Reflection - Final (Done)

Over the course of my entire freshman year, I have done many blogs. All of them were about different things. Some about things that I wanted to talk about and some things that I was assigned to do. As I reread all of my blogs, I noticed that I went from eighth grade type of work, to high school/college type of work. I didn’t necessarily have better writing but the way I though about things so thoroughly made a really big difference. For example, we had an assignment due on March 17, 2011 where we had to write four to ten vignettes that we made up on our own. These vignettes required a lot of thought and I personally think I did an astounding job and this assignment really shows what I mean when I say that my writing is more thorough.

“My Uncle has light brownish green eyes. They sparkle when hit by the sun and even when they don’t hit the sun, they sparkle. They sparkle kind of like glass or maybe even like a fresh coat of clear nail polish.”

This vignette was about the eye color in my family. I really got into detail about the way my Uncle’s eye looked and how it shined. I feel like I was very thorough description wise and I am proud of it. Even though I have done a lot of good work, I have also had moments where I did too much or where I was really rude towards a specific person. I have an example of each but I will start with just the moments where I was rude to an individual. There is one post where I was responding to Aleah and this is what I said,

“First of all, my name is ROKHSOR not Rhocksor so you need to get that straight and through your head. If you can't spell my name, then don't respond to me because it pisses me off. That is the most annoying thing in the world so don't respond to me, look at my blog or anything if you don't know how to spell my name. Oh yeah, no I'm not sorry so yeah, I'm not apologizing to you because YOU pissed me off and YOU need writing lessons.”

Aleah had responded to one of my posts where I was talking about my friends love life and she spelled my name wrong. When people spell my name wrong, something in my mind goes off and I immediately feel like I need to attack them. I was disgusted, I mean if your on my blog, then obviously your eyes will see my name somewhere there. That is why I didn’t understand why the hell my name was not spelled correctly. But aside from that, I feel like I was rude and maybe I should not have said what I said. But I did and I can’t change it so too bad and now I will move on so something a lot more interesting. I have a lot of examples of me doing too much but I have one in particular that probably got the most bad responses,

“That is the point in time where I decide that I will not forgive anyone at all for any reason because no one deserves to be forgiven. It is not like I have never done anything wrong and I do not expect anything from anyone so people not forgiving me makes no difference to me. Yeah of course, if it were a good friend I would be upset at the fact that they wouldn't have forgiven me but hell no I would not have made an effort to make it better. People not forgiving me is nothing at all, it just shows that people are smart and know better that to forgive me for what I did wrong.”

This post here was abut forgiving people who have done you wrong and I have a lot to say about that. I hate forgiving those who do me wrong and I hate when people forgive me when I do wrong. That is because things change and it is never the same. However, I did a horrible job of explaining myself because I came out sounding like I was rude and like I lived in the past. Although I have had my bad times, I have also had my positive moments. The times where I got through to everybody and they agreed with me. One of those examples was when I talked about thieves and people in my business.

“The stupidest part of stealing is when people put a reward on what was rightfully yours. If someone stole what was yours and what you already paid for, then why would you pay for it again just because some careless goat decided to be cheap? No, it does not work that way. You will not under any circumstance pay for something twice.”

This was one of my most strongest posts because I put in various things that everyone agreed with. Starting with people making you pay for what was yours in the first place. Many people agreed with my point of view on this specific post and I was glad to get all of the positive feedback. The reason I had written this post was because some immature sophomores had stolen my stuff and it pissed me off. I don’t take back what I just said and I probably won’t. The worst thing to ever do is steal and when someone stole from me I was disgusted and the reason for that was that I expected more from all of the students. On top of stealing my stuff like a bunch of little kids, they went through my personal things and looked through what I had. By the time I had actually found out that my stuff was missing, half of one of th sophomore classes had looked at my stuff. It was the one time in my life where violence had crossed my mind a few times. If anything, I am the only girl in the freshman class that hates violence but at that point in the situation, I didn’t care. Although I have had all of my bad moments, these blog posts have help me go from someone who overreacts too fast and is way to rude, to someone mature. I wrote a post about respect and it is most definitely proof of me being rude and overreacting at the situation,

I usually start off respecting everything and everyone in the world until they prove to me that they are trash and do not deserve to be respected... I hate when I have to lose respect for someone because then it means I have to consider them trash that I would spit on. They bring it on themselves”.

In this post here, I got mad at some situation, I don’t remember what it was but it obviously set me off. The result of that was a post like this one. However, as time went on and I blogged more, my behavior took a turn for the better of things. I wrote another post further explaining myself,

“The things people did around me was disgusting. There were people putting others down, calling them names, and trying to make their lives “a living hell”. It was stupid and I was tired of seeing people disrespect others. I mean, if you know me, then you better know that respect is my name. I do not care who you are and what is going on with you, you had better respect everyone when you are around me.”

This was the time when I got a response from someone calling me a “drama queen” which made me want to write another post talking about how I didn’t care about that person and their input on things meant absolutely nothing. Also that the person needed to stop responding to me because no one cares about what she has to say. However, after all the blogging I have done, I learned to get over it and to address it in a respectful manner. That is why I think overall, blogging has helped my behavior, as well as my perception on things.

Finaal Thang - Fredrick

The book “Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass” was one of the far most interesting books I have ever read in my life. It contained first hand incidents, not in much detail but extremely easy to picture. I actually expected most of the things I heard but some of them were doing way too much. One of the things that really made me think that this book was a fake was when Douglass discussed how there were people at the plantations that were not really of much authority and yet they did the most whipping. I figured that it was not true and I did not think that white people would be that horrible. The reason I felt that way was just because Douglass said that some of the white people on the plantations focused on the slaves every little move so that they could find reasons to whip them and when they were whipping a slave, they did it with no emotion. That naturally disgusted me, it was disturbing to think that people in the world did such things and I began to think that the book was, like I said, a fake.

I think that this was a narrative that was very inspirational and it had me questioning various things which I would like to address. First off, I was confused at how a slave could get away with doing half of the things that Fredrick Douglass did. For instance, in a previous book post, I discussed how Douglass had choked his master and from then on, had barely ever gotten whipped. That was probably the most surprising thing that I read. I was astonished at how he could have gotten away with it because considering the types of people he described in his narrative, I would have expected him to get whipped to death right on the spot. On top of that, I would have thought that because of his actions, Douglass would have been killed instead of left alone. These events lead to the next thing that got me thinking. Mr. Fredrick said that his years in slavery following that specific incident weren’t as bad as it could be. He encountered very sweet women that fed him well and work wasn’t as bad.

Although this book was the most interesting and inspirational thing I have ever read, I have to admit that I was bored out of my mind in the beginning. Slavery is something that catches my attention and learning about it is something that I have always enjoyed. However, I started to change my mind because the book felt like it was dragging and didn’t seem to really be going anywhere. It started off explaining the people he was with and all so I thought it was okay because it was just setting everything up. However, it kept on going and going for a few chapters. I can safely say that I read about 3 chapters just talking about who he encountered most of the time, and to be honest, I could care less. I was more interested in knowing what he went through, when he went through, and how he went through it. As I had to read these parts of the book, I could literally feel my eye lids getting heavier and heavier and they were about ready to drop and close shut. I read and read and realized that it was not just what he was talking about that made this book so boring, it was the words he would use. Half of the words that were used I did not understand which naturally made me bored.

Although this book bored me to death, I finally found it to be worthy of my time towards the middle and end. From the interesting to questionable to boring parts, I decided that putting it together, it makes just another book. Since I love reading, I was able to force myself to not give up but to rather keep on going and read. As I read, I found this book to have a strong moral. Although I find this moral in every single book I read, this time it was the most obvious. I felt like the moral of this book was to say that even though you feel like there is no way out, that you are stuck with the one lifestyle, and that you can’t change it, you are wrong. You can always get out of every situation if you are willing to do that for yourself. If you are willing to work on something and step up like Douglass did, you can get out of everything. Not necessarily choking someone but anything else.  

Overall, this book was boring, interesting, and through it all, I was engaged in it. Okay, AND I might sound like I am contradicting myself big time but the thing with this book is that most of the book was boring whilst other part were interesting. So yeah...

Book Review For My Table Group ;)

For Alex Noble, I put:
"I like how in the beginning, you gave a full description on the overview of the book for those that are not familiar with the book. I also like how even though you didn't post your questions, it was clear to me what question you were addressing. However, I think that you shouldn't have focused on one question but maybe gave yourself more options and expanded so that we, as the readers of your post, can find out a little more about the book. For this one specifically, I would recommend you talk about the point of the book because that would have gave everyone a better understanding of what was really going on :)"

For Melissa Ma, I put:
"I really like you post, however it sounds a little cliche. I say this because the typical thing to say is that someone learns to cope with "whatever life throws at them". However, if you were to talk more about how she developed and grew in other way, it would have provided the reader a better understanding of how she changed overtime. Along with that, I think that you should have talked about some of the other characters. If anything, their relationships with Ronnie. Maybe how Ronnie and Blaze's boyfriend relationship changes, and what effect that may have on Ronnie and Blaze's relationship. All of these things would have made your post even better than it is. Other than that, I feel like you did a good job of explaining Ronnie, her habits, and how she changes over time :)"
 
For Jesse Valdez, I put:
"Your post was very interesting but I didn't really see much of an introduction. You jumped right into the main point of the post, being the questions, and barely took the time to explain the genre, what the book was about etc. However, I liked how you had your question on the top of your post so that the reader knew what to look forward too. Although it would have been better if you just incorporated the question into your paper, what you did was still good. Overall, you did good, it is just your introduction that can use some work :)"

Final Post - Douglass

The book “Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass” was one of the far most interesting books I have ever read in my life. It contained first hand incidents, not in much detail but extremely easy to picture. I actually expected most of the things I heard but some of them were doing way too much. One of the things that really made me think that this book was a fake was when Douglass discussed how there were people at the plantations that were not really of much authority and yet they did the most whipping. I figured that it was not true and I did not think that white people would be that horrible. The reason I felt that way was just because Douglass said that some of the white people on the plantations focused on the slaves every little move so that they could find reasons to whip them and when they were whipping a slave, they did it with no emotion. That naturally disgusted me, it was disturbing to think that people in the world did such things and I began to think that the book was, like I said, a fake.

I think that this was a narrative that was very inspirational and it had me questioning various things which I would like to address. First off, I was confused at how a slave could get away with doing half of the things that Fredrick Douglass did. For instance, in a previous book post, I discussed how Douglass had choked his master and from then on, had barely ever gotten whipped. That was probably the most surprising thing that I read. I was astonished at how he could have gotten away with it because considering the types of people he described in his narrative, I would have expected him to get whipped to death right on the spot. On top of that, I would have thought that because of his actions, Douglass would have been killed instead of left alone. These events lead to the next thing that got me thinking. Mr. Fredrick said that his years in slavery following that specific incident weren’t as bad as it could be. He encountered very sweet women that fed him well and work wasn’t as bad.

Although this book was the most interesting and inspirational thing I have ever read, I have to admit that I was bored out of my mind in the beginning. Slavery is something that catches my attention and learning about it is something that I have always enjoyed. However, I started to change my mind because the book felt like it was dragging and didn’t seem to really be going anywhere. It started off explaining the people he was with and all so I thought it was okay because it was just setting everything up. However, it kept on going and going for a few chapters. I can safely say that I read about 3 chapters just talking about who he encountered most of the time, and to be honest, I could care less. I was more interested in knowing what he went through, when he went through, and how he went through it. As I had to read these parts of the book, I could literally feel my eye lids getting heavier and heavier and they were about ready to drop and close shut. I read and read and realized that it was not just what he was talking about that made this book so boring, it was the words he would use. Half of the words that were used I did not understand which naturally made me bored.

Although this book bored me to death, I finally found it to be worthy of my time towards the middle and end. From the interesting to questionable to boring parts, I decided that putting it together, it makes just another book. Since I love reading, I was able to force myself to not give up but to rather keep on going and read. As I read, I found this book to have a strong moral. Although I find this moral in every single book I read, this time it was the most obvious. I felt like the moral of this book was to say that even though you feel like there is no way out, that you are stuck with the one lifestyle, and that you can’t change it, you are wrong. You can always get out of every situation if you are willing to do that for yourself. If you are willing to work on something and step up like Douglass did, you can get out of everything. Not necessarily choking someone but anything else.  

Overall, this book was boring, interesting, and through it all, I was engaged in it. Okay, AND I might sound like I am contradicting myself big time but the thing with this book is that most of the book was boring whilst other part were interesting. So yeah...

Fredrick Douglass #2

So far, my book has been one of the most interesting I have ever read. Compared to my last post, I have a lot more positive things to say. Starting off with the how the book is 100 percent more interesting, I actually read the book and visualized every scene rather than think about other things. I was surprised at most of the things I read because I would have never imagined that slaves were capable of doing most of the things they did. This is exemplified on page 68,

"Mr. Covey seemed now to think he had me, and could do whatever he pleased; but at this moment-from whence came the spirit I don't know- I resolved to fight; and suiting my action to the resolution , I seized Covey hard by the throat; and as I did so, I rose. He held on to me, and I to him. My resistance was so entirely unexpected, that Covey seemed taken all aback. He trembled like a leaf. This gave me assurance, and I held him uneasy, causing the blood to run where I touched him with the ends of my fingers." 

Mr. Covey had Douglass for only and year and until that year was over, Douglass was to obey and listen to everything Covey said until the one year term was over. After that, Douglass was going to be transferred to another person and serve another one year term. But that is beside the fact, what surprised me is that fact that for the first time a slave stood up for himself. What that shows is that it was a turn in slavery, if not a major turn, it was a turn that counts. In my opinion, I think that even one person that can stand up will eventually lead to a bunch of other slaves standing up. Overall, the book was inspirational and I got a lot out of this.

Fredrick Douglass

As I was looking for a book when I came across something boring looking yet interesting. I have always found myself to be interested on how it might have felt to be a slave. To have been a witness of people getting whipped, to sleep in the cold, to have limited food... I always wanted to know how the slaves were able to get through it. I stood and stared at the book in front of me, it was called "Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave" by none other than Fredrick Douglass himself. It was obviously the answer to most of my questions. So I decided to go with the book and have a lot to say about how it is.

So far, this book have given me the best visuals possible. Douglass does not really describe the situations in his book that much, yet I still picture every single part. I am able to follow. Considering the things he would say in the book, he made it obvious what the point of this narrative was.

"Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of those heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamb-like disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness."

 Before this part, Douglass was talking about how the lady that was his master's wife was the sweetest he had ever met and she really took care of her slaves. However, slavery changed this kind-hearted lady into a harsh and demanding control freak. I believe he is trying to say that slavery was something that messed with everyone's minds. Even the kindest soul can change dramatically once under the influence of slavery and basically just power over someone.

What I did not like about the book was how it got boring at times. Sometimes it just made me want to fall back and just go to sleep. It got to the point where my eyes were scanning the book while my mind would think about bagels and hot chocolate. So I would sit there, scan through the text and then think about what I should eat at lunch or what I should do for the weekend. After I was done reading, I would go back and reread because I wouldn't know what I just read. Although it was good, it was also twice as boring. But overall, I enjoyed it.

Grandpa Sousa

Tragedy is the one and only word. As Mr. Fong was reading, I felt my stomach turn and twist. I was worried and already knew what was coming but refused to believe it. But then he said the words, the words that would have forever changed the ASTI community. From that moment and on, my views on ASTI were different. I felt a sudden hatred build inside my body. I felt it twist my organs and I could feel my stomach stretch turn and twist. Slowly the hatred build up and I knew eventually I would lose my temper because of it. I tried to stay strong and keep calm because had I not, I would have probably gotten violent. Up until we walked into Mr. Sutherland's room, I was fine so I decided to go write on the big poster provided for us and tell him (Mr. Sousa) that I loved him but that was when it went all bad. Mr. Fong walks in with a picture of Mr. Sousa and pastes it right on the poster. I look up briefly and it hits me, he was gone and he was staring at me with his beautiful colored eyes. He was right there in front of me, the man that inspired me, taught me a lot, the one I respected with all my heart. I stared into his eyes and decided I would wrap up my message because I couldn't sit there and bare that.

I walked away as a million thoughts were flowing through my head. So I decided to take it outside and just think on my own so I stepped outside, stared at the sky, and just went crazy. I cussed at everything in the world in my mind and just thought to myself, "Why Mr. Sousa?" He was like my grandpa, I loved him, respected him, and no other teacher could ever be like him. He was something else, a special person that I had just met and yet he had made the hugest impact ever. They say the good people go the fastest and for the first time, I had seen that happen. He was a great, courageous, caring, and outstanding man and to see him go is like having a year of absolutely no sunshine on Earth. Will I ever let this go? Probably not,  I will never like any other PE teacher and I hate going to PE because I won't be with Sousa. He won't be there to tell me that he's proud of my improvements and that he knows I can do it. Well maybe the "replacement" can, but hey, they can NEVER be on Sousa's level, he was different. Someone that no one can ever replace and I think about it until this day... I love you with all my heart Sousa and I will never replace you and nor will I forget you. I love you Grandpa and don't forget that.