul mate to be safe and comfortable. Even though this music isn't my favorite, i would do anything to keep my soul mate happy and out of danger because I know I wouldn't want both my collar bones broken every three years. Overall, I would do it for the sake of my soul mate.

7. I would put the sasquatch on the front cover because after the zoologists take him in and examine his body and genes, he would be put in a zoo and people would be able to go see him. I wouldn't choose the president because he could just get the world-class surgeon and immediately remove any cancer symptoms.

12. If I met this wizard on the street, I would pay him a solid 20 dollars because I am fine with how I look but I wouldn't mind having an extra layer of sexiness. It would be nice to appeal more to the naked eyes of people and catch their attention on the streets. I wouldn't pay too much though because he said you can't immediately see the difference.

16. I would not watch the game because If I knew that I would be doing that my whole life in twenty years, then I would rather watch something else or go do something else. I would not like to start having to live a certain way just because I knew how my future would turn out. I would want to live my life like it was a surprise and I knew nothing of my future.

19. I would tell my friend that it was a robber and that I too had been beaten in the ribs and my face and draw blood all over. I would make a mess of the house and leave the front door open. This would then convince him of the robbery and he would not hate me, but would have to go to the hospital to check out his ribs.

20. I would want the hollywood movie because that would make me more interested in watching and I would be more proud that a famous actor played the role of my life. It would be cool to tell my friends when we watch in the theatres that it was based on my life and that I could be proud of it for the rest of my life.

Blog Post #1

"Simply wonderful." (Los Angeles Times) By just looking at the cover of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, written by Julia Alvarez you can already get the sense of a cultural background and a culture clash as one of the big motifs in the book. By the front cover, I can make a guess that the girls love to dance and that is something they lose themselves in when bored in the new world. I can already make some relations to the book, The Bonesetters Daughter because the characters, like LuLing, have to adjust to a new world when they already have customs to their native culture. It is going to be a hard time for them and around the time of the Civil Rights, they will feel persecuted for many things and have to live at a lower standard due to the vicious, racist Americans. Living in the Dominican Republic, they seemed to have many privileges growing up based on the family tree. Having some relation to the Conquistadores, they must come from wealth and power due to their ancestors. While growing up, they experienced many things that came to their advantage such as: having maids that adore them, getting manicures and relaxing, and a loving family. When they move to the US, they endure hardships and have to come up from many obstacles and troubles. After reading the first chapter alone, it is already captivating in that it shows the difference between the two worlds. She dreams of coming back to her native land and gets caught up in a risky situation. She runs into two military soldiers, and they approach her with machetes, but they just wanted to ask her if she needed help. Already, she is running into some difficulties such that Yolanda can't even remember how to speak Spanish anymore. I predict that when she returns to the US, she is going to dream of her home and her extended family living in their royalty-like lives.