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.