Before I came into this class, I was an above average reader.  Reading was my hobby; I loved to read.  But academic studies halted my pleasure reading because I had to do homework and study.  After the class, I think I have improved slightly on my reading.  When I read now, I now take in details I usually just forget and I analyze things I usually just let slip by.  This is so because of the in-class discussions with questions that are really detailed-oriented.

I think I was a fairly good writer before I came into the class, but I think I have improved a great deal.  But I am not one to decide that and I am not certain as I haven’t received any feedback on my writing this whole year.  I think I have the ability to write with more descriptions because of the “loaded word essay” we did a while back.  That was really fun to try to make everything come alive with sense, touch, and sight, to try to lift the words off the page and surround the reader with new sensations.

My least favorite was probably reading Native Son, but other than that, I rather enjoyed everything we did.  I didn’t not like anything.  My favorite assignment would probably be blogging because it’s nice to receive feedback from my classmates.

I perceive myself to be a hard-working and determined student.  I will do whatever it takes to finish my homework or assignment, even if it takes me until 1 in the morning to complete it.  As a person though, I am loud, friendly, weird, crazy, and some people say I am always happy.  In general, I have learned a lot about who I am and what I stand for this year.  This class might be a part of it, but everything has contributed to how I grew in maturity and in my beliefs.

This was my first experience in blogging and it has been very positive and fun.  I remember when I received my first comment from someone who wasn’t in my class.  It was very sweet and it was very exciting.  I like how I got to express my ideas to the unknown world and receiving feedback on it.

My advice for incoming students is to just try your best and work hard.  Hard work really will get you far.  Oh, and be nice.

That’s it.  Thanks for a wonderful year.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the book for you.  Yes, it is also a musical and a movie, but the book is something else.  It talks of women empowerment and it tells a heartfelt and human journey of a black girl abused by her stepfather and her husband.  It tells of how she later found her voice and her individuality and stood up for herself.  It tells of how she gained respect, not only from herself, but from other people.  She has to work through many hardships.  She gives birth at a very young age; the father of her children is her own father.  Her babies then gets ripped away from her arms and sold to another family.  She was later married to a cruel husband and whose children despise her.

“Dear God,

I spent my wedding day running from the oldest boy.  He twelve.  His mama died in his arms and he don’t want to hear nothing bout no new one.  He pick up a rock and laid my head open.  The blood run all down tween my breasts.  His daddy say Don’t do that! But that all he say.”  (12)

Told in broken English, Celie describes her life, and her courage and strength speak out to God.  But it seems as if God isn’t listening.  Celie learns how to find her voice and how to speak up for herself throughout the book, with the help of the beautiful and exotic Shug Avery.  Shug Avery is like Celie’s God, and she teaches Celie a bit about religion in the end too, how something as simple as the color purple is worth one’s admiration.

This quote tells of Celie’s impression of Shug: “Shug Avery is standing upside a piano, elbow crook, hand on her hip… Her mouth open showing all her teef and don’t nothing seem to be troubling her mind… The Queen Honeybee is back in town.

Lord, I wants to go so bad.  Not to dance. Not to drink…Not even to hear Shug Avery sing. I just be thankful to lay eyes on her.” (25)

This book is fast paced and full of empowerment.  It is a very good book to read.  It opens your eyes to the cruelty that does go on in the world, but it teaches how one can survive through anything.  It mainly teaches about standing up for oneself, because Celie finally did and she became successful.

The meaning of gratitude. Say thank you!! For example, I had a festival trip for my band class and the night before, I slaved over the oven making cookies so they can enjoy some sweets in the sweltering sun the next day.  I was being thoughtful and I wanted my classmates to have some fun and some goodies to enjoy.  Of course, everyone was excited about the cookies and everyone wanted some.  But the day came to a close and NO ONE EVEN SAID THANK YOU.  I am not trying to be a martyr or anything, but a little appreciation would be nice, and ‘thank you’ can go a long way.  It’ll make people happier to do nice little things for you. If I was shown some gratitude, I would be happier to make more goodies for my class.  I am a busy person, so I have better things to do.

Manners: Call me an old fashioned 16 year old, but I wonder where manners have gone today.  When you bump into someone while walking down the hall, no one says sorry anymore, they just give you evil stares. If you’re wrong, just admit it and say sorry.  It’ll get things done faster and leave fewer hard feelings.

No one ever says thank you anymore.  Or please.  Everyone expects others to do things for them for free, and it doesn’t occur to them that other people have to go out of their way to do things for them, and they are only doing it out of the goodness of their heart.  They don’t HAVE to do it.  But now everyone has a mind set of oh, everyone is their slave and if the other person refuses to do something for them, they are automatically labeled a “bitch.”  Whatever happened to please and thank you?  Do we need to pop in a video or Barney for people to watch?

Appreciation: No one appreciates anything they are given.  Its always, oh, I want this, I want that.  I want more!! I don’t care that I already have it at home. I need the latest gadgets so I can show off to my friends.  It doesn’t matter that my parents are barely making enough money to get by.  I want what my neighbors have.  For example, why would a fifth grader need a blackberry?  Why do they need a phone, period?  Sure, it may be for safety or emergencies, but why would a fifth grader be in situations that would require a phone?  Ask what a kid does with a phone and you’ll likely get an answer of “games.”

Happiness doesn’t come from material things.  It comes from the simple things, like spending time with family, sitting on the grass and enjoying the cool breeze on a hot summer day, or just laughing with friends.  America is in the mind set that more equals better, and money means happiness.  Everyone is reaching for their “American dream” and some have lost sight of that dream.  It’s always money, money, money for that house house, house and that car, car, car or that new iphone, iphone, iphone. But ask the richest people if they are happy, and you might be surprised at their answer.

In the Buddha teachings, if you want nothing, then you will never be miserable.  Don’t want what your neighbors have, because you’ll always have neighbors that have more than you and you can’t always have everything.  THINGS do not make you happy.  “What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use thing stead of using people and loving things.”

How would you show gratitude? Well on the simple scale, just say thank you.  Or give compliments.  But actions speak louder than words, so if you really want to show someone you appreciate them, do something nice for them.

How would you reach happiness without things?  Simple, go out for a walk and enjoy the breeze and appreciate that the sun comes out everyday.  Be happy that you are alive.

Please feel free to comment, or disagree.

The first person Eddie met in Heaven was “The Blue Man”.  Even though they were strangers when they were both alive, their lives were connected.  It turns out that the Blue Man died because little Eddie ran out into the street and caused The Blue Man to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting him.  He crashed into a fruit cart and had a heart attack.  Little Eddie made it to the other side of the street unscathed.  The lesson the Blue Man gave Eddie was, “there are no random acts.” ” Every life is connected.” and “strangers are just family you have yet to meet.” “No life is ever a waste.”  I agree that every life was put on this earth to do something; everyone has a purpose in life, no matter how small.  When I watched this scene in the movie, it was scary that you could responsible for some people’s death without even realizing it.

The second person he meets is his old captain from the war.  His captain taught him that sacrifices are something to be proud of, not ashamed.  All his life, Eddie was ashamed of his sacrifice.  When talking with his captain, it was revealed that he was the one who shot Eddie in the leg.   The captain sacrificed Eddie’s leg to save his life.  The captain said that sacrifice is noble, and its the thing that makes humans humans.  From this scene, I learned that everyone has a different heaven.  The Blue Man’s heaven was the Pier and the captain’s heaven was the world before the wars and the killings.

The third person that Eddie met in heaven was a total stranger.  It was in fact the girl that Ruby Pier was named after and built for.  She taught him how to forgive.  All of Eddie’s life, he never forgave his father for being abusive.  But you can’t go through life hating someone forever.  Sometimes, you just have to forgive them.

The fourth person Eddie met was his beautiful wife, Marguerite.  Her heaven is young couples’ weddings because she loved her wedding with Eddie.  She teaches him that love never dies, it is just shown differently.  Eddie regretted all his life that Marguerite died before he did, but he learned that she could feel his love all the way from heaven.  It connects with how someone never truly dies, because they’ll always live on in your memory.  Eddie never stopped loving his wife.

The last person Eddie meets in heaven is Tala, the young girl in the hut that Eddie burned.  She teaches him that everyone has a purpose on earth.  Eddie feels as if his life was a waste, but his purpose was to prevent all the deaths that could have resulted from poor maintenance in Ruby Pier.  By doing his job, he saved many lived.  His last person also tells him that he did in fact, save the girl from the falling cart.

And the movie ends.  This movie can bring many tears and make anyone appreciate life.  Life is short, make the best of it.

Last Sunday, I went to volunteer at East Valley L.A. Animal Shelter with a couple of my friends. It was my first time volunteering at an animal shelter, so I didn’t know what to expect, but as soon as I stepped foot inside the clean, air-conditioned building, my eyes fell upon the most adorable litter of 7 week old kittens ever.  They were sleeping and some were playfully fighting with each other with their small furry paws.  They were really playful and cute and at the end of the day, they decided to perform some acrobatics for the people watching them by climbing all over their cages.

Our assignment for the day was to visit the animals and get to know several of them and do a write-up to get people to adopt them.  My friends and I split up into groups while they visited the dogs and I visited the cats.

I have never owned a pet before, or ever thought that I would like animals, but the instant I visited the first cat, I fell in love.  She was just so playful and she kept on pushing her paws out to be petted.  She loved being petted and she kept on banging against the side of the cage.

The next cat I visited was given the nickname “Tuxedo Kitty” because she was covered in all black and white.  She was really energetic and so funny!  She would start singing and she would get the other cats in the cages next to her to start singing too.  This little cutie pushed her whole body out to be petted by strangers.

The last of the six cats I decided to do a write up on was possibly my most favorite just because she would constantly purr when she was being petted.  I would stick my fingers through the cage bars and she would rub her chin against my fingers and I could feel her purr.  She wouldn’t stay still long enough for me to get a good enough picture so we had to take her out of her cage.  She is really old but to be, she was still young and healthy and she just wanted to be loved.

If I could have adopted a pet, I would have because all of them were just so adorable, but I instantly fell in love with the cats.  They just seemed like the pet for me because they are quiet and soft and smart.  They seem like the pet that could keep me company and love me.  And even though I came home with homework, I would love to and will volunteer at the animal shelter again because I love the animals.

Possibly the best part of the day was when we saw a cute black and white dog I nicknamed Oreo, get adopted by a sweet old lady.

This dog I nicknamed Sugar because she had a really sweet and energetic personally and could bring a smile to anyone’s face.

So if you would like to adopt a pet, please visit http://www.amrt.net/ or go to 14409 Vanowen, Van Nuys, CA 91406.  Their phone numbers are: Toll-free: (888) 452-7381 – menu option 1, then 4, then 5; Inside line: (213) 485-8613; (818) 756-9323.

Save a life and adopt your own adorable pet today!

Photo credits: (Alizen Rodriguez) and Crystal Kumtong

“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color you hair, watch a third of a hockey game… In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.” (1)

You open this book and there you read those thought provoking lines.  Now let me ask you this: Is it all just fun and games when you tease someone? How about when you push them, call them names, or bully them?  Do you make fun of someone just because they are different from you?  In Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult explores what can, could, and does happen when the person being bullied has had enough.  Peter Houghton has been ostracized from society all his life because he was not the typical athlete, and he was “different” from everyone else.  Instead, he was sensitive and creative and for that, he was bullied, called names, been shoved into lockers, beaten up, and being tortured.  No one took the time to talk to him or listen to him.  They always told him to “get used to it” or “man up” whenever he had problems. His own family didn’t accept him for who he was.  It was the last straw when his one and only friend started turning on him too, because she wanted so badly to be part of the popular crowd.

“Ask a random kid today if she wants to be popular and she’ll tell you no, even if the truth is that if she was in a desert dying of thirst and had the choice between a glass of water and instant popularity, she’d probably choose latter.” (241)

Everybody wants the feeling of being accepted into a crowd.  It is the essential ingredient to surviving in this cruel world, and being popular means the high life, or the dirt track.  But why? Why do we mark the people who are different from us?  Why do we put so much importance on being “popular” and “fitting in”?  Why do we not encourage individuality or independence?  This book delves into these questions and explores the emotions that go behind every action, every thought.  It makes the readers forget all they ever thought or knew about bullying and stress, how 16 years of hate can make a person bring a gun to school and go on a killing spree.  This book brings readers to every person’s lives and explores their emotions and how one act affects them all.  The thing that struck me close to home the most was how I see bullying being committed every day at school, and how I would feel responsible if I wasn’t there to listen or lend a hand to someone who needs it the most because I was too absorbed in my own problems.  After reading this book, I felt the need to listen to people more and to stop bullying whenever I see it, because it just might make a difference.  Try it.

book cover: http://www.jodipicoult.com/images/covers/19-400.jpg

Danny knew it was up to him.  His five year old mind couldn’t comprehend more than that, but his brave heart told him to plunge into the dark, forbidding forest.  The fairies were with him.  They lighted the path and whispered melodic songs and encouragement in his ear.  They knew he had a special heart, for they reveal themselves only to the chosen ones…

Danny didn’t know when the fate of the world rested on his tiny shoulders, but he distinctly remembers the day when everything turned topsy-turvy.  It was one fine sunny morning; the gentle rays of the morning sun filtered through his window and kissed his cheeks to tell him to wake up.  His little fists sliced the dust in the air as he yawned.  The wonderful aroma of warm maple syrup and pancakes danced up the stairs and met him in his bed.  “Oh boy,” Danny thought.  He hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed into his favorite red sweater and blue jeans.  He ran down the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him into the kitchen.

“Mommy! Good Morn-,” Danny stopped in his tracks.  His mom was nowhere to be seen.  The fire on the stove was still burning and Danny distinctly remembered how his mom told him to never ever leave the stove unattended if the fire was still on.  He grabbed a chair to see what his mom was making.  The batter on the pan began to burn and turn to the color of charcoal so Danny turned off the red-orange flame before smoke surrounded the kitchen.  Danny wandered upstairs to his parents’ bedroom and crept to the door.  An eerie feeling filled the pit of his stomach.

“Dad?” He looked in the shower stalls.  It was still damp from an early morning shower, but it was void of life.  “Mommy?”  He looked through her antic jewelry box.  All her pearls were still in place.  He peeked out behind his mahogany door.  The whole world was at a standstill.  The sun was in the sky, but it seemed as if every living thing disappeared.  It was stone quiet.  The usual song of the birds was absent from the air.  The bees weren’t buzzing around the roses.  The trees lost their sway.  Danny looked around.  He went inside every unlocked door and found no one at home.  He began to feel lonely.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” mumbled a voice.

“Hello?” Danny called out?

“This is not good,” a small pixie voice said, “not good at all.  Oh dear.”  Danny heard a frantic flutter.  He followed the sound until he saw a small fairy floating back and forth in front of a purple flower.  She was as big as his face and she was the loveliest thing his eyes ever saw.

“Excuse me, Miss.  Can you please tell me where everyone went?” Danny asked timidly.  He stood a few feet away from the lovely creature for fear he might disrupt her concentration.  The fairy stopped her fluttering and her small gray eyes bore holes into his skull.

“You can see me?” her sharp voice asked.  Danny nodded his head.  She flew around him and checked him out.  “Mmm, I would expect the Chosen One to be a bit older, but you’re the only one we got.”  She reached around her waist and grabbed a small leather bag.  She opened it and reached in and blew glistering sparkles only known as pixie dust into the air.  Danny looked at her curiously, afraid of what she was doing.  The pixie dust swirled around the purple rose and it began to turn into a variety of colors.  The rose opened up into a portal to a mysterious world. The fairy pushed Danny through the portal and yelled, “Follow your heart!  And don’t talk to any monsters.”  And with that, Danny transported to the Land of Heart.

Danny traveled many days in the dark forest, avoiding the dark patches where evil lurked.  But the creatures living in the forest were friendly to Danny because they knew he could save them from the darkness that would soon envelope the world.  The birds sang him songs every night to go to sleep and the geese protected him from the fierce predators.  The small fairies lit his path and talked and giggled in his ear.  Danny spent his time counting the petals of the glass flowers and eating the sweet apple berries from the trees.  The juices slid down his cheek as he bit into the soft skin of the fruit.  Danny learned to love the forest, but he was still deathly scared of it.  And he missed his parents’ warm tuck and good night kisses as he went to sleep every night.

Danny knew he was near the end of his journey.  The dark places got darker; the forest got colder.  But he could see the light.  Oh, the light was majestic.  It was bright and pure.  Its energy pulsated throughout the whole forest and his heart was drawn toward it. He wandered through the musty air and traveled his way around twisted roots and overgrown grass.  The fairies gave him more encouragement, for they cannot travel any further with him.  The birds sang a farewell song and the darkness couldn’t catch him.  Danny took in a deep breath and walked on.

Finally, I’ll get to see my mom and dad again, Danny thought, and he plunged into the light…

http://www.daniellieske.com/exhibitions/wormworld_saga/exh_wormworld_saga.php

http://digitaldecoy.cgsociety.org/gallery/712620/

http://lahaiseslair.com/crystalk/2010/01/26/133/

From what I deduced from this website, the mind can’t take in too much contrasting information at once, so it tries to make sense of everything and things look like they aer moving or wavy when they are straight lines.  Here are three of my favorite visuals:

The Café Wall

You would have noticed that the lines seem wavy, but they are not.  These are actually straight lines and squares.  There is a very complicated reason behind why you see the links as curvy, but it is basically because we are trying to make sense of the contrast overload.

Rotating Snakes

If you stare at this picture long enough, you might notice that the circles are rotating.  It looks like they are moving because of the alternating colors.  To make sense of all these colors, the objects start moving around in circles.

The Fraser- Spiral

Try to follow the spiral starting from the outside to the middle.  You can’t, because they are just a bunch of circles.  ”But they look like spirals!” You exclaim.  Yes, they do, because there are a lot of different angles and contrasting black and white colors.  All the complex geometric shapes are boggling your mind and your mind is trying to make sense of it all by making the spirals look like sprials.

In this website, there is also an “audio high” section where it heps you relax or get over a hangover.  It didn’t work for me, maybe because I was also listening to music, but try it out and tell me if it works for you!

Check out the website for further in depth explanations and more “visual highs” and “audio highs” http://gethighnow.com/

Fun fact: how smart you are doesn’t matter on how big your brain is, but how much wrinkles it has.  Wrinkles increase the surface area of the brain, so it can contain more information.

Fun riddle: (it’s not a trick question) http://www.manbottle.com/trivia/einstein_s_riddle

Do you have any mind boggling things to share? Comment here!

Honey bees have been producing honey for at least 150 million years.  (That’s a lot of years.)  They are also the only insect that produces food for humans. In fact, they pollinate 1/3 of the food that we eat.  But a big sad and critical problem is that they are disappearing.  Scientists say they don’t have a definite reason why these buzzing creatures are disappearing, but I personally believe it is because people are scared of them.  I am back in my middle school PE class minding my own business when suddenly I hear someone screaming.  “A bee!”  Suddenly half the girls are jumping up and down and are running away.  Some of the guys stand up and decide it is time to act like a hero.  They zoom in on the threat and decide to put their feet up into the air and down on the poor bee.  The threat is gone and the girls swoon over their savior.  I look down at the broken body of a bee I never knew.  I silently make a memorial for it.  “I am sorry you never got to see your flower.”

Why are people afraid of a buzzing insect that is smaller than the size of their thumb?  Yes, they do sting, but it is only for protection.  If they sense that you are a threat, they will sting you.  It will hurt, but the pain will eventually go away.  Why take a life because you somehow aggravated it and it stung you?  These creatures have an important job to perform: feeding you.  It is ungrateful to kill them just because they made a tiny mistake and met your foot.

There are campaigns to help save the bees, and there is a website dedicated especially for raising money to fund research to find a solution to the bees’ disappearing act.  The website is listed below.  They have many fun activities, to making your own bee to email to your friends, to learning about these beautiful creatures and how to help save them.  If you are thinking, “Oh, I don’t trust the groups that raise money because they will take my money and run,” well, have no fear!  You can still help.  Here’s how:

You can buy a carton of Häagen-Dazs Honey Flavored Ice Cream!  Häagen-Dazs donates the money they earn to help fund research.  They use honey from the bees to make their delicious ice cream.  You can also plant bee friendly flowers in your garden.  This is not as hard as it may sound.  Here are some beautiful flowers that are bee-friendly:

The Rose    

Aster    

Daisy                          

Dandelions

Peony

Sunflower

And much much more.  (You can get the full list from the website by simply downloading a booklet.)  These flowers can grow beautifully in your garden and help bees thrive at the same time!  Also, bees need water, so providing them water may be as simple as leaving a dish filled with water out for them to drink.  Also, be aware of the harmful effects of pesticide in your garden.  They are detrimental to the bees.  If you really need to use pesticide, use insect specific pesticide.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have beautiful gardens full of blooming flowers.  Spread the pollen!

Website: http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/

Ice cream flavors: http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/#helpingflavors

Pictures: http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/02034/images/european%20honey%20bee.jpg

http://happyhomemaker88.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/honey-pot-print-c10069558.jpeg

http://aster.gforge.inria.fr/aster.jpg

http://media.dailyprogress.com/dailyprogress/images/snap/rose3sharp_medium.jpg

http://www.fosjp.org.uk/wildflowers/oxeye_daisy.jpg

http://img.allposters.com/6/LRG/8/842/ENKY000Z.jpg

http://www.bridgewatergardens.com/Peony%20Big%20Ben.JPG

http://originallamby.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/sunflower.jpg

Everyone has some kind of problems with their families.  Some parents put far too much pressure on their children; they have high hopes and aspirations for them, but in that very process, they forget that their kids have their own hopes and dreams to achieve.  They do not want to admit that they were wrong to push their goals onto their kids, they only want the best.  However, when is there a line between wanting the best for your child and just driving them crazy and to the brink of insanity?  Sometimes the best action to take is to simply let the kids speak for themselves and make their own mistakes.  The key aspect in keeping a healthy relationship is communication, with a little bit of compromise.

The problem however, also lies in the generation gap, or the age difference between the parents, the siblings, and yourself.  At times, they just cannot relate.  You do not understand the position where your parents or older/ younger sibling are coming from, and vice versa.  Sometimes, in a frustrated moment to explain what you really mean, you end up screaming at them and then screaming even more because you cannot convey your true feelings. Then again, you may also just bottle up all your emotions inside until that fateful day when someone will shake the bottle and all your emotions will spill out like a gushing waterfall onto the carpet floor.  Different people find different ways to handle this tide of overwhelming emotion.  Many rebel, some talk to their friends, others find an escape in a hobby or music, while a select few turn to deadly substances.  I believe it is best to find a healthy outlet for these emotions; I find it in music and in writing.

Siblings are the worst.  They are extremely annoying.  Everything they do seem to be a nuisance.  Sometimes it’s just the fact that you see them day in and day out and the proximity is driving you nuts.  Other times, siblings are the best.  They are cute, adorable and there for the rainy days in life.  However, in my case, it is a rarity.  They nag, scream, kick, fight, and talk back.  Why were they ever invented?

I have mentioned all the problems with families, but what are the good things about them?  Right now, it seems like there are none, but only because as a teenager, I have that unwritten right to complain once in a while, if not often.  Despite that, families are great, really.  On those awful hazy days, you just have to look past the smoke of regret and see that families are your back brace and are always there to give you support and unconditional love.  They are there for the laughs, the bad times, and the sweet good times.  You go on picnics on the beach and they are the only ones that can ever understand where you are coming from, because you came from them.  You cannot survive without your family, no matter how awful they may seem at days.  I love my family, sometimes I may feel a tiny bit of hate, but it is not unnatural.  It is a love/ hate relationship, but with love always winning in the end.

Pic: http://or.ucr.edu/images/pictures/centers/FamilyStudies.jpg

You wake up late one day and have to get ready in a hurry.  You grab the first t-shirt you can from your closet and brush your teeth at the same time.  You quickly run to the bathroom to rinse your mouth and rush back to grab a pair of jeans.  You are jumping into them and are about to zip it up when the zipper gets stuck.  You try in vain for several minutes to get them to zip up because all your other jeans are in the washer.  You finally decide to wear something else, but when you finally get going, you are late.

You come home from a long day and throw yourself heavily on the couch, ready to spend the rest of your afternoon watching some T.V. to relax.  You realize your family or friend has turned to a channel you absolutely despise.  You grab the remote and click the button to change the channel.  But it doesn’t switch channels.  You desperately try to switch the channel because the people on the T.V. are about to dance into song.  But it’s too late, they started singing those show tune music and you can’t switch the channel.  You get up in frustration and decide to just go to sleep.

You finished your written assignment late into the night and you have to print it for the next day.  You feel quite accomplished, actually, because you finished and it’s really good.  You connect the printer to your computer and click the print button.   You await your masterpiece to materialize into ink and paper.  You wait several minutes, but nothing comes out.  You check to see if the printer is on… it is.  You check to see if there is ink and paper… there are.  You desperately try to get it to print because the rooster would be yelling at any minute and you really need your beauty sleep.  As the bell chimes for every hour that has past, you continually grow frustrated.  You are ready to kill anything in sight.  Two hours later you decide to call it a night and you still don’t have your work.

What do all these scenarios have in common?  It is all about appliances NOT DOING THEIR WORK.  They came into this world to have one purpose and one purpose only.  A zipper is there to zip.  What else is it going to do, save the world??  A printer is supposed to print, and a remote control is supposed to work the T.V.  Why do you think they separate appliances for everything, to only have one job to do?  It’s because if they made a super appliance where it does everything, then there’s a greater chance of something to go wrong.  They already can’t do their one job correctly.

The same principle applies to humans and their work.  If you are going to be doing a job, do it correctly, and as best as you can.  Because really, no one wants to walk into a hair salon and only get half a head shaved off because the lady doesn’t know what she is doing.  And no one wants to go into a dentists’ office to have the wrong teeth pulled out because he fell asleep in an important lecture.  And you especially don’t want a surgeon to leave that beautiful metallic scissors in your abdomen after he has sewn you up.  So for everyone reading this, I hope you have appliances that work in your home, but I also hope you learned something invaluable… a job is important, no matter how big or how small, so learn how to do it correctly!

Here’s a funny blog about a job interview: http://www.djod.co.uk/2009/09/16/best-job-interview-ever/

Pictures: http://tkool.jp/products/rpgxp/eng/gameover.jpg

http://hostingbytes.us/images/2/7488212.jpg

Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the greatest women in the 20^th century and has many great quotes.  She was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City.  In 1905, she married her fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Franklin Roosevelt suffered a polio attack in 1921, a disease where you lose function of your legs, Eleanor Roosevelt stepped into the spotlight of politics.  She was not the typical first lady that fade into the background, oh no, she fought for the things she believed in.  Back then, women didn’t have the rights that we have now. They couldn’t vote, own property, or play sports.  She fought for those rights, along with the rights of racial equality and peace.  She was outspoken and she hated losing.  “Ultimately, ER morphed into a heavyweight champion of the oppressed, the poor, the underdog.  Her all time favorite word was hope.” (“33 things”,106)

Many people hated her for her words, because it was uncommon for women to speak or be so powerful.  But that didn’t stop her from fighting.  When her husband died in 1945, she took the podium and continued fighting for the things she believed in.  She charged through clouds of hardships and discrimination, and not only did she hang on, she prospered and changed America for the better.

While reading a book on women’s history, I stumbled upon some interesting facts, but this quote stood out the most:

“When you get to the end of your rope- tie a knot and hang on.” –Eleanor Roosevelt 1960

I thought it drew some parallel to today’s hard times.  The end of the rope stands for your tolerance level for things being thrown at your face.  Everyone has a certain tolerance level for bad things.  Some have more than others.  But when there is just too much, like losing your house, we have to do something about it.  Here, Eleanor Roosevelt said we should just tie a knot using the last bit of rope we have left and HANG ON.  What does hanging on mean?  It means to lever let go of that last bit of hope, to never give up on life, to keep moving forward.  When time times seem tough, just remember that the great Eleanor Roosevelt is here for you to share some of her wisdom.

Other great Eleanor Roosevelt quotes:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

“I have never been bored.”

“It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway.  You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” (My mom says that all the time!!)

“If someone betrays you once, it’s their fault; if they betray you twice, it’s your fault.”

“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”

“Learn from the mistakes of others.  You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously.  This is how character is built.”

Eleanor Picture: http://z.about.com/d/history1900s/1/0/h/H/fdr149.gif

Hang on picture: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_OVpgGzy0wII/RqNud_PeJpI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/HzZfKlIfgic/Hold+On+Kitty.JPG

Website:  http://www.biography.com/articles/Eleanor-Roosevelt-9463366

Quotes page:  http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Eleanor_Roosevelt

Book: Bolden, Tonya.  33 Things every girl should know about women’s history. New York: Crown Publishers. 2002.

“He takes my head down, down, smash my skull goes into the piercing corner of the coffee table.  Pain splinters my face… I cannot cry.  I am going to die.” (156)

In this mesmerizing and horrific story about one of the most covert forms of child abuse, Julie Gregory retells her life story in Sickened.  Her childhood was a plethora of doctor’s appointments, medical exams and test, pills, medicine, starvation, verbal and physical abuse, and pain.  Julie was a sickly child, and her mother always thought something was wrong with her.  She would take Julie to countless doctors across the state to unearth the mysterious disease.  In actuality, Julie was just a normal little girl.  This tells the story of a form of child abuse called Munchausen by proxy (MBP).  MBP is when a caretaker of a child falsifies medical illness to gain attention and sympathy from others.  Julie would have numerous, and often invasive, tests performed, but the results would always show up normal.  The very people who were supposed to help and care for her were the exact people who broke down her soul.  They didn’t have enough compassion or understanding to even hear her story.  In a letter she received from her friends, it harshly portrays the view many had of her situation, “… made the whole thing up, trying to get us to feel sorry for you… Nobody’s mom does those things…You are scumbucket trash…” (131)  Through all of the adversaries, Julie somehow managed to pry herself away from the abuse and start a new life.  She got a job and went back to school.  When she learned of what her mother did to her, that she was never actually sick, that she missed having a life because of her mother’s selfish ways, she grew angry and bitter.  She learned how to heal her broken soul.  This is her story, her recovery, her life.  No one should ever have to go through a life of child abuse, but not only did Julie Gregory survive, but she found the courage to write and to inform others of this atrocious act.

So pick up this book and start learning!

book cover:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413SDZFCEAL._SX500_.jpg

I have always been fascinated with flowers, and their ability to portray an array of vibrant colors and the soft delicate feel of their petals.  The diverse set of species of flowers, its ability to give beauty to any part of the world, it is all just amazing.  One day, I researched “the most beautiful flowers of the world” and I stumbled across the most wonderful website.  I just thought I would like to share it.  Since all of my past posts have been excessively wordy, I thought it was time for a change of pace and let the pictures do all the talking.  Here are some of my favorite flowers:

The Cherry Blossom- The unofficial flower of Japan

Colorado Columbine- they grow in the Rocky Mountains

Hydrangea- popular in wedding bouquets and in gardens.  They represent innocence.

Lily of the Valley- a sign of spring. Isn’t the bell shape of the flower graceful?

Bleeding Heart- These flowers show the diversity of flowers and how they don’t all look like five pointed stars. (a yellow circle in the middle and five pink petals around it.)

Rose- the most fascinating and the most romantic.  Different colored roses means different things.  Red is a sign of love; yellow is for friendship; white is for innocence and purity; pink is for appreciation.

I hope looking at these flowers made you feel more peaceful or enjoy nature a bit more.  What are your favorite flowers?

http://www.thegrowspot.com/15flowers.html

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/daffodils440.jpg