Last one!

I’ve had another account for blogger in the past so it wasn’t dreadful. Except when we had to discuss about certain topics relating to books we’ve read in class and such. I have a different blog now, and it’s pretty entertaining because you can easily express yourself. I think blogs are like journals in a way, where you can keep track of certain events in your life. Except blogging is a lot faster than actually writing in a journal. You also have the ability to insert certain pictures, videos, and links.
Through the blogging experience in class, I enjoyed reading other classmates blogs. I know they’re supposed to share stories in their blogs with certain topics, but it was nice to see how depth they went into their posts. It’s also clear to see some people really got into the subject because few people had a long post.
I hope you guys do well and good luck on the final this week.
& have a great break off from school for a month.
Enjoy your holidays (:

Big Show

The last time I had a great time was when I went on a double date up to Cal State Northridge to see an artist, Big Sean perform. My best friend of five years attend CSUN and she invited me to the Big Show including my boyfriend. When my boyfriend went home after work to refresh himself, he picked up and headed to Northridge. I was excited because I enjoy Big Sean’s music and I was able to see my best friend who I had not seen for a month or so. Plus I was able to take tour in her new apartment. The whole car ride, I was pumped up and singing while my boyfriend drove. When we arrived, my best friend and her boyfriend greeted us and chatted a little to kill time since it was 5pm and the show started at 7pm. Around 6:30, we left her apartment and waited in the most crowded and long line I’ve ever seen. When we entered the performing area, the first thing I saw was a huge wall glowing in the dark on the side. They had brushes and glow paints so people were able to draw on the wall. To the other side, there were bunch of food trucks. Straight ahead was the stage. The crowd was so huge that it was impossible to go to the front of even in the middle of the crowd. When Big Sean came up on the stage, the multiple color of lights lit up as razors beamed, and crowd were raised their hands screaming. However, the crowd’s hype went down as he started performing songs because people only knew songs from the radio. I was just in my own world singing and screaming along to his songs. I’ve had few people turn to look back at me because I was pretty loud. During the performance my boyfriend carried me on his shoulders because I couldn’t see since I was too short. Honestly, the crowd sucked because they were really quiet, but I had a great time. On our way back to Oxnard around midnight, my boyfriend and I stopped by IHOP because we were hungry.

Caramel

If you guys love caramel and Starbucks coffee, you guys should try out Caramel Brûlée Latte. I love anything caramel, so when I tried the drink, I was so happy. At first I tried the Caramel Brûlée Frappuccino, which was cute because they sprinkle these harden caramel on top of the whip cream. If you drink the regular caramel frappuccino from Starbucks, you’ll be able to tell the difference. The Caramel Brûlée has a toasty scent if that makes sense. The second time, I got the latte instead of frappuccino I was more satisfied with the latte than the frappuccino probably because it’s been cold lately. I don’t want to drink a cold drink on a cold day. The latte, the barista also puts whip cream (if you wanted) and sprinkle the harden caramel also. The only downfall to this drink or the Caramel Brûlée Latte is that I can’t sleep at night. I’m perfectly fine with frappuccinos but if I drink a latte, I will not be able to sleep at night. All of the times I’ve had it, I couldn’t sleep till 4 or 5 in the morning. So if I were to drink it, I have to prepare myself because I’m going to be sitting around in my room till five in the morning. Despite the fact I won’t be able to sleep, I still order my drink because I‘m hooked on it. I feel like I’m the only one who loves this drink though, people around me don’t care for caramel drinks. It’s worth a try. I still have yet to try to their seasonal drinks because they‘re only for a limited time, but I can’t let go of the Caramel Brûlée. I wonder if their salted caramel taste any different. Do you guys like any of their seasonal drinks, or recommend any?


I forgot to post which was my truth in the two posts before, or so.
The truth was I broke my ankle from skating :(
if you guys wanted to know.

Fast Food Nation

In the Fast Food Nation, it provided the truths behind each fast food corporation and industries that contribute to the corporations. I never expected or thought about a horrible working place for companies that were contributing to the fast food restaurants. Workers had no safe environment during their labor and minorities were taken advantage of. While fast food corporations and any companies that were providing the food for them were making a good profit, the fast food movement had cause many independent ranchers and farmers to lose their jobs. It really has opened my eyes and built my knowledge on how unhealthy and disgusting fast foods can be. Although I knew it was unhealthy to begin with, I never thought the foods contained unknown chemicals, and pretty much eating every animals and their waste. I want to say I will stop eating meat, or stop going to fast food restaurants, but I think it’s impossible because it has been in my diet for so long. However though, I most definitely will not touch any fast foods burgers because I did not enjoy burgers anyway, and there is no way I‘d want to consume any burgers into my body. (Unless they’re cooked by my mother). I may not completely stop going to fast food restaurants, just because fast food restaurants has always been the spot to hang out with my friends, but I won’t be visiting often. This book most definitely has inspired me to just eat at home and cook for myself. Then I will know what I’m actually putting into my body and it will not be as harmful as any food listed on the menu at fast foods. Without realizing, corporations had taken the power of workers and consumers for their own interest. And we were blindly contributing to their profits while consumers suffered from health problems and workers suffered from injuries and mistreatment.

Fall semester '12

This fall semester is my second year of college. This semester I am taking five classes/ fourteen units. Surprisingly, I am somehow getting through pretty well. It sucks having to go to classes everyday (Monday through Friday) and I have eight in the morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I’m off before 12:30 so it’s tolerable. I don’t really have any homework other than my English class and sometimes to participate in discussions for my political science class. But these past few weeks, I feel like I have so many things to do in such a short time. Probably because on Monday I have an in class essay for political science and I have to describe the making of Constitution with detailed events, people, and plans that were taken in place. Also, I need to start on my English essay and my research paper.
When it comes to exams, such classes like geography and health, it’s overwhelming. For geography class, first of all, it starts at eight in the morning. I’m not all there and I have the hardest time focusing in that class because I’m sleepy and I’m not interested in the subject. Her exams aren’t hard as long as you’ve done the exercises and look over the course outline. I feel like it’s a lot to remember though, because her exams are part multiple choice and another is a writing portion. And in my health class, the whole lecture, we are constantly taking notes. When the time for exams come, it covers probably around six chapters. Although she gives us a study guide, I feel like I’m going crazy because her exams are usually 80 to 100 questions. Night before my exams for both classes, I honestly stay home all day and study. I didn’t score the grade I wanted for my first geography exam, but that was due to my irresponsibility of not studying. Other exams though for both classes, I’ve managed to earn a pretty good grade.
I have to admit, since I’m not used to attending school Monday through Friday anymore, and for a person like me that loves the fluffy bed, I tend to get really lazy. What motivates me though, to keep up with my education is the people around me. Since I’m the eldest, I feel rather pressured to make sure I succeed and to not disappoint my parents because I feel like they have high expectations from me. Another is I can’t wait to transfer, earn my degree and get a financially stable job where I can live on my own.

Which is the truth?(:

1. I am half Japanese and half Korean
2. I drive a red Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
3. I need to drink a glass of milk before I go to sleep.
4. I’ve broken my ankle from skating.
5. My favorite character is Hello Kitty.
6. My closet is filled with pink.

Mr.West

One of my favorite artist is Kanye West. This song, “All Falls Down”, is in fact my favorite. The lyrics to this song is not about what you hear on the radio now a days in the hip hop industry; It’s not about how successful the artist is, or how many girls one have around them. If you pay attention to the lyrics, it’s about how the society works, and things he mention is true. I’ll have to admit though, not all of his songs have great meaning like this song. He’s in a music industry, so he does have some songs that portray the “hip hop” genre in this generation to keep up with the hype.
I find a bit irritating when I ask people if they like or listen to Kanye West and their response is, “No because of his narcissistic personality” or “his egotistic personality”. He’s an artist so I was referring to “like” as an “like his songs/enjoy his music”, not “like him as a person”. Another irritating part is these people who supposedly do not like him, has his music on their audio player or become a complete maniac when his song comes on the radio.
I guess I’m just a little fan girl.

Changed view

In high school, I’ve never paid attention nor cared for politics. When I was under the age of eighteen, I’ve never took interest in politics. I had a view of regardless of our votes, government will continue to be corrupt because people in the country does not have the full knowledge of government’s action behind the doors. Sometimes our rights or our freedom is taken away unfairly by the wealth and any representatives in the government. I felt that since the government, or even some conservatives in the society with the authority in certain areas, such as principals or police, would go against some of the amendments from the constitution. I used to believe that as long as these type of people exist, no matter what we vote for, the country will not make any difference from previous years.
When I entered college, my perspectives in politics has changed. I’ve seen so many volunteers walking around searching for people to contribute to vote or sign a petition. Also, my views has changed because this semester I am taking political science, which is my favorite class out of the rest. My views didn’t change overnight but within three or four weeks into the class, I’ve realized my past thoughts on politics came from an uneducated mind. From someone who never deeply looked through the actual debates and not realizing many people are rising up against the government. I’ve came to a conclusion, after watching some films and paying attention to this upcoming presidential election, as long as we live in this country where our voice is supposed to be heard, as freedom of speech is covered by the very first amendment, I am actually realizing that the votes do count and make a significant difference. If people turned away and neglect the politics, democracy will lose its value and government will then have to take actions for the lost voice by the people. Then people in the country will view this governmental action as a tyranny when it was our fault that we did not examine the politics. Ever since I started attending college and taking my political science class, I am taking more interest in politics.

Fambam

I live in a chaotic household. My family consists of my step father, mother, and four younger siblings. In my past blog entry, I've mentioned about my step father. The first couple of years of living with my new father, everything seemed okay. However as I started growing up and started having an addition to the family, I’ve realized I have no relationship with my father. I feel resistant to communicate with him because of the way he presents himself towards me. I started noticing the way he interacts with me and the rest of the family member is completely different. I do not appreciate the tone he uses or the words he uses with and only me. So when I’m home, I try to stay away from him as much as possible. I do appreciate what he has given me and yet still continues to give me, but I’d rather keep my distance from him.
However, with a negative, there’s a positive. The positive side of this family is my mother and my siblings. I always vent to my mother and she is always willing to listen to me. She is always willing to help me if I had an issue. My mother has defended me from my step father’s unnecessary actions. Ever since at a young age and still to this day, my mother seems like a super woman. Her big-hearted, strong-willed, independent character, who is not afraid to express herself, is my role model.
My younger siblings are the creators of chaos in the household. I have an eleven, a ten, and a eight year old sister and a six year old brother. The first two are at the ambitious age where they can’t wait to become a teenager and carry around cell phones. Their curiosity with boys are bigger than ever, and some of their questions are really hilarious. They’re always yelling at the younger ones because the two youngest rascals are very loud. The youngest sister and my little brother, both of them together are like chipmunks high on sugar. They’re constantly screaming, yelling, fighting, and laughing. All in five minutes. Sometimes my siblings get out of hand and they may cause some annoyance, but at the end of the day, their hugs and kisses cancels everything out. I love when I’m leaving the house, one says “bye” and the domino effect occurs. Or vise versa when I come home. Since I’m the eldest, it’s a bitter-sweet feeling watching them grow up so quickly.
All in all, I enjoy spending time with the young ones and my mother, perhaps sometimes my step father on rare occasions.

Essay #1

       Growing up in the household of two, I’ve never thought there would be an addition in the family. I grew up with my father nowhere in sight due to my parent’s divorce. My parents had a divorce around the age of two for his abuse in the relationship. Since I was very young, I have no memory of his appearance. I’ve never seen my biological father, even to this day, but I grew up happily with my mother in our apartment in Japan. Our apartment was pretty big just for the two of us. It had three rooms and a living room. One of the room was mine and it was filled with numerous amount of stuffed animals and dolls. I had so many toys that it was impossible to step into the room without injuring the stuffed toys. Even though I was surrounded by my toys, I never slept in my room because I preferred sleeping beside my mother.
My mother was very hardworking, caring, and loving. She had a daytime job at a local jewelry story and a night job at her bar. Her bar was located on the fifth floor of the building. There were times I would visit in the small bar. It had a karaoke box located at the corner. Many of the customers were police officers or owners of stores in the town. She worked all day to insure my happiness. I was very much spoiled by mother. She provided me so many things, equivalent to what a child would have with a father and a mother. I still remember she came home with a bag from the Disney store one day and she took out a Snow White dress made with velvet material. The dress had a dark navy blue on the chest area, bubbled up shoulder with candy apple red color, and the warm golden yellow for the skirt. My mother disciplined me to mature up with the right attitudes and manners while she spoiled me like a princess. Since my mother gave me an infinite amount of love, I’ve never felt sad about not having a father; I never cared for a fatherly figure. I was convinced that a child does not necessary need both parents as long as there was a strong love given by one. At a young age, I always imagined myself that I will stay in Japan with my mother.
Around the age of five, my mother had introduced me to this Hawaiian/Chinese man named Nelson, who spoke some Japanese. He was an air-craft mechanic in the Navy and he was stationed in Japan for his work. I started seeing this man quite often and he was starting to take part in family activities. We’d take a trip to out of town in his car to the amusement parks or to random places. His car was different from regular cars. He was a car fanatic and he’d go street racing on his spare time. His car was very petite; a two door with four seats. The paint was very shiny, the driver’s seat built to comfort and protect the driver, steering wheel had black rubber for the grip, parts attached like an actual racing car, and the sound of his engine was howling from the big muffler. He used to have me sit on his lap while he was driving around the neighborhoods so I could experience “driving”, although he was the one who was actually controlling the gas and the steering wheel.
Throughout the days, he would sometimes come over to the house to play video games or we‘d go out and he would carry me on to his shoulders. As the days passed by, I was becoming comfortable and starting to enjoy his presence. When I was entering my first year in elementary, then I’ve realized that their relationship was starting to get really serious. One night, out of curiosity I asked where Nelson was, instead of answering my question, my mother responded with, “You’ll have to start calling him ‘dad’ soon”.  I was in complete shock. I honestly do not remember the actual reason but I remember feeling more upset than happiness with the sudden news. Probably because my mother already had said “Yes” to his proposal without informing me.
In my second month of first grade, my mother left Japan to meet my now, stepfather’s parents and have their wedding ceremony in Hawaii. I was unable to tag along with them and attend the wedding due to school. So for that week when they were gone, my days were spent with my grandmother. When my parents had arrived back to Japan, they had another wedding celebration at my mother’s bar. The small bar was filled with family members and close friends laughing and screaming with joy. The party was very festive and my awkward feelings about my mother’s remarriage was replaced with pure happiness. My parents had asked me to make a speech which I gladly accepted. Although I do not remember what words came out of my mouth that night, I had entertained the guests.
I am now nineteen years old. Fourteen years of my life with my stepfather did not turn out great like I had originally imagined when my mother married this person, but I am thankful for him walking into my mother’s and my life. And also thankful for deciding to spend rest of his life with her so she can finally take a break from all of the hard work she has done in the past. I am now blessed with four siblings which makes the household very chaotic. I tend to forget that they’re “half sisters/brother” and although they are very energetic maniacs, they brighten my day. I enjoy watching these monstrous rascals grow up. Because I love this family so much, and ever since I was child, I never cared for my biological father. It never came to my mind to meet him. I do have the chance and the option to meet my biological father if I desire but, once again, I simply don’t care for it.
If my mother did not marry this man, I would not be here in California speaking English. I would’ve grown up to be the typical Japanese girl instead of a Japanese girl with an American citizenship. Most likely, I would’ve grown up in the town where I was born, probably still in the same apartment where my mother had raised me. I would’ve never imagined settling and attending college in California and typing this essay in my second language. All in all, my mother’s remarriage completely changed my life in a very positive way.

Interview

I have recently interviewed one of my classmate from English 101. Her name is Lulu Saldana. She lives with her parents and two brothers in Oxnard. Lulu’s hardworking mother is her role model and she is a role model to her ten year-old brother. Because her parents never attended college, it influenced her decision to attend college. Although she deals with procrastination, her motivation to attend college comes from the desire to transfer to CSUN and to be successful in life with her own place, a car, and a business degree. She is currently a full time student taking fifteen units. She is also part of soccer team which is one of the things she likes about Oxnard College.

http://luluisdabest.blogspot.com/

Texting

As the generation pass by and the technology continues to see an improvement, especially cell phones, seems to be that there is an increase in communication through texting. Texting is one of the common way to communicate with others. It’s faster than sending out an email and it is slower than making a phone call, which you can take your time to send out a reply. Hardly anyone makes phone calls anymore, unless they need a quick response. Although I am guilty of texting everyday, I do feel texting ruins the communication and writing skills in the world. First of all, some people will text by abbreviating or shortening words by taking out letters. These create issues of people not being able to spell the words correctly. Although most phones have an “auto-correct” or a “spell-check”, there are homophones so people are unable to identify which word to use correctly in a sentence. This reflects on writing skills. Secondly, texting is an informal way of communicating with people. There is no English teacher or anyone to criticize the way you talk with others. This also reflects on your writing style and also the way you actually present yourself in a conversation. Without the basic grammar knowledge, people are quick to judge of your intelligence. Lastly, because people are used to communicating with others behind their cell phones, these people will fear or feel awkward to communicate face to face. An important conversations that should be discussed in person may be done through texting because some people are afraid of what the others reaction might be or what they’re respond might be. Texting is also an easy way out from a serious conversations because people can choose to lag to respond or not respond at all. In conclusion, although texting is one of the best ways to stay connected with people, it does destroy communication skills.

Reality Shows

In this generation, entertainment plays a huge role in many of our lives. One of the entertainment is reality TV shows. People are often attracted to reality shows, even if it’s skeptical to believe it’s truly a “reality” show but, because of the chaotic events that happens in the show. Although we dislike being in part of unstable community filled with arguments and hate, we sure do enjoy watching other people in drama. I do come across some reality shows when my family or my friends are watching it, but since I hardly watch television, I hardly watch any shows. When I am watching a reality show rather than cartoons, I’m usually watching celebrity reality series. I can truly say though, even I feel like watching a reality show, which is rare, I never finish an episode. I don’t think I’ve ever continued watching more than fifteen minutes of it. The only show I watch is “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”. The main reason I watch that show is because I personally like Scott Disick for his humorous comments. Other than that, I usually do not enjoy reality shows because I feel that they are exaggerated and some episodes are rather tiring to watch. Watching reality shows makes me not want to interact with people because in the shows, some of their problems between one another are really unreasonable. I feel like many, if not all episodes are a repeat of constant arguments and relationship conflicts. However it is understandable why these shows gather certain casts that are completely different in order to create disaster because no one would bother watching a show where people are in peace. I believe reality shows can benefit and harm society. It could benefit society by giving a self-esteem or confidence in yourself that you’re able to manage certain situation better than some of the casts on the show. Or a simple relief of not having any drama in your life. However I do believe reality shows can also harm society. Reality shows display inappropriate actions and profanity by the casts. This affect the way young teenagers behave in their lives. It gives teenagers an idea that if they were to conduct themselves acting in inappropriate ways, they will gain admiration and popularity. Most reality shows are filled with alcohol and smoking so teens will fall into a higher curiosity of consuming alcohol and inhaling tobacco. Some girls will consider the idea that promiscuous way is the way to be; promiscuous way is the way to seek attention. And some reality shows will ruin the idea of “love” because many shows are filled with lust and words that are supposed to have a very deep meaning is just thrown around. I think reality shows harm the way teenagers conduct themselves and it also ruins their critical thinking. All in all, I don’t much avoid reality shows nor am I hooked on it. I simply don’t care for reality shows and when I feel like watching television other than cartoons on my rare occasions, I’ll result to my Kardashians.

Fast food

As a child, getting my favorite meal with a new toy seemed like the most amazing thing in the world. You can probably make an assumption that I went to McDonald’s quite often when I was a kid, due to the restaurant’s international hype throughout the generations. Well it is true, my mother often took me to McDonald’s usually after I got out of school. I always liked their chicken nuggets and that was the only thing I’d pick out from the menu, with fries and a drink of course. Still to this day, I've never eaten any of their burgers because I generally don’t like burgers. I enjoyed eating the golden, tender nuggets with a bit salty french-fries on the side. But what I enjoyed the most along with the meal was getting a toy. Since toys back then were neatly made with a good detailed design, I was always on a mission to collect the toys. If my parents didn't want to go to McDonald’s because they knew I wanted to go for the toys, then they took me to Burger King or Popeyes. In Japan, we don’t have Burger King or Popeyes unless you have an access to a military base. Since my step father is in the Navy, we often went to the food court for American fast foods. I didn't really care for Burger King, I never took interest in their toys and I just ate their chicken sandwich. And again, I never bothered on getting their burgers. Popeyes on the other hand, you can probably say this little girl was obsessed. Although I wasn't getting any toys, the huge fried chicken seemed like it was another amazing thing in the world when I was a kid.
Although I know fast food is unhealthy, I don’t think I can stay away from it. It's not much of an addiction but it has an easy access without spending so much money. I don’t go to McDonald’s, Burger King, or Popeyes like I used to when I was a kid. If I walked into McDonald’s, I only get their iced coffee or some vanilla cone. I usually never get their food anymore. And that’s probably because I’m on Jack in the Box train; I‘ve lost interest in other restaurants. Out of the many fast food restaurants in town, my number one pick is Jack in the Box since it’s everywhere and close by. It’s also the restaurant I go with my best friend when she’s in town from CSUN. Jack in the Box has been our gossip spot since sophomore year in high school. If I feel adventurous however, I also step into In-n-Out. As I mentioned, I never eat hamburgers from anywhere. But, I do enjoy In-n-Out’s animal styled burger. I don’t get it all the time as if it's my "usual" when I go there but In-n-Out is the only fast food restaurant I order my hamburgers from. When I’m not ordering any burgers, I am very guilty of eating their animal fries and sipping on their chocolate shake. It is very unhealthy but for us, teenagers, it’s a cheaper alternative than eating at an actual restaurant with group of friends. If I’m out with my friends, I’m probably at a fast food restaurant to satisfy our hunger. Now a days, even though my eating habits are not considered "good", I probably eat fast food once a week. But because school year started, that number might increase. I’m hoping that number doesn’t increase because it’s unhealthy and if I constantly step my foot in the fast food restaurant, it’ll hurt my wallet.

Past, Present, & Future

As time pass by, people’s way of living constantly change in someway, somehow.  Comparing myself from the past, although I cannot be flawless, I have matured to be a better person. I was born in Japan and with my mother’s remarriage to a military man, we had to leave my hometown. Our new “home” had became Oxnard, California. First couple of years, I honestly did not enjoy my time here due to the fact that lifestyle in the states was obviously different from Japan. I was socially awkward and I disliked interaction with others. I preferred staying home with my four siblings rather than attending school. However, when I entered my second year in high school, I’ve noticed myself coming out of my shell. I had way too many friends than I had expected. I was able to express myself freely without feeling a bit of awkwardness. Looking back, this experience made a huge impact in my life even if it started off as such a terrible event in my life.
Currently I attend Oxnard College. I am searching for another part time job because my current job is not offering good hours. Although I am not completely sure on what career I want to aim, I want my career to be beauty related. And since I am not sure on what career I’d like to have, my major is currently decided as business to play safe. I’m an introvert and I love the simple things in life, I usually enjoy my time alone or with few friends rather than going out with a crowd. However, I do enjoy social interaction with others even if I seem really quiet. I’ve recently got my license so I’ve been enjoying the ride in my black truck even though it’s a difficult to park due to the size. Other than that, I enjoy cosmetics and fashion because in my eyes, it’s another form of art to express yourself.
In the near future I’d like to transfer to a university to receive my bachelors in business. Preferably Cal State Northridge but that might change to the local Channel Islands depending on my situation with finance. After my degree, I plan on attending cosmetology school to earn a license so I can start working at any desired beauty places as a hairstylist or a make up artist. I’m good at not touching my savings but I also do a very good job on spending money. So I’d like to calm down on my shopping addiction because I have no room in my closet and I have too many things. Also, I’d like to become fully independent with myself so my parent’s does not have to struggle since they still have four more to get through. My ultimate goal is to be successful so I can return what my parent’s had provided for me and just live happily. I want to be able to say, “I love my life” even through hard times in life.