To be completely honest, blogging has been pretty fun! It definitly fits in more with the times, seeing as everyone I know is a part of some online social network. Be it facebook, twitter, or a blog. It's a lot more fun than just having to turn in papers. I also enjoyed reading other students' blogs as well. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll continue to blog for two reasons. One, none of my friends blog.. The closest thing my friends do to blogging is maintaining a twitter account. Also, I think that compared to other online thought sharing pages, blogs (or at least blogger) is kind of limited. No straight from your phone picture posts and no iphone application. I'm totally into reading blogs though. I was recently flipping through the pages of an InStyle magazine and there was a whole 5 page spread about lots of different blogs that the magazine reviewed and wanted to share with their readers. The spread was organized into categories. Ones about music, fashion, baking, and even blogs that are devoted to finding good online deals. I sit in front of a computer for 9 hours Monday through Friday and blogs are way more entertaining than tabloid websites like TMZ..
Do you like seafood?! Cause I do! Seafood is my weakness and an awesome place to get some is a spot called the Boiling Crab. The food there is consistently fresh and the prices are awesome. Okay so here’s how it works, you choose the type of seafood you want to eat; they’ve got crabs galore, shrimp, crawfish, clams, and oysters. Then you decide just how hungry you are because you order by the pound. Seasoning comes next. My personal favorite is the Rajun Cajun but if that doesn’t tickle your fancy they’ve also got lemon pepper and garlic butter. For you indecisive folks go for the whole sha-bang. Minutes after your order goes in, a server will come by your table carrying a metal bucket… yes a bucket. He or she will pull out of said bucket a clear plastic bag filled with whatever you ordered and plop it down onto your wax paper covered table. Break open the bag and have at it. Watch out for the steam though! By the way, they don’t do utensils.If you aren’t into getting messy they also offer tamer dishes like seafood gumbo over rice (fork included) or regular old fish and chips. Bomb fish and chips! Five fillets of fresh catfish and a side of Cajun fries that’ll only set you back $8. The atmosphere is chill, plenty of flat screen t.v.’s mounted on the walls broadcasting any sporting events taking place at the moment and despite the high volume of customers the staff is always friendly and attentive. The one problem about Boiling Crab though is despite having five or six locations; the closest one is in Alhambra. But if you happen to be going in that direction, or are down for the drive, definitely hit it up. Bring some friends, throw on your bib, roll up your sleeves and dig in! Oh, and bring a sharpie..
One of the things that reading Fast Food Nation has prompted me to do is spread the word. Everytime I read a crazy fact or got through a gross story, I would feel the urge to tell a friend.. or group of friends. My intention was only to make the people around me aware of the things I learned but was previously oblivious to. This back fired on me one night while my friends and I were hanging around talking. I had just finished reading 'What's in the Meat' and after telling them about what I read, they decided that we should play a game in which whomever lost the game would have to eat a hot dog. Needless to say, I ended up the loser in more ways than one. I've been a fan of hot dogs but after having just read that section, it made the hot dog so much harder to swallow..literally. Because fast food already isn't something I'm a fan of, that aspect of book hasn't really had an affect on me. I think the end of the book, reading about the meat-packing industry, is what hit home. Although I don't eat tons of meat, I do enjoy a burger every once in a while. Reading about the practices in the industry has made me sick to my stomach. Now I'm faced with the dilemma of how I can still continue to consume meat products without taking into consideration all the things I've learned reading the book. I know I won't become a vegetarian, so as of now, the only thing I've found is to come up with is to buy grass-fed free-range WAY MORE EXPENSIVE beef and chicken. Unfortunately not everyone has that option, so I strongly feel that it is up to the government and those greedy politicians to stop operating with their own interest in mind and start doing what they promised to do when they took office which is do whatever was in the best interest of the American people. The United States one of the most powerful countries on the planet and if other countries can implement changes to improve the practices of their meat-packing industry, why can't we?!
On the subject of college as a whole, I’ve figured out that if you don’t want to be here, you’re better off staying away. For a while, I was only going to school because I was obligated to. My parents put pressure on me to go despite the fact that I had no desire to be there and no idea what I wanted to go to school for. I went only to please them and this of course resulted in less than desirable grades. It’s something that I have to deal with now that I’ve got my head on straight and know what I want to accomplish. College is tough enough and putting roadblocks up for yourself makes things much harder.
This semester of school so far hasn’t been too bad; I enjoy my professors, my classmates, and the classes I’m taking. I’ve always heard professors tell their students to make friends with one another and exchange phone numbers but it was never something I did because I didn’t think it would be of any benefit to me. I gave that a shot and found that it really does help. I have people I can contact when I’m not sure about something going on in class and when they call me with questions its an opportunity for me to review class material also. Coming to realize that professors are just regular people who happen to teach has made things a lot easier as well. Before, I was always kind of afraid to talk to professors because I was really intimidated by them. Now that I’ve stopped kind of putting them on some pedestal, they’ve become more approachable. Because I work full-time, I’m not a full time student, the workload isn’t terrible, but finding a way to balance everything has been a bit of a challenge for me.
One problem I have is my tendency to procrastinate. My professors give me plenty of time to work on assignments but I always find myself doing them at the last minute. Although I do wait until the last minute to get my assignments done I have decent grades in my classes and seeing that made me realize that taking more time to do my work will result in higher scores and ultimately very good grades. This is something that I struggle with on a regular basis and is something that I have to get over soon. College only gets harder and developing some discipline when it comes to school work will make things easier in the long run.
1) I'm the oldest child in my family 2) Surfing one afternoon, I got pulled out too far and had to be rescued by other surfers, twice 3) I love watching soap operas 4) I play video games every night before bed 5) As a child, I lived a block away from an active volcano .. it erupted 6) I broke my arm snowboarding
In 1985, Rappers Q-Tip, Jarobi White, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and DJ Phife Dawg got together to form A Tribe Called Quest, arguably the greatest hip hop group to date. I first heard their music blaring out of my older brother’s bedroom when I was in elementary school and I’ve been a fan ever since… I seriously listen to their music almost everyday. Q-Tip’s distinctive voice and the group’s mellow yet intelligent flows seem to always put me in a good mood. Earlier this year I caught wind of a tour the group was going to be on and I had to be there. I couldn’t pass up on the chance to see them perform live. Rock the Bells 2010 was the tour and for the Los Angeles show, there were 20,000 people in attendance. A friend of mine came along, even though he didn’t know too much about them and together, we managed to get about rows away from the front of the stage. Once their set started and the first beat dropped, the whole crowd, me included, went nuts. Getting to see them live lets me cross one thing off my bucket list. During their performance, Q-Tip came off the stage and walked through the crowd. He was no more than two feet away from me. That experience further solidified them as the greatest rap group of all time… at least to me!
I would like to chime in on the issue of bilingual learning. Although I don’t have anything against it, but I do think that there have to be major changes made before being integrated into our school systems. As an immigrant of the United States, I was evaluated upon enrollment of elementary school for possibly having to participate in a program similar to this. But because my native language is Tagalog and not Spanish, had I not passed, I would’ve been placed in a class with students that have learning disabilities. When I was in the Philippines, I went to school on a military base and was taught in English so I had no problem. Unfortunately, not all immigrant children get that opportunity and do end up in classes with students with disabilities. In my opinion, placing perfectly capable students in remedial classes could stunt their learning. This could also discourage students and give them the impression that they also have learning disabilities rather than a language barrier. The fact that a student isn’t fluent in English is not a mental disability! I’ve also heard of situations where students get held back a grade because of the language issue. Since then, I’ve always had a negative outlook on the bilingual learning programs at schools. I just think that if Spanish speaking students are going to be taken into consideration, so should every other bilingual student. Also, I’ve sat in on a few of those bilingual learning classrooms and have noticed that it’s far from bilingual. It’s more like a Spanish speaking classroom sprinkled with a bit of English. How are students in this program supposed to eventually transition to regular classes if they are enabled to stick to their native tongue? So, I’m all the best interest of students but it should be for all students, and done right.
More than 50% of marriages end in divorce. With that said, the idea of a traditional family is becoming less and less visible in today's society. There are many single parents out there, but many of them marry one another and form fused families. I remember when I was younger, I had friends who's parents were divorced who seemed to be embarrassed to admit disclose so. Back then, divorce was still pretty taboo. I never really understood why. I never really saw what the big deal was. I've been exposed to a lot of different types of families growing up and have come to realize that having both biological parents around your whole life doesn't guarantee that you'll grow up 'right'. I don't even think it's necessary to even have both parents,especially if a parent causes more damage than does good. I'm not encourage single parenthood or or divorce, I just think that people need to let go of the idea of the 'perfect' family and be open and accepting of people around them.
From the day I was born, I was unapologetically my Lola’s favorite grandchild. So much so that when it was time for my family and me to leave the Philippines to come to California, she insisted I stay. I ended up staying an additional two years with her before I was finally allowed to live my mom and dad. I was five. Despite the physical distance, we stayed close. I’d get packages in the mail on special occasions, phone calls on a regular basis, and every few years she’d hop on a plane and take the 16-hour flight out to stay with us for a few months. Early 2007, she received her green card and made her final trip to California to live with us permanently.
Gastric Cancer. That, the doctor said, was the cause of the stomach pains, the trouble swallowing, and the massive weight loss. I was so angry! How could she be so selfish? For as long as I can remember, appearance was one of the most important things to my Lola. She would spend hours getting herself ready everyday; polished fingernails, makeup done just right, snazzy outfit, and not a hair out of place. Always on some new-fangled miracle diet to ensure she kept her girlish figure. Due to the lack of any food in her system, the hydrochloric acid started to break down her stomach lining instead.
And after having gone through months of Radiation and Chemotherapy, there was nothing more that could be done. The cancer was spreading and it seemed relentless; determined to finish what it started.
Thanksgiving 2008, rather than recovering from food comas, my family and I spent the day packing and picking up a few last minute items. Immediately after loading up people and luggage we hit the road. he visually breath-taking, yet all too familiar drive down Pacific Coast Highway 1 to Los Angeles International would be at least an hour so we had to get going. Mom, Lola, and my younger sister Laura’s flight to Manila was at and they had to be at Tom Bradley International by no later than . The car ride was long, silent and the tension was undeniably present. All my passengers stared intently out their windows to avoid conversation with one another, or even make eye contact.
Resentment and anger oozed from my pores, and everyone did whatever they could to not set off the ticking time sitting behind the wheel. Did their flight have to be today? Are they really flying home without me? Does she really have cancer? Did she really let her vanity get this far? She was, and had always been a beautiful woman. She was the only person who didn’t see it!
6:50, I merged onto the departure flights lane joining the throngs of cars in the maze better known as LAX. It was as if someone picked up the remote control of life and hit fast forward. Lanes were jam packed; confused first timers switching in and out being hollered at by airport employees in the right direction. On the sidewalk, bold pedestrians waiting with bags in tow, for an opportunity to make their way to the other side.
I pulled up to an unloading area just to the right of the terminal entrance because any closer would’ve been way too chaotic. All I wanted was to get these people and bags out of my car and go home. Redmond, my little brother, was the first hop out. We had to move quickly to avoid being scolded by airport police. Redmond and Laura ran to the back of the car to unload while I gathered some quarters to grab a luggage cart. After a few minutes of strategic cramming, we were able to get everything loaded up.
By now, Lola looked and moved like a partially deflated balloon. Her skin hung from her bones and she could only muster up enough energy slowly shuffle toward her destination. Bundled in what looked to be at least four layers of clothing and her head covered by a red beanie, I picked Lola up her seat in the car and helped her into a wheelchair. She was a lot heavier than she looked; her hand gripped one of my arms for stability. I was still fuming; I refused to look anyone in the eyes and nearly left without saying goodbye.
Just before getting into the car she called out to me, and as much as I didn’t want to, I turned back. She stood up from her wheelchair to hug me goodbye.
“Be good ha, I love you,” she said “you become a nurse, you’re smart enough.”
That was the first thing she had said to me in weeks! Ever since I found out about my grandma’s illness our relationship suffered. We very rarely spoke, and she would deliberately do things to push my buttons. I was angry at her for getting sick. I was fully convinced that it was something that she did to herself, and she was angry at me for feeling that way.
At that moment, a calm seemed to wash over me. I realized that I wasn’t angry at her, I was at the fact that she was dying and I didn’t know how to deal with it. She was, and will always be one of the most influential women in my life and the goal isn’t to become a nurse. It’s to carry out my grandmother’s last request.
I very rarely use my phone for it's actual purpose. Monthly, I use less than 100 minutes of talk time. This is all thanks to texting. In fact, more often than not, I will ignore a person's phone then immediately text them afterward instead. There are specific reasons why I opt to text. One being the abilitly to multitask. If I've got my ear attached to my phone, it's really hard to do other things. For instance, say I'm sitting in my room listening to music while reading a magazine and I get a phone call. I have to pause my music, stop reading, and answer. That's no fun! Carrying on a conversation via text message allows me to do all three things simultaneously. Also, I think it's better for the other person because they don't get upset at you for not giving them your undivided attention. The other reason is because texting is a little impersonal. That may not sound awesome, but hey, it's the truth. It's much easier to text someone something that may be difficult to say in person. When I say that I don't mean break up with your significant other via text, but if you don't wanna hang out with someone on a particular day, text away. It's harder for someone to peer pressure you through a text message compared to over the phone or in person. One last thing, your mom sending a text message in all caps is waay better than being yelled at. haha So in closing, I fully support text messaging. Just don't text apologies, (cause that's lame) and don't text while driving.
Voyeurism, in my opinion, is the reason why reality TV has been able to grab a hold of Americans by the nostrils and take them along for the ride. It’s like slowing down when you see a car accident, or walking out to your front yard at the sound of sirens. People like to know what other people are doing.
When people stop being polite… and start getting real. MTV’s hit show “The Real World” is my earliest memory of reality TV. The idea behind it was to see what it was like to have six strangers live, work, and play together for six months. Back then, it was such a new concept that the term reality show didn’t even exist. Although there are new seasons of “The Real World” premiering every few months, the vibe of the show now is a far cry from season one back in 1992. There is less focus on human interaction and the growth of friendships and relationships and so much more on sex, alcohol, and girl fights. For that reason alone, I’ve completely lost interest in watching the show and think it’s stupid that random 20-somethings get famous for being on TV partying and acting a fool. MTV also airs a show called “16 and Pregnant”. This show I have mixed feelings about. Yes, it can be an eye-opener for sexually active teenagers who don’t think that they can get pregnant or think that pregnancy is a fairytale, but other teenagers may see that show and think that it’s okay to be pregnant at such a young age. Hey, they may even become famous from it. Some reality shows aren’t even all that real. I mean, how many guys out there openly date 15 women simultaneously and have all the girls be kosher with it? No way man, so not real!
With that said, I can’t deny that I am still a fan of reality shows. There is such a cornucopia of options, how can they be avoided.?! Unlike shows that focus on stupid people doing stupid things, there are definitely reality shows out there with a greater purpose. Shows like Intervention or Addicted give us, the general public, a glimpse into the lives of people who deeply struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. The audience gets the opportunity to see what life is like perspective of the addicted person, but the people who are being documented are given the opportunity to fight their addictions and improve their lives. There are reality shows that build homes for families who’ve been through some hardship and even shows that teach you how to survive being stuck in the desert for a few days.
As for its affect on our society, there are both positives and negatives that come with this new genre of television. It seems as though negative behavior is rewarded with fame and money. This can influence younger generations who buy into that and cause them to act a fool too. Reality shows give us the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes for twenty-four minutes and they can amplify or break stereotypes. So, as long as the bad can be filtered out, reality TV can be both entertaining and educational. Just stay away from “Jersey Shores”
As a kid, I was fortunate to have a stay at home mom who had a knack for cooking so there were home cooked meals nearly everyday. Back then, trips to fast food restaurants were a very rare indulgence for my family and was usually initiated by my dad. He would have us all load into the car, make a stop at an In-N-Out Burger to pick up three meals, one for he and my mom to share, one for my older brother, and another for me and my little sister, just before making our way to the local beach for a day of relaxation and sun bathing. If it was hot enough, he'd get us kids a couple of strawberry milkshakes to share. In-N-Out was always where we went because it was my mom's favorite spot. who even knows why, they didn't even have fun toys. This happened maybe once or twice a month but usually only in the summer. It was always something my siblings and I looked forward to because it gave my family a chance to hang out together, something that was pretty difficult for my dad to manage due to the demands of his career. When I was in junior high school, my mom decided to get a job and although she still cooked on a regular basis I found that fast food was more prevalent in my diet but only because that's what all my friends were familiar to. During, and a few years after high school, the majority of the food I was eating was fast food. I was highly involved in extracurricular activities so there were always food runs at random hours of the day and we were more concerned about how much food we could get with the least amount of money. The amount of fat and empty calories we were ingesting at one sitting never crossed our minds.
After a few years of reckless eating, I've come to my senses. I was lucky enough to have my mom pass down her ability to cook to me and I now cook not only for myself, but for my friends and family also. Despite them being healthier, home cooked meals are waaay cheaper than fast food and you have complete control of the level of sanitation during the cooking process (ever checked out the movie Waiting?! .. yuck!). I like trying to recreate dishes I see on restaurant menus or putting a healthier twist on traditional Filipino food, which can be artery clogging bad if you let it. Nowadays, I very rarely eat fast food, but who can resist a sixty cent cone every once in a while :)
Prior to moving here to Califorina at the age of 5, I was living on Naval Base Subic Bay in Zambales, Philippines. Living on an American military base in my native country gave me the unique opportunity to be exposed to two completely different cultures simulatneously. At 5, it was my family's turn to go; my dad was stationed to Camp Pendleton in San Diego then to Naval Base Port Hueneme where he stayed through to retirement. I went through grade school in Port Hueneme then went to Channel Islands High School. High School was the most fun yet most awkward time of my life. Trying to figure yourself out while trying to figure out where you fit in with everyone else turned out to be quite an adventurous learning experience.
Although my life isn't as simple now, I still manage to enjoy and appreciate it all. I currently work in the military base in the Travels Department. It isn't my dream job but I like what I do and very much enjoy the people I work with. Weekends and holidays off aren't bad either. I'm slowly but surely going back to school with the goal of becoming a birthing nurse. I still live my family but it feels more like a house full of friends. The youngest child in my family is my 17 year old brother who is more like my son. It wasn't always the best houshold to be in, but it's awesome now.
Once I've accomplished my career goal of becoming a nurse, I'll be making my way back to San Diego where I want to establish myself. Although I intend on doing more traveling, San Diego is where I want to be rooted. A family of my own is a welcomed idea but it isn't that important to me right now. Whatever happens, I want to healthy, happy, and always laughing.
