blogg #9

This week we were given the opportunity to write about we wanted to so I chose to write about College classes. Do you ever feel like wanting to start over. If you have don't be ashamed I'm right here for ya! Perfect example, Chemistry and I have never seen eye to eye. I don't know if it is the test tube and beaker that put me in an eternal sleep or the thought of memorizing irrelevant formulas. Well from the beginning I made the biggest mistake, I took on a class I knew I was bad in and didn't bother to buy the book. I know, I know,how can I have been this stupid right? Well, midterm approached and I was desperate to improve in the class. I studied from my notes as much as I was capable to and even pulled an all night er but no luck. I failed miserably. What was I to do if I dropped the class now I would loose my Job and if I lost my job then... I didn't even wanted to think of it. So as I walked of my chemistry class I marched to the EOPS office and asked about any late start classes. Like a sign from God a Government class was opening and I got the second to last spot. "Oh Thank You God!" I chanted in my head. I was gonna be able to maintain myself as a full time student and drop the chemistry class with the chance of taking it again and hopefully do better. I was able to breath and focus on this second chance.

why do we change

There is a lot of things I have changed my mind about. One is ripped jeans. Around seventh grade I beggan to see random people with holes on their pants. I use to say, "I would never dress that way." Now all of my jeans have holes. I guess the more I disliked them the more I wanted a pair. Flannels have also changed the way that I see fashion. Flannels use to mean one thing and one thing only, redneck. Yet, today I wear them like a blanket I can't leave with out. Looking back, most of the things I saw as strange or weird have in a way grown into me making me what I probably never I would become. Trends pass, music passes, but I always seem to be on th late train. My taste in music has semi- drasticly changed. Back in jr. high and high school I was really into pop and contemorary music. Now, I have a graduate admiration for classicrock, grunge, and punk. My goals and plans have too been modified. As a simple adolecent, I viewed my future being sorrounded by adoring fans and a name in the big screen. Oh how I long for those simple days! Nevertheless, I have proposed new goals and expectations that I want to accomplish. Like becoming a doctor or surgen by the time I am 30. We change opinions and we move on to better things, or maybe not so great. I would like to share a quote from the best show on cable tv, Gossip Girl. "And all in an instant everything changes. We leave the past behind and speed toward the unknown, our future. We set out for far-out places and try to find ourselves, or try to loose or selves. Exploring pleasures closer to home. The problem starts when we refuse to let change happen and clinging to old habits. But if we hold on to the past to tight the future may never come."

Blog #7 Family, so what

A lot of people seem to be too into material posetions and have forgotten of all the little things. Family is the most powerfulnbond and union any human being can have. As for me, family is the closest connection to normality I have. I feel insecure and completly out of my confortzone when I am in school. The only people that trully understand me is my family. I can say what I want and be completly understood by them. I also consider the people close to me who have no biological recemblence to me as family. In a way my few friends are my family, because I can be open with them and not feel judge. I do think about the future and the family I want to have someday. As soon as I graduate from medical school I would like to begin a family. I dont know how many members it will involve but I do know it will not be as many as my grandparents had (10, from bith sides). Family is a special group of people bonded by a fealing of unity and confortability with in them. It does not matter how many it may have, what matters is the love and affection it has.

Bereniss Jimenez: The girl form my English class

Bereniss Jimenez is an interesting individual she is a self proclaim pessimist who is a party animal and a great friend to have by your side. Her parents split up which actually didn't affected her as much as. She keeps contact with both of her parents and step sisters. She is a college student currently attending Oxnard Community College and plans on making a Carree as a pharmacist or as a productive member of society. She is hopping to be married by the time she reaches twenty-five and have children before she turns thirty. Though she is young, she is already thinking ahead and plans on having a modest home with a house keeper because as she said, "I am not scrubbing s%&t." She thanks her father for being a role model for her during hard times and immanence obstacles. She considers herself an example for her little sisters and plans on staying that way. She loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen, but again she will not touch a dirty dish. Bereniss is an interesting individual who likes to party hard; however, she keeps herself grounded. Her motivation for attending college is to become financially stable and not have to worry of what might happen if the check is too low this month. She is not looking to become a big millionaire but does not want money to become an inconvenience or a bother in her family's future. She also enjoys drawing as a hobby and a relaxing escape from the reality of college. This is Bereniss Jimenez.

Texting, Texting!, Texting?

Texting has become second nature for us. We depend so much on texting we feel obligated to reply as soon as our phones begin to bibrate. However, our generation has replace talking or writing with texting; no real spelling or foundation of knowledge. I feel that our dependence on quickness and fast pace life styles have left some very unignorable marks on our social and learning habbits. We don't need to be so dependable on our phones in order to communicate with others. The reason why I am aginst texting is for the fact that when we meet the people who we seem to always be talking to via texting we have an award moment where we can hardly say two words without looking away. I for once choose not to text but rather call or speak to the pearson I need to reach with basic and correct English. I am not the kind of person you will find facing his phone for more than a minute. If we break free from the phones that have slaved us we can begin to see what is arounf us and appreciate we we have; the little things we take for granted.

Reality TV... Or So They Say

      My take on reality TV is that it is far from reality. It teaches people how they should behave in order to get attention or admiration from others. We all know the Snookies of the world who are no more than trash talking overly dramatic, obsessive and just plain idiotic bimbos with  heads full of hot air. The Media is not aware of how powerful their influence is on society. More and more Americans are staying home counting the hours before their poorly written plot shows begging. What is even more shocking, children are now being use as targets for commercialism and vulgarity. A part from only using the well known "sex factor" to draw viewers, reality TV is now a multi billion dollar business with lucrative contracts and sky rocketing careers. However the lost of self-respect and utter humiliation is not worth any amount of cash.


      Reality TV has pushed the envelope way too many times to be ignored. TV shows that show the real lives of high school kids or that show the weight battle of multiple obese Americans is no laughing matter. Many people who are shown in our television devises are under the subconscious mentality that they  must behave a certain way before their audience. This causes a domino effect, making the viewer think that the way the people behave on screen is a legitimate way to act in real life. After all isn't that reality. Television programs such as the Jersey Shore show 6 Italian twenty-somethings living under the same roof where complete insanity and unbelievable scenes take place. A specific episode where the co-star female participant gets punched in the nose became a public display of violence that ultimately became a social joke. Besides being completely degrading to the Italian community, the shows lack of supervision has send a subliminal idea that it is ok to punch people during an argument. Other shows like Teen Mom or Engage and Underage have represented a life short cut from life's youth. In a way projecting a life plan to a much younger audience.

        The other day my 10 year old little sister asked me to use my lap top I asked "why?" and she replied by saying she wanted to watch a show form youtube.com via facebook. I was a bit apprehensive so I asked her if I could watch it too. As she logged into her facebook account she clicked on a video that read Genuine Ken. It's a reality online show that is in the search for the next Ken doll for Barbie. The show seemed to be alright at first. However, as the show went on to the talent competition some of the contestants got a bit too PG-13 if you know what I mean. A guy rips off his shirt, on is cursing like a sailor, and all of this is made for a young audience. I told my sister this show was not appropriate for her age and to be wise about what she watch. Little boys and girls should not have to be thrown into ideas or visual connection such as these. It is our role to provide a good and positive example to our younger generations and teach the that reality TV is not real life.
       

100 Miles per Hour, Upside Down and Sideways by Rick Bragg

 Summary:
In this essay the author expresses his feelings regarding his 1969 General Motors convertible. He describes the power and magnitude his car had, as well as the music he would play while driving in it (The Eagels Gretest Hits). He also mentions the struggle and sacrifice it required in order to obtain his vehicle like working with his uncle in the summers under the heat and only getting payed minimum wage.  As an average teenager he liked to drive fast and feel the rush of stamina throughout his body. On his way back home, he is tempted to race against another boy who he described as ridding a "loud running Chevrolet." He gives into his temptation and stepped down the gas pedal to 100 miles per hour. His lost of control left him upside-down against a ditch, oddly enough completely unharmed and completely saint. His car was not as lucky, he described the scene of his car as a shiny piece of paper crumbled and completely disregarded. He did however kept a few words from a wrecker operator who said, "The Lord was ridding with that boy." From that day on he learned to value the things he had weather it was his car or his life.

Analysis of writing techniques:
Bragg's essay is written in first person to give the reader a better understanding of the point of view in the book. His use of vocabulary and emotions he used when he described his 1969 car provides the reader with understanding of how much he cared for his first car. Also the message that Bragg transmits through his writing is a positive and not at all blunt. He uses the plot line to deliver his story telling that directs the reader to the climax of the story. His explicit ditails also build up suspense in the reader's head and ultimately maintains the readers attention.

Opinion:
In my opinion this essay was  very interesting and powerful. The authors vocabulary and use of suspense kept me wanting to read more.  I can relate with the main character in this essay, being immature and inexperienced with responsibilities is something I identify with. It fallowed a climatic plot and was also a pleasurable reading piece. My favorite part of the essay was when he described the labor he had to endure and the sacrifices he had to make in order to obtain what he wanted.