Andrew Braaksma wrote an essay about his life experience working as a temp each summer in factories on an assembly line. He spoke about his appreciation for education, working a blue-collar job and how working in a factory has shown him what his future might have been like if he had never gone to college. After reading Braaksma’s essay, I found that I have a similar experience where I’ve gained appreciation for education due to working a 9-5 or an 8-4:30 Monday through Friday job and by cooking and catering for ex co-workers.
While working over the past 12 years, I was reintroduced to my passion and love for cooking. Although its been instilled within me since I was about 9 or 10, it never really surfaced until I started a family and started cooking for them and the people I’d worked with. Anytime there was a meeting at work, a party, or a company function, I prepared a dish or two for the occasion. I liked my jobs and the people I worked with, but I wanted to cook more and working helped with my decision making toward a new career path.
All of the hard work paid off but also wore thin on me after several years. I had always wanted to go back to school to further my education, but over the years while trying to maintain a steady income and raise a family became difficult, I realized that it was going to be hard for me to go back to school. As the years flew by and my kids grew older, I found myself thinking about going to school again. I got my chance after being laid off from a desk job where I worked for three years sitting behind a desk, answering phones, entering budgets, creating files for the estimators and all of the other tasks that went along with being an administrative assistant.
I loved this job but I didn’t want to be sitting behind a desk day in and day out for the rest of my life. I saw my opportunity after spending three days laying in bed crying and stressing over what I was going to do next because I no longer had a job. I couldn’t eat or sleep, I was depressed and wanted to be back at work and so to pass the time I’d go to the library and check out books which is where I'd found one in particular I had read. I can’t remember what it was but it was something I had read that caught my attention and all of a sudden, it hit me. At that very moment I said to myself “you need to go back to school.
I immediately called my little sister and with her encouragement, I decide to follow my dreams and pursue a degree in culinary. I also took this as a sign that there was something bigger and better out there for me. I think by me cooking and catering for my co-workers helped with my decision as well. I always cooked for my jobs. Everyone at work would always compliment my cooking and would say “you are really good” or “you should go into catering or something.” They would tell me that my food was better than some of the other co-workers that had brought food in before and if I could bring food in more often. I always cooked for parties and company functions. It felt really good to do this and it was something that I wanted to do more of because of all of the feedback I was getting. I enjoyed the fulfillment, satisfaction, and the praise I would get. I was happy when everyone else was happy after eating something I had cooked.
Now that I’m in school I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be and it is the right place for me. I’d rather be doing this than sitting behind a desk or walking a sales floor putting out merchandise. Being in school has brought focus and meaning to my life. It feels really good to get up at four in the morning just so I can be at school by 5:30 am than it ever did waking up at 6:30 in the morning just to be at work by 8:00 am. I wouldn’t trade these hours for anything in the world. If I hadn’t gotten laid off from work I probably wouldn’t be in school right now and would probably still be sitting behind that desk answering phones.
Just like Braaksma, I have a better understanding and appreciation for hard work and education. Going to school to get an education is very important and will lead you toward your career goal and to success. I have learned valuable lessons over the years and those being to never take anything for granted, especially life. Never take work or education for granted because you can loose it just as fast as you gained it. I appreciate my education more than anything and I only wish I had gone back to school a lot sooner, but better later than never, and its never too late to go back to school.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Blog/Journal 7 Salvation and Pressures From All Around Me
Langston Hughes realized that it is not always a good idea to lie just to please someone, although we all have done it in some way, shape or form. His insight has change him and the way he thinks and feels about himself. He was told that he would see Jesus and the fact that he wanted to see Jesus so badly and couldn’t, made him lie to himself, his aunt, and to the church. I believe he felt a little intimidated by everyone in the church and was pressured into going up to the mourners bench to be with Jesus as the others did. He also felt ashamed of himself for holding everything up for as long as he did when all he had to do in the beginning was go up with the other children and be saved. He may have felt a little better even if it wasn’t what he was ready for at the time. Peer pressure or any other pressure can be a cruel thing especially when you don’t feel right about doing something but everyone else wants you to. I sympathize with Fisher and can relate to some pressures that were put on me.
I can recall several times where I felt pressure to do something or to fit in with everyone else, but sometimes it is not always a good idea. I’ll start with the time I was in living in the Bay Area and was in the 7th grade attending Portola Jr High, which sat at the top of a hill in El Cerrito. I had a couple of friends that I hung out with and at the time I thought they were really cool. They always spoke to me in passing during breaks in between classes. They wanted to hang out me at lunch and after school. Because our school was at the top of a hill, we would meet up at the bottom of the hill and take the bus to school everyday; however, we would walk down the hill and go over to the shopping center where Safeway was located and just hang out until we ready to go home. One day my friends wanted to go into Safeway to get something candy. I didn’t want any candy and was going to go home instead and catch up with them the next day, but they wanted me to go into Safeway with them. I tried telling them that I wanted and needed to go home but they wouldn’t hear of it. They made me go into the store and threatened to cut my hair if I didn’t, and back then my hair was down my back. One of the girls pulled a pair of scissors out of her backpack putting them up to my hair whispering in my ear “I’ll cut off all of this long hair if you don’t go in.” The other girls even threatened to beat me up. At this point I was scared, my heart was pounding through my chest and I was shaking like a leaf, so I did want they wanted; I went into the store with them. They gave me a backpack and told me to go down the candy isle and start putting candy into it and that they’ll be in outside waiting for me. I didn’t know what else to do so I did what they demanded me to do because I was so afraid and didn’t want my hair cut off. My mom would’ve killed me if I had gone home with my hair chopped off!
As I went down the candy isle nervous and scared, I stared putting candy into the backpack. People were walking by pushing shopping carts and putting food into them. I was so scared that every time I saw someone looking at me I would go down a different isle until the candy isle was clear of customers. I can still vividly remember this big, tall, baldheaded black man, who looked like he could’ve been a quarterback. He was pushing a shopping cart with food in it, and there was a clipboard in the front part of the shopping cart which I didn‘t think anything of at the time. He walked past every isle and a couple of times down the candy isle. This started to worry me so I began to head out of the store and as soon as I reached the exiting doors, I managed to take about five steps outside of the store looking for my so-called friends, and when I looked across the parking lot I saw them way on the other side at the bus stop, yelling and calling my name telling me to run. My hands were trembling and I was sweaty. As I started walking faster I felt a big hand grab my neck. Low and behold, it was the big, tall, baldheaded black man that had been watching me in the store. I was BUSTED! I had never felt so bad in my entire life. I thought these girls were my friends but I found out the hard way that they were not. Lucky enough for me, my father was called to come pick me up and no charges were brought against me; however, if my father hadn’t shown up when he did (he was at work so it took him awhile to come and get me), I would have been taken to juvenile hall. This is what happen to me trying to be friends with someone not knowing their true colors.
Other times is when I hang out with one of my best friends whom I love dearly. Anytime she has a party or some type of function going on at her house, I am always there. Her and her family put on great parties and get together; therefore, they love to drink. They always put up their big blue pop-up canopy and big heavy wooded picnic table in the front yard. The music is always blasting and bumping coming from the garage, from her brother-in-law who’s a DJ, and he plays nothing but old school R&B and low-rider music. Everyone is always in the garage getting their dance on including me. There’s always plenty of food from pork carnitas, tri-tip, carne asada, to pasta salad, guacamole, spinach dip and ceviche, and there’s always beer for days. Sometimes I’ll have a couple of beers and other times I won’t because I’m not in the mood to drink so when these times happen, my best friend Eva will put a guilt trip on me especially if we haven’t seen each other in a few weeks. She’ll say things like “you haven’t come over in weeks and can’t have a drink with me but you can go out to the club with your other friends and drink with them?” “un hunh, I see how it is.” That makes me feel like I should have a drink with her and in some cases I will break down and have one or two beers because I feel bad. She’ll tell me that if I drink too much that I can always stay the night at her house and drive home the next day. I don’t like staying the night anywhere like that because if I have to stay the night somewhere due to me having too much to drink, then I just won’t drink.
And then comes the dreadful times. These for me are the absolute worst. My mother whom I love very much can really put a damper on my day at times. Long story short. When I’m out in public with my mother or at her house and sometimes leaving her house, she‘ll call me to come over to see something or someone. I don’t want to do this due to the fact that I know what is going to happen next because when I’m with her, she likes to show me off. My mother will start playing around with my hair saying in a fairly loud voice so people can hear her, “oh daughter dear look at your hair, it’s just growing; it used to be down your back until you cut it, some people don’t believe it’s your real hair” This is so embarrassing to me and I’ve told her not to do it and that I don’t like it, but she insists and always wants to give me a hug and point out that fact that I’m her “oldest beautiful daughter who does not look her age and still looks like a teenager.” She makes me get out of the car to meet one of her friends and all I can think about is her playing in my hair. I don’t always want to go with her but I do because she keeps pressuring me to do it.
We all can be sucked into peer pressure no what the circumstances are, we just need to know how to approach it, how to deal with it, and how to learn from it and move on. I believe we shouldn’t have to do anything that we’re not comfortable with doing especially if and when it makes us feel and look bad. It’s ok to fit in and have your own beliefs on certain things in life, but just know that the people pressure you into doing something will still be there for you (if they’re your family and your true friends) even if you decide not to be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.
I can recall several times where I felt pressure to do something or to fit in with everyone else, but sometimes it is not always a good idea. I’ll start with the time I was in living in the Bay Area and was in the 7th grade attending Portola Jr High, which sat at the top of a hill in El Cerrito. I had a couple of friends that I hung out with and at the time I thought they were really cool. They always spoke to me in passing during breaks in between classes. They wanted to hang out me at lunch and after school. Because our school was at the top of a hill, we would meet up at the bottom of the hill and take the bus to school everyday; however, we would walk down the hill and go over to the shopping center where Safeway was located and just hang out until we ready to go home. One day my friends wanted to go into Safeway to get something candy. I didn’t want any candy and was going to go home instead and catch up with them the next day, but they wanted me to go into Safeway with them. I tried telling them that I wanted and needed to go home but they wouldn’t hear of it. They made me go into the store and threatened to cut my hair if I didn’t, and back then my hair was down my back. One of the girls pulled a pair of scissors out of her backpack putting them up to my hair whispering in my ear “I’ll cut off all of this long hair if you don’t go in.” The other girls even threatened to beat me up. At this point I was scared, my heart was pounding through my chest and I was shaking like a leaf, so I did want they wanted; I went into the store with them. They gave me a backpack and told me to go down the candy isle and start putting candy into it and that they’ll be in outside waiting for me. I didn’t know what else to do so I did what they demanded me to do because I was so afraid and didn’t want my hair cut off. My mom would’ve killed me if I had gone home with my hair chopped off!
As I went down the candy isle nervous and scared, I stared putting candy into the backpack. People were walking by pushing shopping carts and putting food into them. I was so scared that every time I saw someone looking at me I would go down a different isle until the candy isle was clear of customers. I can still vividly remember this big, tall, baldheaded black man, who looked like he could’ve been a quarterback. He was pushing a shopping cart with food in it, and there was a clipboard in the front part of the shopping cart which I didn‘t think anything of at the time. He walked past every isle and a couple of times down the candy isle. This started to worry me so I began to head out of the store and as soon as I reached the exiting doors, I managed to take about five steps outside of the store looking for my so-called friends, and when I looked across the parking lot I saw them way on the other side at the bus stop, yelling and calling my name telling me to run. My hands were trembling and I was sweaty. As I started walking faster I felt a big hand grab my neck. Low and behold, it was the big, tall, baldheaded black man that had been watching me in the store. I was BUSTED! I had never felt so bad in my entire life. I thought these girls were my friends but I found out the hard way that they were not. Lucky enough for me, my father was called to come pick me up and no charges were brought against me; however, if my father hadn’t shown up when he did (he was at work so it took him awhile to come and get me), I would have been taken to juvenile hall. This is what happen to me trying to be friends with someone not knowing their true colors.
Other times is when I hang out with one of my best friends whom I love dearly. Anytime she has a party or some type of function going on at her house, I am always there. Her and her family put on great parties and get together; therefore, they love to drink. They always put up their big blue pop-up canopy and big heavy wooded picnic table in the front yard. The music is always blasting and bumping coming from the garage, from her brother-in-law who’s a DJ, and he plays nothing but old school R&B and low-rider music. Everyone is always in the garage getting their dance on including me. There’s always plenty of food from pork carnitas, tri-tip, carne asada, to pasta salad, guacamole, spinach dip and ceviche, and there’s always beer for days. Sometimes I’ll have a couple of beers and other times I won’t because I’m not in the mood to drink so when these times happen, my best friend Eva will put a guilt trip on me especially if we haven’t seen each other in a few weeks. She’ll say things like “you haven’t come over in weeks and can’t have a drink with me but you can go out to the club with your other friends and drink with them?” “un hunh, I see how it is.” That makes me feel like I should have a drink with her and in some cases I will break down and have one or two beers because I feel bad. She’ll tell me that if I drink too much that I can always stay the night at her house and drive home the next day. I don’t like staying the night anywhere like that because if I have to stay the night somewhere due to me having too much to drink, then I just won’t drink.
And then comes the dreadful times. These for me are the absolute worst. My mother whom I love very much can really put a damper on my day at times. Long story short. When I’m out in public with my mother or at her house and sometimes leaving her house, she‘ll call me to come over to see something or someone. I don’t want to do this due to the fact that I know what is going to happen next because when I’m with her, she likes to show me off. My mother will start playing around with my hair saying in a fairly loud voice so people can hear her, “oh daughter dear look at your hair, it’s just growing; it used to be down your back until you cut it, some people don’t believe it’s your real hair” This is so embarrassing to me and I’ve told her not to do it and that I don’t like it, but she insists and always wants to give me a hug and point out that fact that I’m her “oldest beautiful daughter who does not look her age and still looks like a teenager.” She makes me get out of the car to meet one of her friends and all I can think about is her playing in my hair. I don’t always want to go with her but I do because she keeps pressuring me to do it.
We all can be sucked into peer pressure no what the circumstances are, we just need to know how to approach it, how to deal with it, and how to learn from it and move on. I believe we shouldn’t have to do anything that we’re not comfortable with doing especially if and when it makes us feel and look bad. It’s ok to fit in and have your own beliefs on certain things in life, but just know that the people pressure you into doing something will still be there for you (if they’re your family and your true friends) even if you decide not to be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Blog/Journal #6 "Cell Phones and Social Graces"
I think the purpose for Charles Fisher’s essay was to elaborate on the use of cell phones and to show how careless, sometime inconsiderate, and needy most people are when using their cell phones. I liked his essay, I enjoyed reading it, and I thought it was a little humorous. Charles doesn’t have a cell phone nor does he want one simply because he has no use for it and is satisfied without one; however it can be of some use in the occurrence of an emergency. If he can live in a world without a cell phone before they came out, then he can live without one now. It’s almost like the phrase “Out of sight, Out of Mind.” I agree with his viewpoint even though I can sometimes be one of those people he has spoken about. After reading Charles’ essay I realized that I see “cell phones and social graces” around me everyday. I think we’ve all become accustomed to being spoiled with high tech gadgets whether it be a cell phone, iphone, ipod, or laptop. It seems like every time a new gadget comes out we have to trade in our old ones for the newest or latest version just to keep up with what’s in. What ever happened to just going out in public having fun and enjoying the people you were with, with no interruptions from a phone ringing inside of your pocket or your purse? Once upon a time we didn’t even know what a cell phone was because they didn't exist and I was happy just having a phone at home with an answering machine, but now that cell phones have come into the world; I don’t believe that I could live without one. Cell phones have come a long way and has taken over many households today, and I’ll bet if you go into any ten random homes none of them will have a house phone, but will probably have at least 3 or 4 cell phones on a family plan.
Charles brought up a really good point when he mentioned how people shouldn’t put their business out there for the whole world to hear when their on the phones in public. Some people don't care how they speak or who's around to hear it. They need to be courteous and watch what they say due to the fact that small children may be in their presence. He also mentioned in his essay how it is sad for people to have their phones ring in the middle of a funeral eulogy or church, and during in-home Bible study (the lady fumbling for her phone and going outside to take the call). RUDE! This reminded me of being in church with my daughter one Sunday morning. Her phone was on vibrate and you could hear it when she was getting a call or a text. It was her boyfriend calling. She put her head down, answered the phone, and then got up to go outside to talk to him. I was furious. This girl wears her phone as if it was an earring. She can text like there is no tomorrow and most of the time when she’s texting she’s not even looking at her phone and she‘s going a mile a minute. I’m usually amazed by this because I can’t do that and wishes that I could, but don’t get me wrong because I’m no better than she is when it comes to being on my cell phone or texting. I'll admit it. I actually sleep with my phone and yes I know that’s bad. My daughter gets upset with me when I’m getting a call or a text while driving because I‘ll try to answer or respond to the text, and again, I KNOW THAT’S BAD! Most of the time if I’m on the phone and is having a deep conversation that I'm into; if someone is trying to get my attention I won't pay them any mind. I hate when I'm on the phone and someone interrupts me or is trying to carry on a conversation with me knowing that on the phone. Pet Peeve! I will usually keep my conversation to myself without others hearing me.
Many other times I’ll get a call, and if I don’t recognize the number, I won’t answer the phone. Sometimes I’ll ignore friends and family if I’m busy or just don’t feel like talking at the moment. I think one of Charles’ examples of being in constant contact with someone compares to one of my situations that I have with my daughter. She calls me every chance she gets. I love my daughter but she can be real needy at times. I believe all of that is due to her loving me as much as she does and the fact that she'll be getting married soon and moving away. If I’m not at home she will call me at least 10 time a day. When I’m hanging out with my friend KC, I’ll leave my phone in another room or put it on vibrate just so I’m not being disturb or being taken away from him and his company. I figure at this point that if I’m where I want to be and then I don’t need to speak with anyone else during that time unless it is an emergency and 9 times out of ten it is not an emergency. As for my daughter; I think she will be calling me a lot more once she moves away; therefore, I will need to keep my phone attached to my hip and ear at all times as much as I do now and answer it when she calls.
I remember about a year ago, my cell phone came up missing and I couldn’t find it for two days. I felt like my world was over. All I could think about were my contacts that I had and how I wouldn’t be able to retrieved them if I couldn’t find my phone. I was devastated and sick during the two days it was missing. I have to have my phone on me at all times. I feel like I’m missing out on something if I don’t have it. There were even times when I missed a payment and my phone was off for a couple of days. During that time, I was going through the motion because I wasn’t able to talk or text and I have Metro PCS so when I received a text message and couldn’t respond, I was pulling my hair out and going crazy. I can not live without my cell phone. I actually have the same phone I’ve had for a few years. I need an upgrade and would love to get one but at this time I don’t need it. My phone hasn’t given me any trouble since I’ve it. Oh but the one time I thought I would lose my mine is when my phone fell in the toilet. I reached in so fast to grab it but by the time I got it out it had already had water damage. Fortunately, it dried out in two days and was good as new. I didn’t have to replace it, I didn’t lose any of my contacts, music or media, and that made me very happy.
As Charles Fisher mentioned, there are plenty of good reasons to have a cell phone which in any case you may need to have one for an emergency. We shouldn’t abuse the use of our cell phones because it can be rude, inconsiderate, inappropriate, and especially dangerous. Be aware of your surroundings, be courteous to others and pay attention to what’s in front of you. Who wants to be having dinner at a nice restaurant when the person at the next table or booth behind you is carrying on a conversation about God knows what? Not cool. If you’re spending time with family and/or friends and your phone rings or you receive a text message; I thinks it ok to answer or respond later unless it is a call or text that is important and its something you’ve been expecting. If that is the case then let others know ahead of time that you’re expecting and will be receiving an important call and if it is an emergency, others will respect the fact that you must take the call.
Charles brought up a really good point when he mentioned how people shouldn’t put their business out there for the whole world to hear when their on the phones in public. Some people don't care how they speak or who's around to hear it. They need to be courteous and watch what they say due to the fact that small children may be in their presence. He also mentioned in his essay how it is sad for people to have their phones ring in the middle of a funeral eulogy or church, and during in-home Bible study (the lady fumbling for her phone and going outside to take the call). RUDE! This reminded me of being in church with my daughter one Sunday morning. Her phone was on vibrate and you could hear it when she was getting a call or a text. It was her boyfriend calling. She put her head down, answered the phone, and then got up to go outside to talk to him. I was furious. This girl wears her phone as if it was an earring. She can text like there is no tomorrow and most of the time when she’s texting she’s not even looking at her phone and she‘s going a mile a minute. I’m usually amazed by this because I can’t do that and wishes that I could, but don’t get me wrong because I’m no better than she is when it comes to being on my cell phone or texting. I'll admit it. I actually sleep with my phone and yes I know that’s bad. My daughter gets upset with me when I’m getting a call or a text while driving because I‘ll try to answer or respond to the text, and again, I KNOW THAT’S BAD! Most of the time if I’m on the phone and is having a deep conversation that I'm into; if someone is trying to get my attention I won't pay them any mind. I hate when I'm on the phone and someone interrupts me or is trying to carry on a conversation with me knowing that on the phone. Pet Peeve! I will usually keep my conversation to myself without others hearing me.
Many other times I’ll get a call, and if I don’t recognize the number, I won’t answer the phone. Sometimes I’ll ignore friends and family if I’m busy or just don’t feel like talking at the moment. I think one of Charles’ examples of being in constant contact with someone compares to one of my situations that I have with my daughter. She calls me every chance she gets. I love my daughter but she can be real needy at times. I believe all of that is due to her loving me as much as she does and the fact that she'll be getting married soon and moving away. If I’m not at home she will call me at least 10 time a day. When I’m hanging out with my friend KC, I’ll leave my phone in another room or put it on vibrate just so I’m not being disturb or being taken away from him and his company. I figure at this point that if I’m where I want to be and then I don’t need to speak with anyone else during that time unless it is an emergency and 9 times out of ten it is not an emergency. As for my daughter; I think she will be calling me a lot more once she moves away; therefore, I will need to keep my phone attached to my hip and ear at all times as much as I do now and answer it when she calls.
I remember about a year ago, my cell phone came up missing and I couldn’t find it for two days. I felt like my world was over. All I could think about were my contacts that I had and how I wouldn’t be able to retrieved them if I couldn’t find my phone. I was devastated and sick during the two days it was missing. I have to have my phone on me at all times. I feel like I’m missing out on something if I don’t have it. There were even times when I missed a payment and my phone was off for a couple of days. During that time, I was going through the motion because I wasn’t able to talk or text and I have Metro PCS so when I received a text message and couldn’t respond, I was pulling my hair out and going crazy. I can not live without my cell phone. I actually have the same phone I’ve had for a few years. I need an upgrade and would love to get one but at this time I don’t need it. My phone hasn’t given me any trouble since I’ve it. Oh but the one time I thought I would lose my mine is when my phone fell in the toilet. I reached in so fast to grab it but by the time I got it out it had already had water damage. Fortunately, it dried out in two days and was good as new. I didn’t have to replace it, I didn’t lose any of my contacts, music or media, and that made me very happy.
As Charles Fisher mentioned, there are plenty of good reasons to have a cell phone which in any case you may need to have one for an emergency. We shouldn’t abuse the use of our cell phones because it can be rude, inconsiderate, inappropriate, and especially dangerous. Be aware of your surroundings, be courteous to others and pay attention to what’s in front of you. Who wants to be having dinner at a nice restaurant when the person at the next table or booth behind you is carrying on a conversation about God knows what? Not cool. If you’re spending time with family and/or friends and your phone rings or you receive a text message; I thinks it ok to answer or respond later unless it is a call or text that is important and its something you’ve been expecting. If that is the case then let others know ahead of time that you’re expecting and will be receiving an important call and if it is an emergency, others will respect the fact that you must take the call.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Blog Journal #5/Darkness At Noon
I believe Harold Krents’ purpose for writing this story was to show other’s that having a disability didn’t mean a person couldn’t live life to the fullest. There are a lot of people in the world today who are different, look different and have disabilities. They are working, playing sports, raising families and living life to the best of their abilities. I agree with Harold’s viewpoint and people should never judge a book by its cover. It can be very hurtful and even leave a scar for life.
I have a little brother who will be 20 years old this month. His name is Dominic and I love this kid like the stars love the night sky. He’s mixed with black and white, and since he was a little boy people would look at him and my mother like they were both different. People would treat my mother unfairly because she had this little high yellow, light skinned kid at her side. People would always look at them with mean stares like they had done something wrong anytime they were out in public. My little brother didn’t like going places with my mom because he was afraid of how they might get treated. My mother always feared this and usually spoke up by saying something to people when this sort of thing happened.
As time went on though and my brother got older, it wasn’t so bad, but it still happened occasionally. He never knew what to consider himself when he was in school. He didn’t know whether or not to mark black or white when filling out paper work that asked for his ethnicity, but after a while he started seeing himself as white. Kids would make fun of him in school calling him names like white boy, speck or zebra. The black kids didn’t want to be friends with him, which made him sad and to the point where he didn’t want to go to school because of it. He started acting out and getting into trouble and didn’t care what happened to him. I had to take him in, take care of him and send him to school with my kids. It’s a good thing I did too. It made all of the deference in the world. When he was at school with my kids, he gain respect, popularity and the confidence and self esteem that he needed to be himself and who he wanted to be.
Today my little brother is very popular with his peers of all races. He has a world of friends that love him for who he is and for the person he has become. He’s a skater and love’s Tony Hawk. He loves and listens to a lot of rock and alternative music. He raps, writes songs and put beats together with my son. My kids, nieces, nephews, and all of the cousins look up to him. They all call him Uncle Dom because he’s the bomb. I love my little brother and is very proud of him. I couldn’t have ask for a better brother.
I have a little brother who will be 20 years old this month. His name is Dominic and I love this kid like the stars love the night sky. He’s mixed with black and white, and since he was a little boy people would look at him and my mother like they were both different. People would treat my mother unfairly because she had this little high yellow, light skinned kid at her side. People would always look at them with mean stares like they had done something wrong anytime they were out in public. My little brother didn’t like going places with my mom because he was afraid of how they might get treated. My mother always feared this and usually spoke up by saying something to people when this sort of thing happened.
As time went on though and my brother got older, it wasn’t so bad, but it still happened occasionally. He never knew what to consider himself when he was in school. He didn’t know whether or not to mark black or white when filling out paper work that asked for his ethnicity, but after a while he started seeing himself as white. Kids would make fun of him in school calling him names like white boy, speck or zebra. The black kids didn’t want to be friends with him, which made him sad and to the point where he didn’t want to go to school because of it. He started acting out and getting into trouble and didn’t care what happened to him. I had to take him in, take care of him and send him to school with my kids. It’s a good thing I did too. It made all of the deference in the world. When he was at school with my kids, he gain respect, popularity and the confidence and self esteem that he needed to be himself and who he wanted to be.
Today my little brother is very popular with his peers of all races. He has a world of friends that love him for who he is and for the person he has become. He’s a skater and love’s Tony Hawk. He loves and listens to a lot of rock and alternative music. He raps, writes songs and put beats together with my son. My kids, nieces, nephews, and all of the cousins look up to him. They all call him Uncle Dom because he’s the bomb. I love my little brother and is very proud of him. I couldn’t have ask for a better brother.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
So What's So Bad about Being So-So?
I think the point of Lisa writing this story is to let people know that it’s ok to be so-so or even imperfect because no one’s perfect. We probably wish we all were, but that’ll never happen. I agree with her viewpoint because I’ve been there and I know that life isn‘t perfect because we are all just so-so in our own right. We have hobbies and opportunities in life that we should approach in some way, shape or form to see where it lands us. Whether its something you want to do the rest of your life or is something you just want to try out at the moment, you should go for it and never sell yourself short even if you’re not great and is only so-so. If you’re happy then that’s all that should matter, and being So-So, isn't So bad after all. There are many things that I’m good at and others, I’m just so-so. If you're so-so at something, good. If' you're good at something, great. The following story will explain a little bit about my So-So being.
Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Jackie who wanted to be an artist and a teacher when she grew up. She used to sit around and draw, and play school with her two younger brothers all of the time. This was fun to her and it’s what she wanted to do most of all. She even made a doll house out of cardboard boxes. As she got older, the idea of wanting this faded away. She started listening to music and dancing to the point of getting her brothers together and forming a group. One day while dancing to the group Parliament’s “Flash Light”, her mother and stepfather came home to witness the performance. Her mom immediately went over board with calls to radio and TV stations and who ever else she could get in touch with to see if Jackie and her brother’s could perform somewhere. Jackie didn’t think that her and her brother’s were good enough for that. It wasn’t something that she wanted to take outside of the house, but Jackie’s mom saw dollar signs, potential talent in the three siblings, and did what she felt she had to do to get them known. She wanted them to become famous like “The Jackson’s.”
From that point on the siblings were made into little stars. Jackie’s mom called them “Pookie and the Puppets.” Jackie’s youngest brother’s nick name was Pookie and he was made the star of the group and was put in front and center. Although Jackie didn’t like that very much because she was the one who formed the group and wanted to be the star, it was ok because Pookie was her little brother and he was the baby. The group went on to perform at their elementary school’s talent show’s (which afterwards the girls were all over Pookie at recess), concerts in the park, family picnics, and so on. They even got a chance to meet Randy and LaToya Jackson in Oakland on top of a roof building and got an autographed 8x10 photo signed by Michael Jackson. These were good times for Jackie and her brothers, but as time went on they got older and the brothers were no longer into it. Jackie’s mom tried pushing them to do it but they wanted to do something else so Jackie went on to do things on her own and took up playing the keyboard and writing songs which she was pretty good at. One day she went to her other brother Rob and asked him if he wanted to form another group which he agreed and he started playing the drums. Again Jackie’s mom saw this, stepped in, and through one of her friends, found a girl named Suzy. Suzy was added to the group and they were called Swinng.
They went into the Felstar studio (owned by Felton Pilate of Confunction) and recorded two songs, one of which was written in 1981 by Jackie called “Ice Ice Baby.” YES, “Ice Ice Baby” was written by Jackie in 1981. Swinng performed this song and others at the Solano County Fair in Vallejo and at the Holiday Inn in Emeryville. They were even featured in an Oakland magazine at the time. The group was together for a while before Suzy decided to go her own way, and then Jackie’s brother Rob left as well. Jackie stuck it out and found two other girls to form a group called “Total Pleasure.” She moved to Cincinnati to be with her group. They were in and out of the studio recording music, meeting different people, and trying to get their names out there. Jackie didn’t always feel like she was good enough and didn’t have the power in her voice like the other girls did. To Jackie she was just ok, so-so. She loved singing but knew she wouldn’t get far because there was so much more other talent out there that was better. Eventually the group wasn’t working out so Jackie stepped out and moved back to California and started a family. This is where she found her passion in cooking. Being a stay home mom and having to care for her family was important and making sure they were fed the best meals were a big deal. Cooking was fun, entertaining and relaxing. Jackie knew she had found the one thing that she was really great at and wanted to do it for others and not just her family. Today Jackie attends the Art Institute to become a great chef and hope to own her own restaurant one day.
I guess going back to my story, I did things growing up because it was something I really wanted but then once my mother stepped in, it didn’t seem to matter as much because she was more into it than I was. I feel like I was ok with what I was doing but it wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t want to go out into the world and not be good enough. Plus being out there in the lime light like that, would’ve taken me away form my family and friends, something I couldn’t live without. I love to sing and my singing is for me only. I knew I could sing back then and I still can, but I’m no Beyonce or Alicia Keys. I knew I could write and still do occasionally, but I’m no poet. I know I can dance, and always have, but I’m no MJ (R.I.P), Usher or Ne-Yo. I enjoy what I enjoy and if it’s good enough for me, then I‘m happy.
My mother thinks to this day that I would’ve been as big as Michael Jackson….Ha….yeah right LOL, and yes, all I can do is laugh at her because she has no clue. I love my mom and appreciate the effort she put into trying to make something out of my brothers and me. It was just something I didn’t want anymore and haven’t wanted for years. She still tries to get me to so it today. I’m very content with the way things are going in my life right now. I still love to sing, dance and write songs; I may be so-so at it and that’s ok with me. I wasn’t trying to make a big deal out of it, or even make a living at it, it was just something to do at that time. I just want to have fun doing what I enjoy the most, and that’s cooking for others and making them happy in the process. Something that I’m more than so-so at doing.
Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Jackie who wanted to be an artist and a teacher when she grew up. She used to sit around and draw, and play school with her two younger brothers all of the time. This was fun to her and it’s what she wanted to do most of all. She even made a doll house out of cardboard boxes. As she got older, the idea of wanting this faded away. She started listening to music and dancing to the point of getting her brothers together and forming a group. One day while dancing to the group Parliament’s “Flash Light”, her mother and stepfather came home to witness the performance. Her mom immediately went over board with calls to radio and TV stations and who ever else she could get in touch with to see if Jackie and her brother’s could perform somewhere. Jackie didn’t think that her and her brother’s were good enough for that. It wasn’t something that she wanted to take outside of the house, but Jackie’s mom saw dollar signs, potential talent in the three siblings, and did what she felt she had to do to get them known. She wanted them to become famous like “The Jackson’s.”
From that point on the siblings were made into little stars. Jackie’s mom called them “Pookie and the Puppets.” Jackie’s youngest brother’s nick name was Pookie and he was made the star of the group and was put in front and center. Although Jackie didn’t like that very much because she was the one who formed the group and wanted to be the star, it was ok because Pookie was her little brother and he was the baby. The group went on to perform at their elementary school’s talent show’s (which afterwards the girls were all over Pookie at recess), concerts in the park, family picnics, and so on. They even got a chance to meet Randy and LaToya Jackson in Oakland on top of a roof building and got an autographed 8x10 photo signed by Michael Jackson. These were good times for Jackie and her brothers, but as time went on they got older and the brothers were no longer into it. Jackie’s mom tried pushing them to do it but they wanted to do something else so Jackie went on to do things on her own and took up playing the keyboard and writing songs which she was pretty good at. One day she went to her other brother Rob and asked him if he wanted to form another group which he agreed and he started playing the drums. Again Jackie’s mom saw this, stepped in, and through one of her friends, found a girl named Suzy. Suzy was added to the group and they were called Swinng.
They went into the Felstar studio (owned by Felton Pilate of Confunction) and recorded two songs, one of which was written in 1981 by Jackie called “Ice Ice Baby.” YES, “Ice Ice Baby” was written by Jackie in 1981. Swinng performed this song and others at the Solano County Fair in Vallejo and at the Holiday Inn in Emeryville. They were even featured in an Oakland magazine at the time. The group was together for a while before Suzy decided to go her own way, and then Jackie’s brother Rob left as well. Jackie stuck it out and found two other girls to form a group called “Total Pleasure.” She moved to Cincinnati to be with her group. They were in and out of the studio recording music, meeting different people, and trying to get their names out there. Jackie didn’t always feel like she was good enough and didn’t have the power in her voice like the other girls did. To Jackie she was just ok, so-so. She loved singing but knew she wouldn’t get far because there was so much more other talent out there that was better. Eventually the group wasn’t working out so Jackie stepped out and moved back to California and started a family. This is where she found her passion in cooking. Being a stay home mom and having to care for her family was important and making sure they were fed the best meals were a big deal. Cooking was fun, entertaining and relaxing. Jackie knew she had found the one thing that she was really great at and wanted to do it for others and not just her family. Today Jackie attends the Art Institute to become a great chef and hope to own her own restaurant one day.
I guess going back to my story, I did things growing up because it was something I really wanted but then once my mother stepped in, it didn’t seem to matter as much because she was more into it than I was. I feel like I was ok with what I was doing but it wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t want to go out into the world and not be good enough. Plus being out there in the lime light like that, would’ve taken me away form my family and friends, something I couldn’t live without. I love to sing and my singing is for me only. I knew I could sing back then and I still can, but I’m no Beyonce or Alicia Keys. I knew I could write and still do occasionally, but I’m no poet. I know I can dance, and always have, but I’m no MJ (R.I.P), Usher or Ne-Yo. I enjoy what I enjoy and if it’s good enough for me, then I‘m happy.
My mother thinks to this day that I would’ve been as big as Michael Jackson….Ha….yeah right LOL, and yes, all I can do is laugh at her because she has no clue. I love my mom and appreciate the effort she put into trying to make something out of my brothers and me. It was just something I didn’t want anymore and haven’t wanted for years. She still tries to get me to so it today. I’m very content with the way things are going in my life right now. I still love to sing, dance and write songs; I may be so-so at it and that’s ok with me. I wasn’t trying to make a big deal out of it, or even make a living at it, it was just something to do at that time. I just want to have fun doing what I enjoy the most, and that’s cooking for others and making them happy in the process. Something that I’m more than so-so at doing.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Stuff Is Not Salvation - Journal 3
Anna Quindlen's purpose in writing "Stuff is Not Salvation" is to make others aware of how the world can go bankrupt in such a short amount of time. She is trying to let people know that they don't always have to have a lot of material things such as "stuff". We can all go out and buy what we want if we have the means and the money to do so but do we really need it or is it just a want.
I used to spend money a lot on music CD's and movies all of the time. I would go shopping every time I got my paycheck. It made me feel good to go shopping especially when I was stressed or upset about something, but when I got home with all of my shopping bags, I had to stop and think about what I had purchased. I would ask myself was it something I really needed, did I have to have it, and what am I going to do with it now that I have no money left. I would sometimes feel really bad after buying the "stuff " and would take it back to the store because the majority of the time I didn't need it.
My soon to be ex came into some money after a car accident a few years ago. He spent the money like without thinking first. During that time, we went on the best vacations, my kids had clothes for days, I had flowers and chocolates sent to my job, had upgrades to our wedding rings, etc. After a few months I was tired of spending money. The money went so fast that we had to stop and take a look back at what had happened. There are the memories and the nice things we had to show for it.
One of my best friends, I'll call Bell used to spend money on everything like it was going out of style. She would shop and buy stuff for my kids and me and all of this was going on her credit cards. She even took me to Hawaii for my birthday one year after she got her taxes. My kids and I always had a good time because she always treated us to concerts, limo rides around town during Christmas to see all of the lights lite up, and just about every birthday and holiday. She even gave an ex-coworker $1000 to help pay for his honeymoon. I always thought she had a problem with spending and mentioned it to her a few times, but she would always say "why stress over saving your money, because you can't take it with you when you die?" She thought it was good to go out and have a good time if she was having that good time with the people she loved and cared about. Today Bell is my roommate and she is struggling very much to make ends meat. She always complains about being broke and never having any money to go out and do anything with. She would sometimes admit that when she had money she knew she shouldn't be spending, she would spend it any way because she wanted to and that it made her and who ever she was spending the money on happy.
Today I look at life in a different light. I don't have much money, it fact I have no money. I am on unemployment, trying to go to school so I can better myself and be successful and have money to make life a little easier. I realize that having a lot of money only makes you feel good for a little while. What makes me happy the most is spending time with my family and friends, loving life, learning to live in the moment, and laughing a lot and not sweating the small stuff. Money will always be here but it will not always make you happy. I have a friend who always tell me; if you don't need it then why buy it, because all it is, is a nice have but not a must have.
I used to spend money a lot on music CD's and movies all of the time. I would go shopping every time I got my paycheck. It made me feel good to go shopping especially when I was stressed or upset about something, but when I got home with all of my shopping bags, I had to stop and think about what I had purchased. I would ask myself was it something I really needed, did I have to have it, and what am I going to do with it now that I have no money left. I would sometimes feel really bad after buying the "stuff " and would take it back to the store because the majority of the time I didn't need it.
My soon to be ex came into some money after a car accident a few years ago. He spent the money like without thinking first. During that time, we went on the best vacations, my kids had clothes for days, I had flowers and chocolates sent to my job, had upgrades to our wedding rings, etc. After a few months I was tired of spending money. The money went so fast that we had to stop and take a look back at what had happened. There are the memories and the nice things we had to show for it.
One of my best friends, I'll call Bell used to spend money on everything like it was going out of style. She would shop and buy stuff for my kids and me and all of this was going on her credit cards. She even took me to Hawaii for my birthday one year after she got her taxes. My kids and I always had a good time because she always treated us to concerts, limo rides around town during Christmas to see all of the lights lite up, and just about every birthday and holiday. She even gave an ex-coworker $1000 to help pay for his honeymoon. I always thought she had a problem with spending and mentioned it to her a few times, but she would always say "why stress over saving your money, because you can't take it with you when you die?" She thought it was good to go out and have a good time if she was having that good time with the people she loved and cared about. Today Bell is my roommate and she is struggling very much to make ends meat. She always complains about being broke and never having any money to go out and do anything with. She would sometimes admit that when she had money she knew she shouldn't be spending, she would spend it any way because she wanted to and that it made her and who ever she was spending the money on happy.
Today I look at life in a different light. I don't have much money, it fact I have no money. I am on unemployment, trying to go to school so I can better myself and be successful and have money to make life a little easier. I realize that having a lot of money only makes you feel good for a little while. What makes me happy the most is spending time with my family and friends, loving life, learning to live in the moment, and laughing a lot and not sweating the small stuff. Money will always be here but it will not always make you happy. I have a friend who always tell me; if you don't need it then why buy it, because all it is, is a nice have but not a must have.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Blog/Journal #2 - Amy Tan's story "Fish Cheeks"
I thought Amy Tan's story was great because it pointed out a lot of her issues with being different and trying to fit in. I believe her purpose in writing "Fish Cheeks" was to demonstrate the her family's culture on what she grew up on and the other ways that some people would see it and feel out of touch with her way of living. When she looked back on the experience she realized that her mother was right about being proud of who she was and where she came from. Her family was accustomed to living a certain way and not all families live that way.
Amy had a crush on Robert and wanted to liked by him, but when Robert and his family came over for Christmas dinner and saw what was being served for dinner, the way it was being serve, and the way Amy's family was acting during and after dinner, she felt that Robert wouldn't like her. Amy realized I kind of know how she felt although my experience was a little different.
There was a few times where I was ashamed and embarrassed to be around my bosses and co-workers. I knew what kind of person I was and I loved my job, therefore, I tried to stand out by pleasing everyone. I used to go to company picnics, company functions, Christmas dinners, parties and anniversaries. I would always take my soon to be ex-husband with me and each time I did, he would do or say something to embarrass me. I felt so out of place and ashamed. My husband has a PTSD and sometimes it makes him act a certain way and when people see it, they think that he's on drugs. That would sometimes embarrass me. I'll never forget the time we were at a company picnic and he started jumping on top of one of the picnic tables trying to be funny and trying to make everyone laugh, but it wasn't funny to me. I could never enjoy myself when he were there with me or even in public. When he would show up at my job I went outside to talk to him because I didn't know what he was going to do or say if he came into the office. My boss' and co-workers would give me a certain look that wasn't good. I thought I would lose my job on a few occasions because of him, but lucky for me I had really nice boss'. I also felt like they were looking at me thinking to themselves or telling others that they don't know why I'm with this person.
I new I had to do something in the end, although my husband does have a condition, I've always tried being there for him. I just knew that I couldn't take him with me to anymore company functions because I didn't want to feel ashamed or be embarrassed by him. That might sound a little mean but it was really hard for me to be out with him around other people. In conclusion, I do realize today that you can't help how people are or how they act, you just have to be there for them and support them the best way you can, especially if you choose to be with that person for better or worse.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
My Bio (edited)!
Hello class, this is Jackie and here is a brief bio of myself. I am the proud mother of three beautiful children; 25, 19 and almost 18. I enjoy cooking and entertaining for my family and friends, which is why I chose to attend the Art Institute and earn my Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Management. I would like to own my own business one day and have something to leave behind for my kids.
I am a positive person and very energetic. I love being around positive things and positive people. Positive energy is the key to my happiness. I am very caring, outgoing, friendly and loyal to all of my family and friends. Everyone who knows me loves me and my cooking! :) I love to hang out with my best friends; I enjoy dancing, and having a good time with no stress or drama. One of the most important things that I love is laughing. I feel that when you laugh; you're happy and it keeps you young (my kids actually keep me young). At this point and time in my life I am the happiest I've ever been and is very excited about school. I have a lot of dreams, ideas and goals in life and one of them is graduating with my Bachelor's Degree.
I look forward to getting to know all of you this quarter and working together at becoming very successful in life. Let's go out into the world and make it happen!!
I am a positive person and very energetic. I love being around positive things and positive people. Positive energy is the key to my happiness. I am very caring, outgoing, friendly and loyal to all of my family and friends. Everyone who knows me loves me and my cooking! :) I love to hang out with my best friends; I enjoy dancing, and having a good time with no stress or drama. One of the most important things that I love is laughing. I feel that when you laugh; you're happy and it keeps you young (my kids actually keep me young). At this point and time in my life I am the happiest I've ever been and is very excited about school. I have a lot of dreams, ideas and goals in life and one of them is graduating with my Bachelor's Degree.
I look forward to getting to know all of you this quarter and working together at becoming very successful in life. Let's go out into the world and make it happen!!
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