Family

            When the word family is said, my mom and dad come to mind. Having no brothers or sisters has made me an only child all my life. With that being said, my mom is and has always been my best friend, sister, and mom all in one. My dad on the other hand has never been as open with me and is more of a reserved person. However, since the three of us is all we have we stick together, help each other, and are always there for one another.

            Family to other people might mean aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. To me however, family is the people I have lived with since I was born, the people that raised me and loved me. Family isn’t just about the people that share the same blood as you. It goes much further than that. Family is about giving love and receiving it. One word I remember hearing as a child in a Disney movie was “Ojana”. Ojana means, “Nobody gets left behind or forgotten”. When I first heard that I felt like that saying just summed up the word in a simple way for me.

            Having my dad being sick often unites my family more. When he’s in the hospital I help my mom out at home while she is at work, knowing she will be tired by the time she’s out. She, in an attempt to get along better with me, doesn’t nag at me as much. She is more understanding while I am too more helpful and give her less trouble.

Through everything we have experienced and the struggles we are still faced with, we manage to make it through. Growing up has made me realize and taught me that there are certain responsibilities I just have to take up on. One of them, being, able to help out with the housework and helping with the bills. Family to me is everything; almost loosing my dad not once but twice has been more than enough to know I wont always have them around. Therefore while I have them here with me I must cherish and appreciate them, love them and show them how much they mean to me. Not many appreciate what they have until it is gone, and take them for granted. I have taken my family for granted at times, it’s sad to say but I have. Now however, I put them and will continue putting them first. My mom and dad the people that raised me and made me the person I am today are the people I owe everything to. 

Texting

Blog Entry #4

            Texting is something that mostly everyone knows how to do nowadays.  Ranging from mothers, grandmas, teenagers, to even children now! It is simply an easier and faster way to communicate with someone. Also, it is a way to communicate with someone when you don’t want to confront him or her in person, or over the phone. Texting provides the luxury of being able to communicate with anyone at any given time with a simple send of a message. When someone is busy, instead of having a missed call and not knowing what that person who called had to say, a message can be sent and him or her can read it when they have the time. While texting has its advantages I’d also have to say that texting can be harmful and dangerous. Being able to text someone takes away that feeling of actually hearing the persons voice and knowing if they’re happy, mad, or even upset. It is also dangerous in the sense that people text while driving even though it is now illegal.

            Having had a phone since I was in eight grade, I have been texting since. Back then, I texted more than I called because of the fact that we didn’t have unlimited minutes in our phone plan. However, nowadays I simply prefer calling or talking in person. It might make me old fashioned but I simply hate replying to my messages now. If that person has something important to say then I assume they will call me. Maybe it was all the texting I’ve done since I have had a phone or maybe I just grew out of it; whatever the fact texting is everywhere. It might not be for everyone but I do believe, even with its downsides, that it is helpful to know how to text, you never know when you might need it.

Reality Television

Blog #3

            In my case I don’t have much time to watch television, but when I do, yes I enjoy watching some reality television shows. When I say some I say it because most reality TV shows now are for example like Jersey Shore. Jersey Shore is nothing but partying, drinking, sex, drama. I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy watching it once in awhile because I did enjoy it at times. It was entertaining in a way yet stupid at the same time. There are other reality shows however, that I enjoy watching like The Hills, Project Runways, and Teen Mom. The reason I enjoy these is because even though they involve “drama”, they are also what in my eyes I call “real”. These reality television shows show the real struggles people in them go through, not just party and drink everyday and night. In ‘The Hills’ Lauren the main character goes to FIDM in pursuit of her dream to become a fashion designer while dealing with issues in her life that involve her friends. Project Runway is a reality TV show about people designing clothes and competing with each other. Now, many people dislike “Teen Mom” and I can see why, but in my case I enjoy watching it. To me it isn’t a show that encourages girls to get pregnant or that it is a luxury because it shows the real struggles these girls go through. When I started watching Teen Mom it actually made me NOT want to have children anytime soon. Seeing the girls go through heartbreaks because the guy didn’t want to be with them or vise versa, having them get kicked out and deal with money issues, struggling with school, all of that was enough for me to see how hard it was to raise and have a baby. That is the reason why I see these Shows as Real Reality TV shows and not just a “reality show” where you get paid to be in a house with other people to party, go out, and drink.

            Reality TV shows are in my view divided in those two categories; the real Reality TV shows and the ones for “entertainment.” I can’t say that I agree all Reality TV shows are harming our society because I’d be lying. I actually believe some do benefit our society like Teen Mom to show people how hard it is to raise a baby, especially at such a young age. Other ones are Reality TV shows like Project Runway, The Voice, etc. shows where people with the same passion compete to make their dream come true. However, Jersey Shore and shows like the Real World in my opinion are harming our society in a way that it teaches children/teens nothing but how fun it is to party. These so called Reality TV show go to the extremes of making things like sex and drinking look “cool”. 

Fast Food Nations

Blog #2

            Fast food as a young child played a huge part in my life, and at the time I didn’t even know it. I cant remember one weekend that I wouldn’t get one happy meal. At a point it was like playing a game to see who could collect the whole collection of toys. Of course I never got it all because most times the toys just repeated themselves. Another factor that kept me going back as I remember were the $1 chicken nuggets every Tuesday. Even though it was a huge part of my life at the time, it never has been or was for my parents.  I remember there being times when my parents wouldn’t want to take me and I would get so upset until they finally gave in and took me. The only place I would go as a child was McDonalds. The other places like Carl’s Jr., Burger King, etc. never once got my attention, not once. Was it the happy meals, Ronald McDonald that attracted me more to McDonalds? Probably. Whatever the reason though, at the time I truly believed that a happy meal would make me happy.

           

            I am ashamed to say this but growing up until now, my fast food habits have gone up. I enjoy eating fast food rather than home cooked meals. There are times when that subject causes an argument between my parents and me. Yes, I know I spend much more money buying fast food than eating at home, but to be honest I am tired of home cooked meals. I believe though that there will be a time when I get tired of eating fast food and start eating at home again. From the fries and Hi-C drink at McDonalds that I love, to the new Dorito Tacos at Taco Bell, new recipes and food are coming out and the advertising just draws people in. For those of you that are wondering, no I am not obese or overweight for that matter. Eating all this fast food just doesn’t make me gain weight; whether that’s a bad thing or good thing I still haven’t quite figured that out. The good thing is that I don’t gain weight, but fast food is sill unhealthy so I wonder what all this fatty food is doing to my body in the inside.  The reason fast food has suddenly become such a huge part of my life I believe is because with school and work I don’t have much time for anything, so pulling up next to a drive thru and just ordering without having to get off the car is such a quick and easy way to get food. Especially when I’m in a hurry from one place to another.

Past, Present, Future

Being an only child has always had its advantages and disadvantages. Growing up my dad was always in and out of the hospital, for one reason or another. Having no brothers or sisters made it hard because I had no one to share what I was going through with. My mom, on the other hand was always like the mom and dad of the family, two in one. One of the reasons I liked being an only child was that I got more things than most of my friends, and while they argued with sibling over clothes, toys, etc. I didn’t have to deal with that issue. Soon though, I realized that material things didn’t make up for loneliness.

            Almost turning 19 now, I can say I am independent. Yes I still live with my parents, but also work and go to school full time. Having 4 classes and working is not easy, but I’ve learned to manage my time. Making sure to always buy food, and help my parents with bills is one of my priorities. This past year I also found the guy of my dreams. The type of guy that still opens the door for me, pulls my chair out for me and respects me, in other words a gentlemen. Having my parents healthy and someone there for me that loves me for who I am is more than I could have ever hoped for. Maybe, I had to go through some pain growing up to find true happiness.

            I have big dreams for my future, bigger dreams than the average person does. Majoring in Sociology and business is my main goal. I am not sure what specific job I want yet, but I know I want to work in that field. I don’t just want to be financially stable but also be able to buy and give my children as much as I can, just like my parents did. Most importantly though, having that partner that loves me by my side supporting me with my dreams, is what will really matter.