Gianna Sturiale

Donating means you are selfish and selfless

2010-03-28T16:19:00.001-07:00

Everyone sacrifices something. If you are a teenager, you sacrifice your time to go to school, if you're a parent, you make sacrifices for your children. The point is that everyone sacrifices something, if you don't think so, you're wrong because right now you're sacrificing time and energy to read this blog.

Sacrifices can be made for religious, personal, or even societal reasons. Many people do it to be brave and courageous, while others do it because it's the right thing to do. What I wonder, though, is if sacrificing makes people selfish. I believe it does and I believe it does the exact opposite, it can also make you self-less. It always depends on the situation. I believe that if a person is sacrificing something because they are trying to be brave or courageous, that they are doing it for selfish reasons. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but they are only doing it to make themselves feel better. For example, giving away your favorite outfit to charity is a brave thing (especially for girls), but since you're doing it to make yourself feel good, I'd categorize that as a selfish sacrifice. Even religious sacrifices I believe can be categorized as selfish. Those sacrifices are done in order to ensure a long and happy life and/or afterlife for the person making the sacrifice, hence, selfish. Giving something up or letting go of something for another person or for a greater cause I believe is a selfless sacrifice, as long as the person isn't doing it just to make themselves feel better. For example, if that same girl is giving away her outfit to charity because she knows it's a good thing to do, that's selfless and not selfish.

Sacrifices are both selfish and selfless, neither of which make it a good or bad thing to do. Everyone must make sacrifices because it's a part of life. Whether you're a baby, teenager, adult, or grandparent, we all make sacrifices to better our lives and the lives of others.

Question:What matters? Answer:Everything

2010-03-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

"I see no reason to get up in the morning if I don't mean to matter." - Tom Peters

I do agree with this quote because if a person in going to get up in the morning and do nothing that matters to them or to anyone else, then what is the point? Nearly everything people do either matters to them or to someone else. Even if it is just going to the beach for the day to tan or running errands, it all matters. Going to the beach to tan might matter to you because you enjoy doing it and running errands might matter matter to a friend or family member because they are relying on you. Doing something that you have to do or just want to do always matters because every action has some sort of physical or emotional consequence to it, either good or bad. Tanning might cause you to feel good and relaxed or bad and burned, and running errands might make you tired and stressed, or happy that everything is done.

It is impossible to never do anything that matters to you or to anyone else. Even if you lie in bed all day and don't move, that is something that matters to yourself. Everything you do matters even if you don't realize it. The hard work you do in school will help you get into a good college and eventually into a good job, so even if you hate it, the work matters. The friendships and relationships you have matter, they give you lasting people to rely on and help you become the best person you can become. The stupid stuff you do matters, it helps you realize that it is stupid and helps you to not make mistakes again. So trust me, even if you don't think it matters, it does, everything matters.

The Nonexistent Free Will

2010-03-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

Free will. This is something that I'd like to assume I have, but after reading Never Let Me Go, and critically thinking about free will in my own life, I have come to the conclusion that free will (unless you do not mind consequences such as jail) does not exist.

From birth, we are taught that we can do whatever we want to in life, and that we should follow our dreams because the world is our playground. After our existential unit, though, I do not believe that this is entirely true. I do believe that we can do what we want to in life, and that the world can be our playground, but the fact is that there are always consequences to our actions. We are all bound by the rules and laws of the government, our parents, and even our school. They all say what we can and cannot do and though they might not always be able to stop us, they scare us by threatening us with grounding, detention, suspension, or jail time.

It's true that I can do whatever I want, because my life is my life. The problem, is that if I do care about going to jail and the consequences of my actions, then I don't have free will. I can't just go steal jewelry from somebody's house or kill someone (not that I want to) because the law of the government forbids it. So when we really think about it, we don't have complete free will, that does not exist. I do have the free will to choose to be a good person, to follow my dreams and goals, and to choose other things in life like the right college, but 100% free will does not and will never exist.

Pay It Forward

2010-02-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I learned the true meaning and value of helping others. This is due to the fact that this weekend I graduated from National Charity League (NCL), a mother-daughter charity organization, in which I have been involved for 6 years. Our graduation was like a debutante ball, in a sense that we were all graduating as well as being presented to society as women. During this event, I was constantly reminded of all of the hard volunteer work I have done over the years, and how it has not gone unnoticed.

The next day, once the event was over, I went home and finished my book, Never Let Me Go, and it made me think about all of the volunteer work I have done. The existential book constantly makes you ask what is our purpose in life? and what is the point of everything? This, in turn, made me think of all the volunteering I have been doing. In life we are born, we live, and we die, so we are forced to ask ourselves what is the point of doing anything if you are just going to die? Life has been given to us, and it is up to us to take that life and to make the most of it because we do not know what lies for us after we die. And that is how I got to think of my volunteering. There are so many people struggling to make their life the best they can, but they've failed and some point in their life and have not been able to pick themselves up. Sometimes, it only takes one helping hand.

If you have been given many luxuries in life and have been able to live a nice life, as I have, then it is only fair to pay it forward and to help someone else in need. NCL has given me the motivation to keep volunteering beyond the organization and to help those who are less fortunate than myself. If we are only given so much time on this earth to live, we need to make the most of it and need to help those in need make the most of theirs, because before we know it, we are out of time and have "completed". Paying it forward makes you a selfless person while making the world a better place.

PAY IT FORWARD

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Do you Lie?

2010-02-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been full of birthdays, in fact, this whole month has. For some reason a lot of my friends, including myself, all decided to be born during this month. Anyways, because of this, I have found myself out to dinner A LOT lately, and while I was out, I couldn't help but think about the poem we read during class entitled "Mirror". While sitting at the restaurants, I noticed all the candles and remembered how someone in class mentioned that the poem talks about a mirror and how it is not moonlight nor candles because that lighting tends to make a person always look good, no matter what. Of course, I completely felt like a nerd thinking about school and poems while out to a birthday dinner, but let's just get back to the point of this blog.

Everyone, especially girls, always want to look good, because if you look good, you feel good. That is why we spend lots of time doing our hair and makeup and why we constantly check, double check, triple check, and quadruple check ourselves in a mirror before we go out. While candles and moonlight, as the poem says, can distort our images into making us look good, no matter what, mirrors do not lie. They tell you the truth no matter how wonderful or horrible it is. The mirror can either be our friend or our enemy, but no matter what we choose it will never tell a lie.

But isn't everyone just supposed to accept us for who we are? Aren't we supposed to be loved by friends, family, and loved ones for our true beauty? Shouldn't our beauty on the inside be equally as important as our beauty on the outside? While these things should be true, they aren't always. Luckily, though, there are lots of people who find beauty on the inside equally as important as beauty on the outside.

So what does this have to do with mirrors? Mirrors are just an object we use to tell us the truth about ourselves. Really, it is up to us to interpret what the mirror says as a positive or negative. People can lie and either be mean or tell you what you want to hear, but a mirror is will never succumb to that. Once we are able to accept ourselves and interpret the mirrors images as positive, then you will be able to find someone that will also see your true beauty. As long as you accept yourself, someone will accept you also.

You Will Fail. End of Story. Get Used To It. :)

2010-02-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

This week we read an article from the "Investor's Business Daily" about 10 traits that a successful person should have. The very first one on the list was the one that caught my attention the most. It was: How You Think Is Everything. This one was most important to me because in order to protect myself, I often think negatively. Doing so gives me a reason to fail and makes it okay to fail. I often think that by thinking positively, and then failing, that I will be even more disappointed than before.

I believe that a lot of people feel this way, though, not just me. We are always trying to protect ourselves from physical and emotional pain, both of which can come from failing at something. That's why whether you are taking a test or playing a sport, it is easier to think negatively about what you are doing and to think you are going to fail, that way if you fail it seems justified and if you succeed, it feels even more rewarding. By thinking positively, most people believe you are setting yourself up for disappointment because you are more inclined to be extremely disappointed should you fail.

So how do we deal with this? The easy answer is to just stop think negatively and to start thinking positively, but it is not that easy. If it were, then we would not have this problem in the first place. I believe the first thing people need to do is to have no fear and to practice, practice, practice. In sports, practice is a place where it is okay to try new things and to fail or make a mistake because that is how you get better for competitive games. The second thing people need to know is that it is OK to fail, it is! If we didn't fail once in awhile, then people wouldn't think we were human. I hate to break it to you, but failing is a part of life. YOU WILL NEVER GO THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT FAILING, so get used to it. :)

Competition in life

2010-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

I felt that with Super Bowl XLIV coming up, what better time to talk about sports and competition than this week? What I found myself wondering was, why does everyone seem to love sports so much? What is it about them that makes us go crazy?

From a young age we learn that life is a competition and that we need to always try to be on top. Whether it is school and grades or sports, we are always trying to do the best we can and also better than the person who is better than you. It's not always about shoving it in the other person's face that you did better or that you are amazing, it is about that self-satisfaction feeling you get from doing the best. It's one of the best feelings when you know you are the best at something, and that is what sports athletes feel and that is why they play on a professional level. Obviously lots of athletes do it just for the money, but I believe there are those who still play because they love the sport and love that feeling they get when they are the best.

I think people love to watch sports so much not just because it is entertaining, but also because it gives us something to be passionate about and when our team is the best, we get the same feeling the athletes get when they are the best. Because our home team represents us, their success feels like our success. Now it always sucks to be the losing team, but that is another thing sports and competition teaches us, how to take a loss. Life is all about failing and overcoming obstacles so it's only natural for people to feel loss and fail during their lifetime. It's overcoming that horrible feeling that makes you a stronger person.

I personally LOVE sports, especially football, and I strongly believe that by playing sports, you can learn a lot about yourself and learn a lot of life lessons. Competition is something that has been going on in the world forever, whether it's a fight to the death between a hunter and animal or two male birds fighting to impress the one female bird, life is all about competition. We love it because it is entertaining, we can relate to it, it teaches us a lot, and most of all it is inspiring. Nothing is more inspirational than making that winning basket at the buzzer or the winning Hail Mary catch for the win.

Winning basketball shot

Winning Hail Mary

HOD in Avatar

2010-01-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeh2KILn7O4 (Avatar movie trailer)

This weekend I went to see the movie Avatar and as I was watching it, I thought to myself, this is very similar to Heart of Darkness. In the movie, people from Earth are trying to take over land that has been inhabited by the natives for years. The humans want their land and the metal over which their land rests. And because they see the natives as savages and as the "others", they have no problem destroying their forest, killing their people, and destroying one of their most sacred trees. Not all the humans are bad, though, one man named Jake Sulley and some of his closest companions join the natives in the fight for their land.

I felt that this movie had a lot to do with Heart of Darkness and imperialism in general because of how the humans felt that they had this right to take whatever they wanted due to their belief of civilized superiority. I pictured the man who has no problem taking whatever he wants, the colonel, as Kurtz because of the fact that he had no problem killing the natives. The man who was in charge of the whole operation I pictured as Leopold because for one, he was never on the actual planet, he spent the whole time inside on a spaceship where it was safe, and two, all he wanted was money and didn't care about what he did to the indigenous population to get it. The main man, Jake, I saw as Marlow because he was the main character and because he actually felt something when he saw what was happening to the natives. In the end he joins the fight with the natives.

I believe that this movie was not only awesome, but that it also had an important message about imperialism. Though people may be uncivilized or look different than us doesn't make it okay for other people to just go in and take over. If the indigenous people didn't ask for help and didn't ask for the civilized people to come, then there is really no reason for them to be there. Whether it is greed that drives you or humanitarian responsibilities, if you are not supposed to go in and help then it's better to just leave it alone. If people had lived their life in a "savage" way then that is all they know how to do. So when we see someone living a life as a "savage", we may think it is horrible and weird, but to them it is just how things are done.

Be stupid, dumb, and crazy, but most of all have fun

2010-01-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppqb0t_B0KY

Carpe Diem, or "seize the day", is a phrase I truly take to heart, as do a lot of people. When you're around friends and family who have lost a beloved friend or family member, it makes you truly realize how short life is. Yes we all have responsibilities in life, but it's my belief that one of these is to make the most you can out of your life. If you never try to do something new, crazy, or daring then you are not living up to your potential. Making life exciting is one of our duties and it's important that we do so. Go sky diving, travel, help the less fortunate, do whatever gets you excited because one day you will not be able to do those things and you'll spend the rest of your life wondering "what if?"

That is why when I am presented with new and crazy things, I usually try and do them. Throughout my life I have been the "daredevil" in my family and I have never once regretted it because I believe that it makes my life that much more exciting. I've done fun things helping the less fortunate, gone rock climbing, was the first one in my family to try snowboarding and surfing, I've tried paint balling, and I've traveled the country playing in lacrosse tournaments. All of these aren't life-threatening activities, but they are activities that are exciting and that I will never regret doing. Yes, these sorts of things carry risks with them, but it doesn't take away from how fun they are.

Making the most out of your life is something that everyone should try and do. I know that I will continue to do things that get me excited throughout my life because I enjoy trying new things. The question is, would you want spend your life saying "that was stupid, fun, crazy, and awesome," or "what if I had done that?"

I am strong, weak, and everything in between

2010-01-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

Strength. It can be mental or it can be physical, but what exactly allows a person to be classified as "strong"? Is it how smart they are?, how big their muscles are?, or is it something else?

As Joseph Conrad said, "your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others" (7). Strength is not something that can be acquired due to a set limit. Strength only comes from one's ability to be less weak than other people. Being able to handle stressful situations makes you mentally stronger than someone who can't, and even if there is someone out there who is even more mentally stronger than you, that doesn't make you weak. As long as you are able to become less weak than someone else, that makes you strong. Even physically this is true. Just because someone can bench 100 lbs. and you can only bench 50 lbs., doesn't make you a weak person. You are weaker than the person who benches 100 lbs, but you are still stronger than the person who can only bench 25 lbs.

Strength is only visible through the weakness of others. Being weak or strong just depends on the situation in which you are put in. One moment you can be strong, but the next you can be weak. For example, in some kind of sports tournament, you could be the best/strongest one in the first round, but in the next round because the competition is more fierce, you could be the worst/weakest. No one is ever a weak or strong person for life, it just depends on the situation in which they are being judged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSbCnWe6e1o -- Youtube army video

What we have is not who we are

2009-12-15T19:32:00.001-08:00

Does what we have represent who we are? As I stare at these pictures Mr. Burke had us look at of families with all of their food out, I wonder, what would this look like for my family? What would it be like for your family?

Personally, I don't believe that what we have represents who we are. I am fortunate enough to have lots of luxuries in my life, like this computer I am typing on, for example. As I stare around my room I see a lot of random wall hangings, clothes, and decorations. I wonder, what would it be like without all of these things. As Grace Goodman mentioned in her blog, she wasn't sure what possession she would save if her house was burning down because everything is pretty much replaceable. Sure lots of people have sentimental possessions that they would not like to lose, for example I have some of my Nana's jewelery that I would definitely not want to lose, but most of the things we have are material items that can easily be replaced.

Take Siddartha for example. When he leaves his home to go out into the world on his own....he has nothing with him. When he lives with the Samanas, he has absolutely no possessions with him, but the size of his heart and the size of his intelligence were not measured by what he had with him, for he had nothing at all. His experience, intelligence, heart, love, desire, friendship, etc. is what made him who he is.

You cannot base your opinions on someone by what they have. It is what they do, how they act, and who they are on the inside that makes up that person.

Suffering Through Chocolate

2009-12-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

What is desirable? What attracts people to certain things? Can getting what you desire or not getting what you desire cause suffering? Is suffering desirable? These are the questions that we discussed in class this week. The topic: desire.

Everyone has different desires depending upon who they are and what they like. Desire can come in many forms. It can be something we want, need, are attracted to, or even something we love. Getting or not getting what you desire, though can cause suffering. For example, if a woman were to desire chocolate, if she got her desire, then she may feel suffering afterwards because of the weight she gained from eating all the chocolate. Not getting what you desire can also lead to suffering. For example, if someone desires someones else because they are in love, not getting that loved one can cause suffering. On the other hand, not getting or getting what you desire can also lead to happiness. If the woman doesn't eat the chocolate she desires, then she'll be happy because she won't gain weight. And if someone gets the person they love and desire, they will experience absolute happiness. Every experience with desire is different and therefore whether or not getting your desire will cause suffering or happiness will vary. It's hard to decide which desires are good and bad, though, because desire is a strong emotion. Wanting something differs from desire in that it isn't as strong of an emotion. Desire is wanting something, but wanting something badly enough that sometimes it will hurt if you don't get it.

In Siddartha, Siddartha is not sure of what he desires, he's just sure of what he doesn't desire. He is looking for something, but he can't figure out what it is yet. On his journey, Siddartha suffers greatly because he chooses to. He feels that by suffering, he can finally figure out what it is he truly desires. In a sense, Siddartha desires to suffer in order to find what he truly desires.

In life, we all experience suffering, happiness, want, desire, love, lust, friendship, etc. But when you experience these emotions, can you truly see what effects your decisions will have? If you truly desire something, chances are you won't be able to truly comprehend the consequences of getting or not getting what you desire because your want for that object is so strong. So it just depends, what do you desire?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvKWUsJ9qoE -- Desire by U2

It can be scary, but it can also be great

2009-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

During our class on monday, I realized just how far I've come in life and how far I still have to go. We were taken out onto the football field and told to stand on the yard line that represents our age. As I gazed down to the goal line, it didn't look that far away, but as I gazed forward, I saw just how far I still have to go. Being a 17 year-old, I feel like I'm old and I feel like I've already accomplished a lot, but after seeing how many more yards I still have to go, I realize that I have so much more to offer the world and I'm not even close to where I will be in the future.

In Siddartha, Siddartha has come to feel trapped at his yard-line. His mind and curiosity represents that of an older yard-line and not the one he is currently at. So he decides to embark on a journey of independence on his own. Siddartha is a lot like high school seniors in a sense that they want to go out into the real world and separate from their parents in order to gain a sense of how the real world works. There's only so much that teachers, parents and books can teach us. There comes a point in everyone's life where it's time for them to go and experience the real world first-hand. Living at the 17 and 18 yard-line is safe, not much can happen to you there. But as you go forward, the chances of something happening increase significantly. It can be success or it can be failure, but it's from those experiences that you learn how life in the real-world works. Everyone needs to take that step forward at some point in their life. Physically you don't have a choice because age is something you cannot control. No matter what you do, every year you will move one yard forward. Mentally, though, it is something you can control. Not everyone's mental yard-line represents their physical yard-line. At some point in life, though, everyone needs to take that mental one yard step forward and into the life of independence where anything can happen. It can be scary, but it can also be great.

After living through just about 1/4 of my life, it's time for me to go out into the world on my own and to experience the real-world and college life, independently. I'm standing on the 17 yard line, almost at the 18 yard line ready to make the leap forward into the world of independence.

The Double S: Seniors and Siddartha

2009-11-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Today we are to being a book entitled Siddartha. From what I understand the book to be about, it will have to do a lot with what we, as seniors, are going through. I haven't started the book yet, but by hearing Mr. Burke give an overview of the story, I can see how high school seniors are easily able to relate to the story.

As seniors, it's a known fact that we are ready to graduate. It's no secret that since after day #2 of school, we were ready for graduation to come and for school to end. We love our teachers, our families, and our friends, but we all know that at this point in our life, it's time for us to move on. Siddartha, like many seniors, chooses to experience life for himself and goes on a journey of his own. Seniors are like Siddartha, because just like him, we are ready to experience life for ourselves. Sometimes it's what our parents want and other times it isn't, but at this point in our life it really isn't up to what our parents want anymore. It's time for us to make our own choices and to fail or succeed on our own. If we aren't able to do that, then it will be impossible for us to learn things on our own.

I appreciate everything that my teachers and family has done for me throughout the years and it's not a negative thing when I say, "I'm ready to move on and get out of here." It's just that at this point in my life I feel that the right thing to do is to go experience life for myself.

Things Haven't Changed As Much As We Think They Have

2009-11-15T15:24:00.000-08:00

As one of our assignments in english class, we were given the task to write an analytical paragraph comparing and contrasting Laertes, Hamlet, Ophelia, and Fortinbras. As I was writing this, I noticed that while all the males are tough and quick to act with muscles, the only girl, Ophelia, is the opposite of that. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all try to avenge their father's death, but Ophelia doesn't. Being in the feminist group for our group projects on Hamlet, has also given me perspective on the way women are treated in the play. They are protrayed as weak and as people who are easily controlled by the men in the play.

From my experience as being a women, I've realized that though some things about the treatment of women have changed, a lot haven't. Women do have a lot more rights now than they did back in the time Hamlet was writen, but there are still a lot of things that differ between men and women. For example, if there were to be a draft for the military, only men would be drafted, not women. Also, it's a known fact that as a man, you just don't hit a woman. Last night my guy friend and I were joking around and I was trying to get him to fight and though he said yes at first, about 12 seconds later he admitted that he could never hit a girl. Any time a guy hits a girl, he immediately puts a target on himself because it's just something you don't do. Also, in my family and other families I know, there are double standards. While the men can usually do whatever they want, the women always have to be a lot more careful than the men and are protected a lot more than the men for fear that something might happen to them.

Yes women have gotten the right to vote and yes there is a lot more equality between women and men, but no it isn't completely equal and I don't think it ever will be. There will always be double standards and there will always be differences between men and women, because let's face it there ARE differences between men and women, both physical and mental. Girls and boys are brought up differently and are conditioned differently. People won't describe a girl as big and muscular and a guy as weak and emotional because that is not what the universal belief is. In the future it may change, but I don't think it will.

You Can Only Control Your Own Life

2009-11-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

As we read Hamlet in class, we are forced to examine our own lives in comparison to Hamlet because of the fact that we, as teenagers, are going through a lot of the same things that the characters face in the play. We are at a crossroad right now trying to choose between doing something for oursevles that we want to do, or pleasing our parents and doing something they want us to do. As we go through our journey of leaving home and as we choose a path on which to live, we may find ourselves a changed person, just as Hamlet and Ophelia have changed throughout the course of the play. Are these changes good, or will we be worse off from changing?

As it stands now, people in high school are changing, for better and worse. People are making new friends and older friends are being left out. Everyone has a right to change whether it's for the best or worst. If it's for the best, then they've chosen the right path, if it's for the worst, then it's their mistake to make. We cannot control everyone and it's inevitable that people will change and grow apart. At the end of the school year, though, we will all be on our way to college, forever changing our lives, hopefully in the best way. Some friends will grow apart and others will stay friends forever. Growing and changing is a part of life and no one and nothing can change that. You can only control your own life and as much as you may want to, you can't control the lives of others.

Though our changes and future may be vastly different from what Hamlet and Ophelia go through in Hamlet, the messages are similar. Because of certain experiences and reasons, people will change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. No matter what, though, you can't control them as much as you may want to sometimes. People must live their own lives and learn from their own mistakes if they make them. The only thing you can do is be yourself and live your life they way you want to.

Give everything you can because that’s all you have

2009-10-31T12:09:00.001-07:00

Recently in Literature class we were given as assignment to ask two people in our lives to write us a letter about morals, values, anything that they wanted to say or felt that they should say to us about us leaving soon for college. This letter gave the loved ones in our lives a chance to say the things they've wanted to, but haven't been able to say or have forgotten to say to us.

I had my mom and my brother, who is a senior at University of Arizona, write me a letter. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment because of the fact that while my parents have always given me advice and rules, this letter gave them the chance to say anything else they've wanted to but haven't gotten the chance to yet. Also, I've never really talked about college or the future of it with my brother all that much mostly because he's always had a hard time remembering I'm not a little kid anymore. He still thinks of me as young and innocent and not as an adult about to embark on a whole new adventure on my own. This letter, though, gave him a chance to accept that I'm about to leave home, go to college, and be independent for the first time. I really enjoyed his letter and valued the things he wrote. My favorite things that he said were, "The best advice I can offer for you in college is to make sure that you enjoy every moment of it...Good luck and always remember the people that helped get you to where you are. They are the most important people in your life and you should always realize how lucky you are." My favorite line of his whole letter, though, was "Give everything you can because that’s all you have." I know my brother is right when he says this because in college, no one knows who you are and all you have is yourself. You need to show people who you are and be yourself because there's nothing else you can do.

I think these letters were important because it allowed the loved ones in people's lives to say the things to them that they haven't been able to say yet. I think it's easier for people to write down the things they want to say rather than to say them. Emotions can get in the way of things when people are trying to express themselves and they often forget things that they wanted to say or say things that they didn't want to say. Writing is an easy way for people to truly express themselves and their feelings.

I encourage you to read this blog while listening to the song "The New Year" by Death Cab for Cutie. I feel that this song reflects people's feelings about embarking on a new adventure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MwhxdGAnic

"The New Year"

So this is the new year.
And i don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance (in the distance).

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions

So everybody put your best suit or dress on
Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once
Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn
As thirty dialogs bleed into one

I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then i could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.

There'd be no distance that could hold us back [x2]

So this is the new year [x4]

Names

2009-10-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Why or how do people give their kids names? Do they spend time researching common or uncommon names on the internet or do they name their kids after someone? Do they spend time thinking of names or do they just come up with it off of a whim? As an economist would say: "it depends" (thank you Mr. Nelson).

Names are people's identity. It's how we associate and know people. Without names, people wouldn't be able to differentiate between each other. But why are names so special? Why must they be different than the everyday names we use today, like telephone or chair or even garbage? Now I know some people, like celebrities, do like to do things like this and name their kid say.... Apple, but for the majority of the population, they pick names that are meant for people and not fruit or objects. Some people may name their kids as a honor to a loved one that has passed away. Parents do this so that the name of their beloved parent or grandparent lives on in the family. It doesn't necessarily mean that that person needs or is expected to be like that parent or grandparent, it just serves as a honor. Some parents name their kids after them because of a family tradition. It doesn't necessarily mean that the parent expects their kid to be like them, though sometimes it may be the case. Lots of times, though, it is just family tradition to keep a name going in the family. For example, my friend is named TJ Ryan IV and his dad is TJ Ryan III, but he isn't expected to be like nor is he anything like his father, it is just family tradition to name the first son TJ Ryan.

The reasons why and how people name their kids varies because of different family traditions and opinions. But one thing that is always constant is that a person's name reflects their identity and who they are. Many people keep the name that their parents gave them, and those who don't like it or don't believe it reflects who they are, can easily change their name to reflect who they believe they are. Names in our society have a deep importance to us because of how we believe people will perceive us. People put a name to a face and believe that they should go together nicely. So ask yourself, how did you get your name? Does it reflect who you are?

Don't judge a person by what or how they write

2009-10-18T11:52:00.001-07:00

"Don't judge a book by its cover." This is the most classic of quotes that describes how people should not be prejudgmental to one another. If this statement is true, though, could we also argue that we "shouldn't judge a person by what or how they write"?

By now, I'm sure every senior at Burlingame High School is writing or has just about finished writing all of their personal statements and essays for the colleges that they are applying to. The problem with this, though, is that not only is doing college applications extremely annoying because all you do is type in the same information over and over again, but most of the time you don't get a choice about what you want to tell them. If you do get this choice, though, you can't even write it in a way that truly expresses who you are. Take me, for example, it's no secret that I dislike writing essays and that they are not my strongest ability in English class, but I can write informal things, like blogs, well. So the dilemma is, how can you truly know someone by reading something they wrote that doesn't truly express who they are? Sure what they wrote about themselves is true, but the way they wrote it is completely fake. Kids only write formally for colleges because if you don't then they probably won't accept you or take you seriously. I think colleges should take informal writing, like blogs, seriously. Not only are kids writing what the colleges asked for, but they're doing it in a way that expresses them the most.

I feel that informal writing shows you who someone is more than formal writing does. Informal writing allows a person to ramble on about subjects without having to worry too much about silly grammatical errors. I also feel that people are able to dive deeper into a subject because they don't have to worry about making it all sound good and smart for whoever is going to read it. By writing informally, kids are able to express themselves in a true way. Through informal writing, a reader can see who a person is, what they like, what their values are, how they feel about subjects, and more because people are more free in their writing. No thesis or quotes are needed. Just your opinions and thoughts about life or whatever you want to talk about. This is what I feel true writing is.

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching."

2009-10-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Since this week in class we talked more about law and leadership, I decided that for this weeks blog, I'd just sort of pick my own topic.

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching." This quote has really stuck with me this week because of the fact that my best friend's dad (pictured to the left) passed away a week ago. It really made me think about how short life is and how we need to do things that please us because if we don't, then what was the point of it all? It's okay for people to be selfish once in awhile, because if we are not, then we'll spend our whole lives pleasing other people and never ourselves. On the opposite end of that, though, there are those people who are completely selfish and never want to do anything to please or help other people. My point is, everyone needs a balance of being selfish and selfless. Humans are only on this planet for a short amount of time when you compare it to how old the planet actually is. Our time needs to be enjoyed, not spent worrying about things.

There are people who may fear the fact that death comes so soon, when really it is something that should be embraced. Death will catch up to all of us at some point and since we know that, then we should do something about it. Instead of fearing it, people must do the things they want to in life. Go skydiving, shoot a gun, climb Mt. Everest, travel the world, do whatever pleases you because your life will seem so much better and fuller when you do. Those who live the lives they've always wanted to won't be afraid to die because they've done everything in their life that they've wanted to. In the book White Noise, by Don DeLillo, the main character is a father who has an extreme fear of death. The fear of death constantly stays with him and interrupts his life. He's desperate to try and rid himself of this fear and ends up killing someone for drugs that may or may not cure his fear. People like him shouldn't let fear control their lives because it's a factor in everyone's life that can't be controlled. It's not like addiction where you have a chance to get rid of it for forever, death is inevitable.

Since death comes for everyone at some point, people should do their best to leave a positive legacy behind. When you think about it, are the little dramatic fights, the lying, the cheating, the stealing that people do in their lives really worth it? People only have a certain amount of time before they're gone. Would you rather be remembered for fighting someone, or for being a nice person that everyone loved?

Hitler a Great Leader?

2009-10-02T18:23:00.001-07:00

This week was very focused on law and leadership... perfect considering we have the lovely task of writing essays on either law or leadership. Since my last blog was focused on law, I guess this time I can focus on leadership.

Today in class we had a good discussion on leadership, and on Goodwin's "Ten Traits of a Great President". One of the most disturbing things that I thought about was the fact that Hitler was a good leader. Yes, I know that Hitler was a horrible man and that what he did was wrong, but he was effective in what he did. I don't agree with anything Hitler did, but the way he did it was profound. His ability to stay confident and in control was probably one of the most important things he did as a leader. He was also able to inspire others and make them believe that what he was doing was the right thing. If he hadn't been able to convince everyone that Jews or gypsies or homosexuals were bad, then he would have failed as a leader. Even his morality helped him be a successful leader. I'm not saying that I agree with Hitler's morals, but what he was doing, he believed was right, therefore he believed he was doing what he though was morally right. Hitler was also willing to take a risk, and he was rewarded in his own way.

Connecting this with Oedipus and Antigone... I think Oedipus started out as a good leader because he was always in control and the people respected him. His downfall, though, was that he never accepted beliefs that were opposite of his own. If people contradicted him, he didn't want to hear it; he always thought he was right. I believe Creon had his downfall because he defied the laws of the gods and offended them. Leaders are there to enforce laws, not to break them.

Leadership takes a lot of strength and courage, and only certain people have the ability to lead. No matter what happens, leaders must stay strong and confident. They must be able to listen to other viewpoints and understand where that's coming from. They must be able to make mistakes and learn from them. Leaders must do all of this and a lot more to be successful. But if the respect of everyone you lead is won, then the rest will be easier.

Humans CAN Fly?

2009-09-26T14:31:00.001-07:00

It's almost a universal fact that everyone breaks laws. I don't know anyone who has never broken at least one law in their life. If it's so easy for us to break laws, then what is the point of them? In the world, there a two kinds of laws, artificial and natural. Artificial are laws that humans make and natural laws are laws of nature that are understood by all species. The artificial laws that humans make are there to protect us and to keep order. People fear that if there is no law and order, that people will act like animals, though technically speaking we kind of ARE animals...but I won't get into that. Artificial laws that are easily broken aren't the most extreme or important laws, that's why it's so easy to get away with them. Also, those laws people will continue to break and it's a known fact that they will. For example, it is a fact that teenagers in high school (not all of them though) will drink alcohol and use illegal drugs. This is a known fact, but it's not really something that can be controlled. Teenagers will continue to do this not only because in their minds the marginal benefit is greater than the cost, but because they want to and it's easy to get away with. People won't do something if in their mind, the cost outweighs the benefit. Natural laws, though, are much harder to break, almost impossible. These are understood rules of life that people have to follow because that's just how it is. For example, people can't fly... that's an understood law. We don't have wings and therefore we can't fly. But, sometimes there are ways to "break" these natural laws. Airplanes, hand gliding, and parasailing are ways for humans to "break" the law that humans can't fly. Also, if you're Criss Angel (pictured above) you can just levitate. Laws are in our lives to help us, though people may not always see it that way. Other laws are easier to break than others, but only because there are not as serious as other offenses may be. When was the last time YOU broke the law?

Fate

2009-09-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

"It is not what fate has in store for us that matters, but what we do with it when it comes." - Paul Roche.

This line by Paul Roche is perhaps that one line that has stuck with me since I read it and will continue to be stuck in my head for awhile. We talked a lot about fate this week in Lit class, but there are so many different interpretations of what it is and how it works, that it's impossible to have one clear, straight answer. What is fate? How does it work? Can you change your fate? No one can answer these questions and be completely 100% correct. Everyone has different interpretations of what fate actually is.

I believe fate to be someone's destiny. I think that fate can either hit you at one point or can be a buildup of things over your lifetime. I also think that even if people think they can change their fate, that their fate WAS to change their fate (if that makes sense). Fate can be a good thing, a bad thing, or a combination of the two depending on someone's situation.

I do believe in fate. Last weekend my mom and her five sister's came to my house to split up my nana's jewlery... she had a lot. The one thing they couldn't decide on who would get, was my papa's (grandfather's) wedding ring. They put all their names in a bag and I had to pick who would get it. I ended up picking my aunt Libby's name. She has three boys, the oldest of which is sentimental, and when he found out he got the wedding ring, he was very emotional. The point of me telling you this story is that I believe that I was meant to pick my aunt Libby's name. If there was anyone in the family who I think should have gotten the wedding ring, it would be my cousin Frankie (the one who ended up with it).

I do believe things are meant to happen and you can't really change that. People need to embrace their fate instead of fear it.

The New Weekly Song!... O ya and the blog thing

2009-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday at 11:00am, the usual time to be doing your weekend homework. Except today I am very dedicated to getting it all done as soon as possible because I have a concert to go to tonight. So Mr. Burke, if I'm falling asleep in class tomorrow, it's because I'll be up late tonight. wahoo.

This week we spent some time disucssing the "4 philisophical problems". The first one, knowledge, is something the really got me thinking. How do we really know anything at all? Everything we know or everything we think we know was all made up by someone else, so how do we even know what anything really is. The fact that 2 + 2 = 4 is a universally accepted fact, but who made this up and decided it? More importantly, why did everyone else accept this fact? Numbers, words, objects, colors, names - they're all things other people came up with that became a universally accepted fact. If I got enough people to accept the fact that a color "X" was really in fact a color that needs to now be called "Flambooola", it could eventually become a real color. Everything we learn and everything we know is conditioned into us from a young age. Everything we know is technically someone else's words and ideas. Though we have our own opinions, the words and objects and colors we think of when we come up with our own opinions is someone else's idea.

It's a weird concept to think about, but that is the topic this week that really got me thinking the most. So anyways, now I must go start reading Oedipus now so I can go visit my friend in the hospital later. We are going to watch the 49ers game. wahoo, go niners!

Also, I'm not sure how to post music on this so I'll just post the youtube link to the songs. They really don't have any relevance to what my rant was about this week, but I get kind of obsesssed with like different songs every week so here are some good ones from the movie, (500) Days of Summer - btw, awesome movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzrC72Xv6pE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3b9E1p9uOA

Just another randomly good song of the week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNzeOL-xdEI

Now, to Oedipus!

What truly defines us?

2009-09-07T11:22:00.001-07:00

Sitting at home on a Monday afternoon writing my weekly blog for AP Lit class, what could be better? Since I struggle to find something to occupy my time with before I go out in a couple hours, why not write my blog? I think after this I should probably start reading my IR book. Yes Mr. Burke, I know I should have started it already, but I haven't so I will try today.

So anyways, this week in class we talked a lot about Bartleby and on Friday, we had a long class discussion about Bartleby and about Crawford's "Shop Class as Soulcraft". The discussion we had really got me thinking about what really defines us. Is it our education? experiences? relationships? work? what? In class I said that it's more of our education that defines us than our work because education is what helps us figure out what we want to do with our life. But, it's not the only thing that defines us.

Everything we do and everyone we met helps us to further define ourselves. I came to this conclusion last night when I was at my grandfather's 83rd birthday. I have two little cousins who are sisters that are a couple years apart. Thinking about their differences in their personalities made me think about my personality vs. my brother's. Since the time we were young, you could tell that there were similarities as well as differences between us. If you look at the picture above you can see my brother and myself, but by looking at this picture you can't tell the differences between our personalities, only our physical differences. But what made these differences in our personalities that made us so unique? Again here comes the question of what truly defines us? I think that it is everything in our life. Everything we do is significant to defining ourselves. As we go through our life there are significant and insignificant events that help to shape us as people. Our relationships with people bring out how we feel and what kind of people we are. Our education reveals what we are truly passionate about. Our work shows our determination to go after our dreams and aspirations. There's not one thing that truly defines us, it is a mixture of everything we do and everything we experience.

Applying education to real life

2009-08-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

For this week's blog, I had no idea what to write about. I looked at other people's blogs to see what they did or how they came up with an idea. Then I got the idea to go to one of the websites that were given to us, like postsecret.com or threeminuteliterature. So I then went to postsecret to look for something that might "speak to me". I found one that did, and it's hard to explain why. Maybe it's because it mentions education in it and obviously I'm currently in high school. Or maybe it's a deeper meaning that I just don't understand. Unfortunately the image cannot be displayed, but I will tell you what it was. It was a picture of a postcard to postsecret that read: "The only thing I've learned from my Ive League education is how many things in my life are more important."

I like this postcard because while I do feel education is important, so is living life. Education will give you the tools you need to help you become successful in life, but in living life, you need to apply those tools and learn when it works and when it doesn't. Because if all you have is tools and no experience of when it works and when it fails, it won't matter.

While I was looking at this postcard, I was trying to figure out a way to apply it to what we've been doing in class for the last week. And what I came up with was this: our English class gives us the tools we need to be able to be not only successful readers, but also people who can analyze anything and find deeper, more complicated, and more sophisticated meanings to things. In class we use these new found tools to usually analyze books, but when we get out into the real world, we can use our analytical minds to find deeper meanings in anything. This way of thinking can dramatically help us in our own lives, if we do it right. But without trying and failing multiple times, we'll never know how to do so. Which brings me back to my main point and the reason why I chose this postcard. Education is very important, but without using what we've learned in real life, we'll never know how to use what we've been taught.

First Weekly Blog

2009-08-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

This year I am a senior and though I am very excited for school to just end so I can go off to college, I am also hesitant to leave because to be honest, I am afraid. I feel that my feelings of wanting to leave, but as of right now not being able to leave, connects a lot to what Paul Berlin went through in the book, Going After Cacciato. Paul Berlin wanted to leave the war but couldn't, so he imagined what it would have been like if he had. As much as I just want to leave high school right now, I know I can't because for one, I don't have my high school diploma and that would create many problems for me, and two, because right now I'm not ready. As we get closer to the end of the school year I have no doubt that I'll be ready to leave, but right now I'm not prepared to leave, just as Paul Berlin wasn't ready to leave either. Paul Berlin and I both lack the courage we need to leave, but soon in the future I know I will and I think he will too.

The Wanderer

2009-08-17T19:21:00.001-07:00

I think that the man in the picture is in a time in his life where he is ready to move on, but is afraid to because he is not certain of the future. He is standing at the edge of the rock which represents his readiness to move on. The man is also looking out into the world, hoping for a clear vision of what the future might bring him, but he cannot see because of the fog obscuring his view. This makes him uncertain of the future.

Almost every senior can relate to this painting because just like the man, we are ready to move on with our lives, but we are not certain of what the future may bring us. We are ready to go to college, but we don't know where we will go or how we will get there.

Did it

2009-08-13T18:32:00.001-07:00

I can blog. wahoo