CE: The World Can't End Today Because It's Already Tomorrow in Australia

   Since I want to stay as far away as possible from the Occupy Wall Street argument, I think it would be a fabulous idea to talk these earthquakes we felt today. Today at about 2:40 an earthquake hit with a magnitude of 4.0. There was an after shock of 3.8 at 8:15. Come on Californians, do you not know that you moved into earthquake country? After reading this article, I can not believe how much people react.

   How can you move to California and truly be afraid of an earthquake of 4.0? Mike Taugher, the author of the article, interviewed the manager of a convenient store. The manager stated many customers were visibly frightened. When the earthquake hit in my class, I started laughing. I did the same thing when the after shock occurred. Living in California I feel like they go unnoticed a lot and I do not lose sleep over earthquakes. Especially since there are not many major earthquakes. I am glad we do not live in hurricane or tornado country, because I would lose sleep over that.

     The only thing that is a little erie about the whole thing is that crazy man who says the world says the world is supposed to end tomorrow. Who knows, it could be true with all these natural disasters happening. Also, the 1989 earthquake was during the world series time and guess what is going on this week? The World Series. Who really knows? Maybe the world will end tomorrow. If i really believed it would though, I would not have studied for three hours for AP statistics test or stayed up doing the rest of my homework until 1 am. Well, hopefully I get to spend at least the next year with you all.
    

RE: Future Fam

     Babies, babies, babies. Is it weird to say that I have been thinking about babies a lot lately? No, I am not pregnant but I think they are the most precious little creatures. Lauren, in one of her posts, talks about taking care of her cousin and how adorable they can be.

I was holding him and while talking to my aunt, I laughed. He saw that, and mimicked me. It was so damn cute.

I can relate because I have a two and a half year old niece, a six month year old nephew, and I am expecting another niece or nephew within the next year. Being that figure they look up to is so rewarding. Knowing how much my niece loves to be around me is an amazing feeling. I cannot believe how easy Lauren thinks it is to take care of a baby because my niece is a little demon child. I mean, I love her to death but she hits, pinches, and wants to eat or go to the bathroom every five minutes. I guess it is all part of love.
     Ever since my eldest sister got pregnant again, I think about having my own family some day. It is so much to fantasize about. If I could live in a perfect world, that I hand chose my life, I would have two boys and two girls. I think family is the most important aspect of life. Taking care of someone who is so dependent on you is one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. Being a mother. If I had nothing else but a family that loved me and I could love them unconditionally, I would be completely content.

FREE: Part of Growing Up

     Becoming a senior has probably been one of the greatest accomplishments I've achieved so far in my life. I am no longer as stressed out as I usually am, I am not so uptight about everything, I am learning how to just let go and have fun, and I am learning how to not care so much about what people think. It is a wonderful feeling to feel so relaxed and mellow. Now, senioritis is some what coming into play but even over scheduled and self motivated teenagers need a break and some fun right?

     The greatest things about becoming a senior, is how much experience and information you have gained since your freshmen year. Coming from junior year, where I took three AP classes, leadership, basketball, and numerous other activities, I am no longer a crazy chaotic person. Granted I am still taking two AP classes, leadership, and basketball, I have learned how to deal with it all. I understand it is still important to keep my grades and put my full effort into everything I do, I now know it is not the end of the world if I do the absolute best at everything.
 
     With my stress level going way down, the emotional aspect of my personality has also mellowed. I am a girl who wears her heart on her sleeve and I am proud of it but I have learned how to control them. Growing up helps you put everything into perspective so much more clearly. Every melt down is no longer the end of the world and I am so thankful I have begun to realize that.

Is there a right and wrong way to hire?

  Hiring to fit a specific “type” has and will always be used to build an image for a company. All kinds of companies have tried hiring certain types of people to increase customer satisfaction. For many companies it is very successful, for others it is not, and for some companies it goes unnoticed. Every company has an idea or image they want to portray and they have the right to do that anyway they want. Giving a company it’s image is done by hiring a certain type of person, giving the product a certain style, and advertising the company in a certain way. If people are able to create their own self image why can’t a group of people working together create an image for their company?
    Clothing stores, like Abercrombie and Fitch, are not the only stores that hire certain images. For example, stores selling athletic equipment and athletic gear usually have very fit looking and athletic people. Abercrombie and Fitch has become such a big target for hiring based on an image because people tend to see it as a race issue. Abercrombie and Fitch tend to employ skinny, Caucasian, and blonde women, and tall, muscular, and Caucasian men. More people make it a bigger deal when it seems like a race issue compared to it being a stereotype issue. Most people do not complain about clothing stores hiring “punk” employees in edgy clothing stores or athletic stores hiring athletic looking people. Someone always complains when they feel like people of different culture are being discriminated against or attacked. Different people analyze situations much differently. Some people may walk into Abercrombie and think that the employers are only targeting young and beautiful girls to work there, others may walk in and think they only want Caucasian people to work at the store. Both of these different people may complain about the issue of targeted hiring, but the argument that race is a factor will always be the most popular argument. More people find it offensive if someone is hiring a certain race then just a general type of person. As long as a company is not trying to form something like a racial supremacy group or discriminating against buying customers, companies should be aloud to hire and create whatever kind of image they would like for their company.
    Hiring a certain type is a very strategic move to gain more customers and earn a larger profit. If an employer wants to attract a lot of men in to their company, they are going to hire a lot of young and beautiful women. If a company wants to attract punk groups, they will hire a group of pierced and tattooed employees. Employers want to sell their company as best as they can. They want the most popular inventory, the greatest ads, and the hottest staff. Many customers are all about buying into “the image.” Especially teenagers want to dress in the hottest clothes and the newest trends. The newest trends are set by the coolest stores and the coolest stores have the best overall image. Only the smartest and best advertising companies become the “it” trend for teenagers. The way to do that is to find any way possible to attract customers. Whether people agree or disagree with employers hiring a certain type, they still are going to purchase the clothes in order to fit in with the hottest trends.
    Hiring to support a company image could either be very helpful or a complete waste of time. Customers always start by going window shopping, looking from store to store to see if the certain stores have things they would like to purchase. When you window shop, people do not go through every magazine to find the latest ads, analyze the type of management, and then see if they like the clothes. The clothes are always what brings a person into a store. Ads are not necessarily always the best indication of the store and what the store sells. For example, Abercrombie and Fitch does not always have models in clothes in heir advertisement. Many customers do not over analyze whether or not the store clerk is a boy or a girl, black or white, or skinny or fat.  Some customers go into store just because they like the style, the fit, and the look of the clothing. People buy clothes because they want to buy the clothes. Customers will even return multiple times to the store just for the clothes even if they do not like the service. Customers may either dismiss the stereo type of the store or just not notice it.
    To many people creating an image of a company by hiring a certain type of workers is a great strategic move, others may think it causes a lot of acts of discrimination and increases situations of unfair hiring. Whether one thinks it is wrong or right to hire a certain type of person, the opinion does not matter. It is companies rights to be able to hire how ever they would life. Everyone’s daily lives is about images. Everyone judge others and classify them as an image.  People act, dress, talk, and do everything a certain way. Whether it was an image they created themselves or an image they are imitating off of someone else, everyone has the right to create images and so do companies as well.

CE: Babies

     The ability for women to decide whether or not they would like to keep their baby is so important. Accidents happen, paying for an abortion can be a much smarter decision then paying for 18+ years of a child's life. Making the decision can be extremely difficult, but for Harriet Stinson, there was no doubt that she would get an abortion. Stinson is an advocate for women's choice of abortion. She has started Planned Parenthood and family planning organizations. You can learn more about Stinson and her work at this article.
     I think everyone should be in favor of pro choice. Women who have been raped, sexually abused, and even just got pregnant on accident should have the choice whether to keep their baby or not. Would you rather kill a fetus or not be able to provide for the child to the best of your ability for the rest of their life? I think if I was to get pregnant now, there would be no doubt in my mind that I would get an abortion. I am 17, I want to attend college, and establish a well grounded life before I have a child. People should not encourage unwanted pregnancies because it just will lead to the worst. Teenagers and rape victims are a perfect example of people who are not ready to be mothers. I don’t really understand the arguments against pro life. If anyone is against pro life, Please comment. I would like to start a debate

Re: Life ups and downs

     I wanted to respond to Alison because we are best friends and I mean were best friends for a reason right? Because we are super similar. She states in her post about escaping reality:

Have you ever wished you could escape from reality for awhile? If things could be better than how they are now at least for awhile? Maybenot have the perfect life, but just be free and do what you want.[...]But some days I feel lost. Like I really don’t belong here.

I feel like this all the time. The world would be boring if everything and everyone was the same and if we had a manual to tell us what to do in every situation, but sometimes you just wish someone else understood what you were going through. I think part of it is us learning how to grow up and get through our rough teenage years but damn.  
     My entire junior year was like this. My boyfriend and I of two years broke up (thank you jesus haha), I had to stress over the SATs and ACT, my family situation was never very settle, and I was stressing to keep up grades and get recruited for basketball. When things begin to build up, I tend to shut off from the world. I am a person who wears her heart on her sleeve, but when it becomes to personal, I don't let anyone know. This is especially makes me feel like I am so different and distant from the world. I just feel like no one can handle what I'm going through. Then I think to myself, I am blessed and fortunate of my life. People are going through far worse then me.
    This year, my life motto has completely changed. I am a stress free senior who is living. I don't dwell over stupid boy drama or over stress about school. I think I've probably added 10 years to my life without all the stress. Remember smiling is a natural medicine :)

Free: Stop Acting Like a Stupid Ass Victim

     Since we just came from class where we had discussion that I feel very passionately about, I though I'd continue it on my free post. Oscar Grant vs. Officer  Mehserle. A case in  which I think gained a lot of publicity because of race. Officer Mehserle was one of the responding officers to a fight at the BART station. Grant and friends were resisting the officers as they tried to detain them. So in order to gain control of the situation, Officer Mehserle claims he reached for his taser so he could tase Grant. He accidental grabbed his gun and shot Grant in the back. Grant was pronounced dead the next morning at the hospital. I completely believe and support Officer Mehserle. Oscar Grant was a thug, he knew what he had got himself to.In an article about Grant, it states:

Grant served several months in state prison in 2007 and 2008. The Department of Corrections didn’t disclose the offenses for which Grant was sentenced. Records at the main Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland indicate that Grant had 12 separate cases between April 12, 2004, and May 8, 2008.

Grant had a record, he knew not to resist the police and put his hands in his pocket. I honeslty believe Mehserle ment to pull a tazer.
     I hated how this case turned into such a huge race thing. If a white man was in the situation as Grant, I think the same ending would have happened. Just like  in the whole Occupy Wall Street protests, people of color always want to be the victims. Stop being the victims! You're just trying to draw too much attention yourselves. Also, the protesters for Oscar Grant did not help anything at all, parading around like a bunch of thugs just helps Officer Mehserles case.


On a random note, Sutherland said something about all the funding going to police in Oakland and not to helping the impoverished. They need all the funding for police because of all the damn thugs in Oakland. Oakland is almost up to 90 homicides this year and it's only October. Stop acting stupid and you'll get some funding people.

BC: College essay option 2

So since I'm not focused on the UC prompts I just did another common app prompt....i want to develop this so much more, but right now i have writers block, and this a piece of random shit. Please don't judge me haha           

      Someone who influences you for the better, is in most ways a hero. They have your best interest at heart, help guide you in the best direction, and support you in ease and in hardships. Unfortunately, many people are not blessed with that person. I am thankful to have the most influential person in my life, be someone who has raised since day 1, my father.

I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. Not in the sense where he spoils me and buys everything I want, but in the sense that we have an amazing relationship. He has not only been my father, but also my coach and a friend. As a coach, he introduced me to basketball. He realized the level of talent and amount of passion I had a young age and pushed me to continue working hard. He’s spent hours practicing with me, money sending me to camps and clinics, and his own time to take me to every game. Apart of being a coach is not just telling me how well I am doing but also when I am doing my best. He has never told me I’m doing well when I wasn’t. I would have never grown as a person if I thought I was doing everything right all the time.            

As a friend, I can always count on him to be there to listen. He does not judge me or things I do, he helps me make better decisions in future. We are both two outspoken people so he understand where I am coming from when I argue with people. He just helps me learn from errors I make. If I did not have a friend like him, I don’t know what I would do.

My father had made me become the self motivated, driven, and focused person that I am today. I would not have accomplished so much if I did not have his encouragement my entire life. I push myself harder and harder every day because of him. I  want to focus and succeed because of him. He has helped me shape my dreams and for the that he is my hero.

CE: Barbarians

     In the this article, it is discussing  whether or not they will release the gruesome pictures of Bin Ladin. I think that anyone who is in favor of is crazy. I am not a terrorist and I was very affected by the attack on September 11, but I do not condone the celebration of death. Yes, he did lead a terrible attack that cause many deaths but do two wrongs make a right? NO it doesn't and if you believe that two wrongs make a right you're stupid! Why would anyone want to see ugly pictures of someone who has been shot in the head. President Obama publicly confirmed that bin Ladin was killed, I am satisfied with that announcement. Mr. Sutherland's class last year talked about this issue and thankfully agreed with me. It is barbaric, gross, and just wrong to want to celebrate over a dead body.
     I think my opinion would have been the exact same if I had lost a family member or friend in the twin tours. I am just completely baffled that people celebrate death in the way they are doing it with bin Ladin. I understand many mothers, father, sister, and brothers were lost that day but if my sister was in the World Trade Center, I would be focused on praying to her in heaven and not dwelling over seeing essentially her killer or not. I hope Americans grow out of this disgusting barbaric phase and realize how ridiculous it is to see a picture of a dead body.

RE: Females Bruh

     Oh how this post brings back so many memories. Deja writes in a free post:

I have way more guy friends than I would ever have friends  that are girls. They are just way more relaxed and chill to hangout with, there is never any drama and I always have a good time with them. I love my guy friends I can tell them anything and keep it to themselves, they are not as messy as girls and tell the whole world, and they never judge me, they accept me for who I am.

I agree that girls tend to be a little more simplistic and easier to be friends with but every girl needs her own girlfriends.I used to say things just like she did,basically that girls are stupid and I hate them. Part of it was because I had so many bad past experiences that I put a label on all females. I started to recognize that 1. I was a girl, so I was probably encouraging some of the drama,and 2. I  just had not found my girl friend type. Another problem was I grew up with the same class of 30 kids for 9 years and I was always the only athletic one in the class. I would have rather played basketball then sat and brushed each others hair.Other girls were probably a little jealous and others probably just could not get along but I had to let go of that stereotype over all girls.
     Now, I still tend to have more guy friends but I do have my loving and wonderful girl best friends and they are the best things in the entire world. I do not mean to call her out and say Deja is just acting a little immature, but she'll learn. I had to grow up and face the facts that one day I would not hate very female on this earth. And plus, as you get older, you get all these lovey dovey feelings for boys and then they screw you over. Who are going to lean on then? Your girlfriend duh!

Free: A World Alone

     If i had to live on my own...let me try and paint a picture.  I'd wake up to some strange noises because I'd have to live in an apartment in a terrible neighborhood so I could afford rent. I'd do everything in the morning all alone, which actually might be refreshing since I love to blast music in the morning. Get my self to school,with an uninsured car because it'd be to expensive to pay.  Go to school and do the normal routine: class, sleep, talk,try and learn, sleep and then go to another class. Then the real crazy change would begin after school. After school, I would go straight to basketball for three hours, start my first job at maybe a coffee shop or a  restaurant. After that ended I'd probably have to go to a second job and work until early hours of the morning. After a long rigorous day at school, practice,and work, I'd have to find some hours to sleep and do homework.Life as a teenager would quickly slip away and I'd be forced to mature into the adult world way to fast.
      I think it would just be best if I stayed at home with my family. The reason i posted this was because, I recently took this into consideration. Life is not the greatest at home ( no one worry, nothing to extreme). I guess adults might say that it's just another conflict between teen and parent but there's nothing normal about the fights. But throughout my thought process I realized, I need to just mature and push through this year. I know this sounds superficial but I need the financial support of my parents during this expensive year and I need the INDIRECT love they provide me with, like a house and food. It shall be one long ass year....

FREE: My Day

            I am currently sitting on my bed, eating a bowl of ice cream, and wondering what the hell to write about.  Earlier I tried to write about my dream world, school, just life in general, and a whole bunch of other things but I just can’t seem to think of anything.

            Well, if you wanted to know how my day went, it went well. Wednesdays are my best days. English, Drama, Leadership, and I get out at 12:42….can u say nap time at 1? My sister is jealous of me for it, but she’ll soon see the light at the end of the tunnel when she becomes a senior. Tonight I have two back-to-back basketball games. I couldn’t be any more excited though. If I could only do any one thing for the rest of my life, it would be to play basketball. I’m hoping I play well today, so I can send this game out to college coaching. I’m hoping the rest of the week will continue like today. Friday the seniors have an assembly, it’s the Island Bowl, and Saturday is Senior Banquet.

The Island Bowl is the best game all year. One reason is, because a large majority from both schools attends the game. Two, because its another reason to stay out with my friends all night. Three, I know this is not good behavior to encourage, but it is entertaining watching people get so into the rivalry that a fight breaks out.  And Senior Banquet is one of the events I’ve been looking forward to since my freshmen year. I have an adorable pink fitted dress and it is another excuse to just look cute for the night. Well it is almost time for me to start getting ready for my game. Ta Ta for now. See you tomorrow third period. 

RE: Stupid Bullies

Vicky Hoang took the words right out of my mouth.

I don't understand what goes on in people's minds when they talk down on other people. When they call them fat, ugly, skinny, flat, dumb, and way more. [...] And most of all, cyber-bullying. I truly hate this. I hate what people do these days. People go and kill themselves because of these heartless jerks. How does that make you feel? Shitty, I hope.

You know when you grow and teachers tell you the bullies are just self conscious and don’t know how to deal with it? It’s the truth! Bullies are usually so miserable in their own lives that they take it out on others to bring them down with their suffering. The key is to not retaliate because then you let the bully win. They get the satisfaction of you becoming upset and the bullying will just continue.

I agree with Vicky that the worst form of bullying is cyber bullying. The internet is such a harmful tool to help bring down a person. It gives people who don’t have the balls to say it to the persons face the ability to do so. I’ve never been a person to hide behind the computer and post information to bring people down. It is the stupidest thing anyone can do.

This year I’ve had to deal with a lot of cyber bullying by a few immature boys. What I have to say to them is, “I am not all these hurtful things you call me, I am the best person I can be, and I am happy with that. Haters are going to hate. They’ll hate me, shake me, and may even break me, but how I recover is what makes me. Thank you for helping make me a beautiful, independent, and strong woman.” This is my greatest advice I can give to any teenager being bullied. IGNORE IT! We’re all special in our own different ways, embrace it. Remember that not everyone is going to always like you but those are the people that make you fight even harder to survive.

CE: Crazy Mothers

     And I thought my mom was crazy, my mom compares nothing to this psycho woman. This article describes the incident where the mother was caught on a YouTube video encouraging her 16 year old daughter to fight another teenager, as well as saying gang phrases. When she was around 16, she was convicted of a felony. She is currently in custody and bail is posted at $25,000 and could possibly face deportation. Her children are also completely distraught, but is she really the best for them?
    This woman should just get her kids taken away.  Any mother that is encouraging her daughter to fight is an unsuitable mother. I have not linked the video but I have seen this video and it is appalling. If you want to teach your kids how not to act, show them the video. I've been taught by my own mother to never judge anyone's parenting skills because you never know the circumstances and the full story. They could be doing their complete best and you just disagree. But clearly this woman cannot handle children.
     Even though I don’t get along with my mother enough, I’m so thankful that she does not embarrass me like that or act very obnoxious. Being a mother means you are the example for your children and hopefully all mothers’ goals are to nurture their children and to raise their children to become good people. This woman does not have the intention to raise her children like that and is an ill fit mother.

RE: A Plane Ticket in My Left and a Basketball in My Right

Oh how one simple post can inspire so many... Nicholas Cheung talks about his bucket list and says:

I've never been much of a traveler the last trip it was on the week of summer before school to LA, my last vacation before that was 2-3 years ago to Vietnam  for three weeks.

Bucket Lists are a necessity for everyone to have. I think having a bucket list gives everyone something to live for. I think everyone should strive to make and complete a bucket list with their biggest hopes and dreams.
Before I continue on his comment, here is my bucket list:
-go to a shooting range
-sky dive
-bungee jump
-travel
-play international basketball
- and hopefully this list will continue to grow.

The two I want to focus on relate back to Nicholas, traveling and athletics! Similar to Nicholas, I have been out of the country once to Italy and only traveled within the United States. My key to travel is basketball. Not many people know this but after college before I start my "real" career, I want to play international basketball. Who doesn't want to get paid for playing the sport they love all around the world? My top three travel destinations are New Zealand, Spain, and Fiji. Since New Zealand and Fiji are more of a vacation spot, I would like to end of playing professional basketball in Spain. Live in a different culture and get paid to play my passion. The sounds like the dream life. I think I can use my athletic ability to travel across the world.

CE: Unbelievable

How can one of the super powers of the world, hit record high in poverty levels? Every time I hear about the poor in the United States, it always blows my mind. We're in a country where no one should ever worry about not eating or worry about not having a roof on a cold night. I think one of our problems is that when we think about giving back or doing something good, we always think of other countries. Everyone talks about their spiritually moving experiences in third world countries all across the world, and I am not saying that there is anything wrong about that but maybe we should start by helping our impoverished. I love the quote "You can't help others until you help yourself," this very much applies to the United States. We are obviously a struggling country right now, with a high unemployment rate and low economy but we are not broke enough to help our own people. Maybe the next time you decide you want to go help save the world, you think locally. Go to a local food bank, volunteer at a homeless shelter, or donate money to a local charity. And even if want to travel, go rebuild houses in hurricane areas. There are many things in this country that should and need to be fixed as soon as possible.The government cannot do it all themselves. So lets help. Can we make a difference?

Free: Ride or Die

     It all started March 10, 1998. Olivia Marguerite McKeon, also known as my sister, was born. I don't remember the day because I was only 3, but I can see the smile on my face in all the pictures....on only that day. After I got over the fact that I got to hold a baby, I became a jealous little toddler. My sister became the center of attention and for a little kid who got all of the attention from every family member, that was a huge change. I kicked, screamed, or did anything or a little attention and that just ended in me getting in trouble. So if you drew up a conclusion about my relationship with my sister just from this opening information, you would conclude far from the actual truth.
     We're typical sisters in the sense that we fight, we argue,  we have problems sharing, and we just don't always get along. But our relationship has so much more positive then negative. I count on her for a lot more then she may know. I can lie to my parents and she'll always know the truth, i can count on her to tell me when I look like a hot mess, and I can count her to make me feel loved. So she's only 13, we're like twins.
     Three days ago she had back surgery. I would have done anything to put me in that hospital bed instead of her. To see my other half in pain and so broken was one of the worst experiences. Everyday I visit her in the hospital, I leave crying. I never realized how important it was for me to see her everyday happy and healthy. It's amazing how I'm going to be leaving in less then a year and I wont get to see her everyday. I want the best for my baby sister and would do anything for her.
If I could tell my sister anything right now I would say: " Liv, everything is going to be alright, I'm going to be here for. I'm your rock and would die for you. You are the coolest, popular, 8th grader ever and I am sometimes jealous of how many friends you have. I will love you for forever and more. I love you baby girl."  My ride or die is my little sister and that will never change. Our relationship is far from perfect but I wouldn't change it for the world.

BC: Maybe good can come from bad

Common App: Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
      I would consider myself a well known and well liked person in my community. I participate in athletics, I’m the Associated Student Body President, and I have a wide variety of friends. Just like everyone else, there are many people who don’t like who I am because I am not perfect and not all personalities mesh. Although I never would have thought the person who would hated me the most was my best friend.
     I never went a day with out talking to my best friend. In most ways we were the same people. We were two emotional and outspoken individuals,who were not afraid to be anything less then themselves. In other ways we were the complete opposite of each other. I was focused on striving for for my best in my education and athletics, and he was striving to barely get by. He was focused on having fun and living life like a party, I was to busy and serious to let go and enjoy myself. These opposites made us grow much closer to each other, I made sure he got his homework done and he helped me let go of a lot of my stress. We were apart of one anothers families and nothing could change that. I finallly blessed with the true definition of a best friend. Unfortunately, that changed quickly. We both did hurtful things to one another, but I thought if we apoligzed, our relationship would heal.
     After a few weeks, I decided it was time for me to apologize. He took the apology and slapped it right back in my face. He acted out by turning into the stereotypical cyber bully. Because we were so close,we told each other everything. He was the only person who knew my deepest secrets and everything else about me. I found that a lot of my personal information was being spread around the internet and I was getting called hurtful names. My heart was completely shattered. I emotional shut down and had no idea what to. Retaliating only helped to escalate the problem and crying alone did not help. I was in a state of disbelief and I had no idea where to turn.
     Being disrespected and emotionally abused by the person you trust the most is the biggest dilemna I’ve faced. I had a break through when I finally realized that mopping would not fix anything. I had to forgive him, for myself. I’ve been bullied before and I do not think this will be the last occurence of me being bullied, but I will no longer let myself be the victim. I turned a horrible situation into the start of a learning process for myself. I cannot let others words affect me so greatly. I have to believe in who i am as a person and not let others degrade me.I am proud of who I am and will no longer let other peoples words define me. I am me and I am strong.

RE:What is there to fear?

I would like to start off my saying, Trevor's writing abilities provoke a great amount of emotion. Trevor states in his opening paragraph: "Soon real life will set in and students will have to face the big questions such as, who do I want to be, and how do I want to be viewed by others." It is so true that being viewed by others is such a major factor of life. We all want good attention in some way. I know many loud and outspoken people say: "I don't care what people say!" or "I do me all day and everyday." I can definitely be accused of saying these statements on the daily, but in reality I don't want people to view me in a negative light. Since this is impossible to achieve perfection and to receive only positive views of ourselves by our peers, we must take each negative comment and use it in the best possible way. What i recently came to realize is, I have let myself be the victim for way to long. I've grown up being bullied and am still continually bullied, but I am no longer letting the bullies get the reaction. I am a strong, independent, and beautiful women, as cliche as that sounds, i finally believe it. I know there will be days that I'm not going to like the way people talk about me but as Trevor states: "Overcoming small hurdles/problems motivates us and trains us to take on bigger problems which in the end may lead to the fulfillment of our goals." I completely agree. Haters are going to hate. They'll hate you, rate you, shake you, and may possible break you. But how strong you stand is what makes you. Today, I am making myself and not falling into the traps of what the hatersTHINK I've made myself.

CE: A Moment in History for Many....a Realization for Me.

      I can 100% relate to this man in the video. He talks about 9/11 completely changing his career because of that one terrorist attack on the United States. I would not be as drastic as to change my career but I wished I was older when 9/11 happened. I was 7 years old and I did not really grasp or understand the idea of terrorism and thousands of people dying all in one tragedy. If I was in high school during 9/11 I would have caught the first bus to New York City. I would have helped cleared out rubble, searched for people, or even feed the men and women working to clear out the mess.
      September 11th had such a huge effect on me. I remember I woke up around 5am that morning to say goodbye to my mother before she went to work (a Lieutenant in the San Francisco Fire Department). She laid me back down on the couch, turned on the television,  and left for work quickly so I could fall back to sleep. I remember seeing a burning building on the TV and saying "Mommy could put out that fire." When I got to school that morning, my second grade teacher had the same "fire" on and I started to realize it was more then just one little fire. On my walk home from school that day, I asked my dad why he looked so upset, he stated: " A lot of innocent people died today because of some mean people."
     I was very fortunate this year to visit the 9/11 memorial. The whole memorial was overwhelming. I view 9/11 in the eyes of the kids whose moms and dads serving in the New York Fire Department died that day. In the memorial, I came across a fallen firefighters uniform. I immediately broke down into tears because it brought back all the memories of me worrying about my mom going to work.
      Now that I am older, I realize that mom will be safe and there is a one and a million chance that my mom wont come home the next day. But the scary thing is....there still is that chance. My mom works at the San Francisco Airport as a firefighter. SFO is a major airport in which millions of people travel through. I pray and thank God that we have men and women fighting to keep my mother safe, so she has less of a chance to walk into such an extreme danger zone.

Free:Little Princess

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl. Her golden hair shined in the sun, her blue eyes sparkled like the night stars, and her smile could light up an entire room. All the rulers of Genovia thought she would make a wonderful Queen when she grew old enough. Although she was very well mannered and received a great amount of approval from the higher royalty, she was very unhappy.

She grew up in the great walls of the protected kingdom. She was home schooled by her servants, she never played sports with the other children, or did anything outside of the great walls by herself. Her father, King Renaldi, and her mother, Queen Thermopolis, were very popular, so the visited the weekly town market and the little princess always accompanied them. They sat at the center The towns people gathered together every Sunday to sell their crops, clothes, or other goods. Many children came and played games together while their parents worked. The little princess was always very eager to escape the guards and run and play with the other little children. The guards always caught her and she was forced to stay close to her parents. Every time she was captured by the guards and returned to her parents they would say: “Oh my silly little princess, you are to precious to leave our site.” This made the little princess more and more angry, every time she heard it.  As years went by, the princess was no longer little and a lot more rebellious.

One night the princess decided it was time to escape and go to the grand party all the towns teens were talking about at the last market. Once her parents and most of the guards went to bed, she quietly climbed the vines outside of her window and escaped. She was finally free to explore all by herself! Luckily for the princess, she did not encounter any problems on her journey to the party. When she finally arrived, she was quickly recognized. You would think that she would be quickly be surrounded by a group of people, but it was just the opposite. The princess was the outcast; no one talked to her because she just was not a normal teenager. While the princess was moping in the corner about what was supposed to be a spectacular night, she was tapped on the shoulder by....