Volunteering

So over the weekend I did my volunteer hours. It was really quite an experience for me. I worked with an animal shelter through Petsmart and took part in taking care of cats and dogs that were either strays or were abandon. I also helped several dogs and cats get adopted by several different people I have a very soft spot in my heart for animals, I use to have a dog but unfortunatly she was hit by a car about a year ago, so now I only have my two cats whom I absolutly adore. Living with animals is so benefical for people. Anyone who has a pet or who has previously owned one knows how much joy and happiness they bring you. I wanted to give something back to the cats and dogs but helping them each find a home. Working at the Safe Harbor animal shelter really made me feel good about myself. Not only did I help dogs and cats get adopted, but it just made me feel good taking care of them. There was one puppy in particular that just broke my heart because she got hit by a car and lost her leg. However, I found a family who was intrested in adopting her and are suppose to come back and tell me if they got her. I think that anybody who likes animals should volunteer at a shelter. It is one of the best feeling just knowing that you made a difference in their lives.

Thankful

After listening to Mr. Laroza speak about the school that he teaches at it really made me think how greatful I am to go to such a great school. He told us about how kids don't put effort into school like they should. He mentioned how there is a fight in the school and how he has witnessed drug deals and how people use profane language and mistreat their peers. Just listening to him tell his life story about how he grew up with his siblings and how his mother was juggling 3 jobs while at the same time taking care of her children. Not only did life seem hard for Mr. Laroza but I can't imagin how hard it must have been for his mother, being an immigrant from Sicily, having three jobs, and taking care of her children. I takew where I live and where I go to school for granted. Sometimes I think why does this school have to be so hard it's not fair when in reality there are a handful of kids in this world who are striving just to get an education. I think that everyone should realize how lucky we have it and be thankful for the opportunities we have.

Rich and Poor

Why do people strive to be rich why can't we all just be happy where we are? If you are financially stable why would you want to change your social class. In the video that we watched today they showed people that lived in Morgantown, Kentucky. These people were not considered to be wealthy however they did have money and were happy were they were. Some people donh't even like to accept the fact that they have money. Instead of showing it off like some people do they prefer to drive around in old beat up cars or wear clothes that came from a thrift store. Americans pay so much attention to being rich and wanting that feeling of prestige. The American dream is all about working till you get to the top or until you succeed. But is the American Dream really everything? I believe that everyone deserves to be well off however, I think that we should make do with what we have. I think instead of going out and buying a lamborghini or a ferrari we should get something a little less expensive and donate some of it to people who actually need money. The best types of people are the one's who have money but they are unpretentious about it.

Inmates

After watching "30 Days" it really changed my perspective on what jail was like. In the movies they make jail seem like hell when in reality jail isn't as bad as it seems. Yes you associate yourself with some crazy people but there are pleanty of police officers there to protect and watch each inmate. And even though these men and women spend days upon days being stuck inside they serve their time in a constuctive humanly way. A lot of these people want to turn their lives around, they want to become better people and live like normal people. In the movie they showed each of the men having a group discussion about how they deal with their problems and what they can do to help themselves. Watching this movie changed my perspective on the inmates. I was always intimidated by the thought of inmates but I believe it is a social misconception. I think that people just automatically think that these people are low lives and they will never have a chance in the real world. I however disagree. One of the inmates Travis was addicted to heroine for 10 years and he finally tried turning his life around by going to rehabe, he even planned on getting a job after he got out of jail. I believe everyone deserves a second chance to turn their life around, and I thoroughly believe that inmates are misunderstood by others.

Drugs

So on Friday we did the whole activity where we ranked where drugs should be and where they should be placed in our society. I was kind of surprised when I saw where people ranked certain types of drugs. For instance caffeine was ranked as a 4 meaning it was classified as one of the worst illegal drugs. As oppose to marijuana which was classified as a 2 meaning it should be an over the counter drug. Now clearly I don't agree with caffeine being a 4 considering there is caffeine in a lot of good products such as soft drinks and coffee. I however think that marijuana should not be illegal. I think they should legalize it for medicinal purposes and for those who choose to smoke it. I think it should be treated like alcohol. If you choose to do it at least be smart about it. I am not a marijuana user but I am for legalizing it I believe people should be allowed to purchase it at age 21 but only in certain amounts. As for other drugs like heroine, meth, cocaine, pcp, and extacy I believe that all of those drugs should be banned and should never be legalized just because of the effect it has on people. Like the inmate Travis from the video, he was going through withdraw from heroine and it really messed his life up.

Is age equal to society

So in class the other day we were talking about how in our society you have to be of a certain age in order to do certain things. For instance you have to be 16 to drive a car 18 to vote, buy cigarettes, go into a bar, ect and you have to be 21 to drink. I just think that our society is rediculas in this aspect. At 18 you are a legal adult. You can go off to war, you can live on your own but you can't have an alcholic drink. In Germany you are allowed to buy alcohol at age 16. I feel like if we changed our rules people wouldn't get in as much trouble. For instance if we changed the drinking age to 18 people would not get into as much trouble because they have access to what they want at an appropriate age. 18 is the age you are a legal adult not 21. Since the drinking age is 21 more and more teens are illegally drinking. Point being they are doing anything they can to get their hands on alcohol. By the time they are 21 they will be so happy that they can finally access alcohol legally that they will abuse their privileges and drink uncontrolably. This could result in severe consequences or even death. This is why I believe that we should be able to drink at 18,because by the time we are 21 we would already have experienced what alcohol is and what it can do to you.

the media destroying our culure

I couldn't believe my eyes after watching that Dove video about the model who got a complete digital makeover. It didn't even remotely look like the same person. They changed her complextion, stretched her neck to look longer, made her lips look more full, widened her eyes, arched her eyebrows higher, and thinned her face out. And we wonder why our perspective of beauty is distorted. America has a very superficial view on what beautiful is. In the media's eyes beauty means looking very thin while at the same time having curves. Women go to jurastic measures to look what as they view beautiful. They have breast implants, they get botox surgery, pretty much women will go under the knife just to look good. It is at a very crucial stage because now girls as young as age 9 are noticing all these models in the media and are wanting to look like them. Because of the media more and more girls are developing an eating disorder such as bolemia, or anorexia. I like the Dove ads because it shows everyone what a normal women look like. I believe that the Dove commericals raise girls and womens self-esteem and helps them accept who they are. Back in the 1940's Marilyn Manroe was considered a sex icon and beautiful. In today's standards Marilyn Manroe would be considered fat because she was a size 11-12. And for males they are always pushed to look fit and look masculen. It's a lot of pressure on males because they feel like they need to constently be working out to get girls to like them. The media wants young males to think that their body is the key to get girls. If you're not buff like Brad Pitt then you won't get a girl which is not true at all. I just think that it's absolutley rediculous that the media gets away with showing these kind of things on T.V. People should love who they are no matter what they look like.

masculine or femanine?

This week we discussed how people view masculenity and femanism and how it plays a role in not just adults but even children as young as 9 years old. At a young age girls are looked upon as docile and extremely vulnerable. Boys on the other hand are expected to be tough and show no pain. Also in our culture if a boy cries he is looked at as a baby whereas if a girl were to cry it would be acceptable just because she is a girl. For girls they are suppose to not play in the mud or play with action figures, they are suppose to quietly play with their dolls in their room. When I was younger I always was around my older brother either playing basketball outside or playing street hockey with him and his friends. I did play with stuffed animals and enjoyed other toys like my Easy Bake oven, but I hated playing with dolls. I was very much so influenced by my brother. I believe that we way our mentality is set on gender is very unhealthy. If girls are always thought to be quiet and docile and if boys are thought to be tough and not to cry, then they are going to have such an unstable mind because they are supressed emotionally and mentally. Even as we grow older we are still in the same state of mind only it is altered a little bit. According to the media the thinner the girl is the sexier she is. The more buff the male is the sexier he is. All of this is based off of genetic structure and how we suppose to be. The upsetting thing is if people don't meet these standards then they are looked upon as a looser. School shootings happen because certain students felt like they had no control or didn't feel like they were treated well because they were different then everybody else. In the movie that we watched today in class, one murderer stated, "murdering someone is gutsy and daring." males want to show dominace and bravery to be accepted. Statistics show that females are not as violent then males are in which I believe because I think that males hold in their emotion because they don't want to talk about their feelings as oppose to females who almost talk daily to at least one person about how they feel about something. I firmly believe that our perspective on gender should change.

Our Society

After viewing the movie "Bowling For Columbine" it made me realize how scary our society is. Not only do we have a high murder rate due to guns but because of the gun access in our country we have had school shootings, and multiple people have been shot or have accidentally shot themselves while jokingly playing with a gun. In the movie that we watched they showed the victims of the Columbine incident and their wounds after they were shot. And they showed one student who was shot and is now permanently parazlyed from the waste down. Many young males in our society are influenced by gang members or killers in the media, and by watching these young men shoot people it influnces them to do the same. If we continue to have guns that are simple to get we are going to have the highest murder rate in the world. I use to live in Kentucky and I was about six years old and I remember during recess my friend and I found a rifle gun in a sewer grate. Any child could've picked it up and seriously have hurt themselves. We have too many guns in our country. I think that guns should only be used for the army or if you live in an unsafe area. And guns shouldn't be sold at Walmart or K-Mart they should be sold in a shop that is more secluded to the society. One that really surprised me in the movie was how they blamed Marilyn Manson and his music. Because he is a heavy metal artist they blamed him for all of the shootings that happend. They thought his music influenced people to act violent. This movie just really surprised me and made me realize how our society is and how my danger there is.

Happiness

After we watched "Tuesdays with Morrie" how our society views happiness. yea we might say we are content with ourselves because we have money and we have a stable job. But in reality so many people are not happy because American's are overworked. We have no time for ourselves anymore. We are all about being successful and being the best. In order to be happy our mentality is based off being number one, if we come in second we act like its the end of the world. As Morrie said "What's wrong with being number 2?" Despite what happened to Morrie he still lived life to the fullest. He enlightened those who needed enlightment and he taught people how to live. His friend Mitch was a typical American business man who was always working and never had time for himself until he started talking to Morrie again. Morrie showed and explained to him how much enriching and fulfilling it is to be alive and to enjoy being accompanied by loved ones. I think Morrie's life lessons should be honored and rememebered by everyone

Doing "Nothing"

So over the weekend I did my "nothing assignment" I thought hmm this is going to be a peice of cake I'll just stand there and do nothing no problem. I got to work and as usual it was crowded as ever. I worked for about 2 hours and then I was on break. I went through a crowd of people trying to find the best place possible for me to do my assignment. I finally found my spot and just stood there starring off into space. All in all I thought it was very relaxing. Because I had nothing to think about all the noise of children screaming and people talking about their day all just kinda drowned out. Occasionally I was interupted by several customers asking me "where do I pay for my pumpkins?", or "where do get corn or tomatoes?" One of my co-workers was on break with me and she came up to me and waved her hand infront of my face asking me if i was ok. When I was done with my assignment I relized that everyone is programed to look like we are occupied. What ever happend to using your imagination or cleansing your mind and relaxing? Our society is all about being fast and getting everything done in a matter of time. It's everywhere in America Dunkin Donuts slogan is "America runs on Dunkin" and underneath their slogan the have a cartoon business man running with a coffee cup. And the Dominoe's pizza slogan is "you've got 30 minutes" implying that they have 30 minutes to deliver a fresh pizza to your house. Not only is this an unhealthy life style but we are all just forgetting what its like to enjoy life. We are so wound up everything that we just can't enjoy simple things anymore. I am a victim of this my day revolves around school, field hockey, work, homework, eating, and sleeping. I think everyone needs to take a mental health day :)

Culture differences

It interesting how different cultures around the world are. I remember when I was visiting my family in Turkey thinking how interesting the culture there was. Unlike in the United States when you meet a Turkish person they will kiss you on both sides of you cheeks as oppose to a hand shake. Like Japan Turkey also had some toilets that were just a hole in the ground. I also remember being woken up at the crack of dawn listening to people pray over a loud speaker so the entire town could hear and pray aswell. It took me awhile getting us to all of this but I personally find Turkish culture very cool. They have some similar thing to America for intance people like to smoke to be social. In America we usually smoke cigarettes but in Turkey they smoke hookah. I also really enjoyed the Turkish cuisine. I really enjoy experiencing different cultures around the world. In my opinion diversity is very enriching.

A Bronx Tale

I loved that movie A Bronx Tale it really showed life lessons. It showed how much C's father and Sunny, C's role model influenced C's life. C's father tried to teach him what he viewed was the right way to grow up and the right way to treat others. While on the other hand Sunny was more power hungery in the sense he wanted everyone to fear him and his gang. Then once he met C at a young age he taught C how to protect himself and how to be a gangster. C was pulled in two different directions and wasn't sure which one was the right one for him. He later then balanced out between both his father and Sunny. Unlike Sunny C couldn't fight people because he knew it was wrong and he didn't want to harm anyone. However unlike C's father C was not prejudice. I just thought how interesting it was throughout the movie to see C grow up and how he was like both his father and Sunny. I thought to myself how much people have an influence on your life. One person is all it takes to turn your life around. That's exactly what happened in A Bronx Tale, C changed tremedously after meeting Sunny. Ever since we were little our parents always influenced us to make the best choices as possible for us, but is it really the better choice? If we hang out with someone that our parents don't approve of is it really bad? C's father highly disliked Sunny but in the end Sunny saved C's life. So my question is are all parents right when the tell their children to keep away from a certain person?

Influences

So Friday we had the whole discussion about groups and social structure. The groups that I put down were friends from Stevenson, family, and my friends that are in college. About a year ago I would've said that my friends define me, now I'm not so sure. I have grown and changed a lot in the past year and I relized that my family has had the biggest influence on me my entire life. I learned all my morals from my mom and dad. My older brother has had such a big influence on me ever since I was little he has always protected me and been there for me. He also taugh me a lot of valuable things like how to stick up for myself and how to fight :). I have a good relationship with my brother. Another person who influenced me a whole lot throughout my life was my mom. She taught me good values as well, like how to treat others and how to make better choices. So to summarize up my blog my biggest influence in life is definatly my family.

First day of school

My first day of school I was really nervous because everytime you walk into a new class you are alway anxious about who is going to be in it whether it's your best friend or a complete stranger. I'll be completely honest the first day I came to school with my head down. I had a few things on my mind that day. I had nobody that I knew in any of my classes, I was upset because my best friend had just left for college and I knew that I wasn't going to get to see him for a long time, and the entire idea that summer break was over. However as the day progressed my mood changed I met all of my teachers and I liked every single one of them. I also met some other kids in my classes which made me feel more comfortable in the classroom atmosphere. Then I thought to myself why am I being like this? This is my senior year this year is suppose to be fun. Even though I didn't have any of my friends in my classes it shouldn't bring me down. It's good to be around new people because you get to know people that you never knew about! and that's exactly what happend with me. All in all my first day turned out well :)

Last nights reading... (Gang Leader For A Day)

So I just finished reading "Gang Leader For A Day" and I had a few things that I just wanted to self reflect on. After reading this story it made me think of a few things: how much I appreciate where I live, how thankful I am for having a loving family who provides me with food, shelter, and clothing, and how thanful I am to be able to go to school to get an education. It's just sad hearing how these people live in this story, like how they explained how there are so many poor African Americans who live in these bad areas they call "the ghetto." It also is sad how they referred to eachother as "nigger" growing up I was taught that the word "nigger" was profane and extremely disrespectful. I had a couple of questions running throught my head while I was reading this story, one that popped in my head a lot was why were these young black men compelled to be so violent? It's just a horrible way to live feeling like everyday your going to have to kill someone. All and all though this story was good I enjoyed reading about how these men treated Sudhir Venkatesh when he entered their neighborhood and how they thought about him.

Who am I

My name is Melisa. I am a senior in high school. I am on the JVA field hockey team. I love music, I listen to every type rock, rap, reggae, techno, salsa, pop, metal etc. I love going to the beach and going to the city. I have an older brother who is in college. In my spare time I mostly hang out with my friends. I currently work as a cashier at a small farm. I am a pretty optimistic person, I try to help others that are less fortunate whether its donating food to a shelter or donating money to various charities. I love meeting new people and trying out new things. My 2 best friends are the biggest influences to my life they are like family to me :). My goal in life is to be successful and happy. I am working on pursuing a career in the culinary field. I want to either be a baker or a chef.