Entry# 11 Doing it Right!

     As you start out a new semester the nerves may start kick in; you find yourself thinking about the  new classes, new teachers, and new assignments wondering if your ready. If thats you, then you're like many other students who stress about these things. Take a breath and relax; you should be thinking about how it's all gonna be over in the blink of an eye. Coming into this semester of English we had to create a blog and post about certain topics of the teachers choice and we also had a chance to choose our own topics to talk about. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I've never blogged before so I was a little nervous going in. After the first intro blog I realized it was pretty easy. The second and third blog's came and went really quickly and next thing you know I was running my own blog! Blogging can be very enjoyable, especially when you have the freedom of picking your own topics. Take it seriously, make sure you've read the requirements of the blog and write to the best of your ability. If you take it seriously you should have nothing to worry about. On the bright side you'll get more practice writing and believe me it helps; on the downside if you find yourself waiting until the last minute to complete your blogs you may sound a little rushed in your writing. You have an opportunity to learn so much about yourself, your writing, and your classmates. Blogging helped me share more about myself and my opinions without feeling judged; it's your writing, just be polite and respectful of your peers. As you read your peers blogs and comment on them it helps you understand who they are and what they are into, I feel this helped with my peer reviews as well. I didn't need to worry about what others thought about my writing and when we did peer review I felt more confident sharing my opinions with my classmates. Blogging was a very unique way to learn how to open up in writing, it helped me to take a look at certain situations (required topics) and reflect on my own situations (personal point of views). If you take it seriously you can't go wrong, you'll only benefit from blogging. Best of luck to you in your english class!

Entry #10 Dreams do come true!

    After posting in Entry #8 about dreams vs. life..., I wanted to share something with you. If you've read my intro then you'd know that I enjoy mixed martial arts. In fact, mixed martial arts has opened many doors for me to do many things and meet many wonderful people. I've had the luxury of traveling the US and parts of Canada in my pursuit of a mixed martial arts dream. I've seen the ups and downs of what the industry can do to both fighters and families, i've seen how it can make or break some of the toughest people around, and I've seen dreams come true! This week is a special week for my gym, my friends and for Arizona. This weekend on December 11th and 12th two of Arizona's own will live their dream of fighting in the UFC. Chris "Gritz" Gruetzmacher and Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger Fighting out of the MMA LAB in Glendale Arizona will make their UFC debut this weekend. I've had the joy of training with and learning from them both; I've had the opportunity to watch them grow and watch them as they train for the biggest stage of their lives. The hard work and dedication that these two put in is nothing short of amazing and inspiring. The point of this blog is to show you that dreams do come true. These people started out just like you and I; they had a dream and they followed that dream until it became reality. What happens next on one knows but if you find yourself free this weekend please tune in and support two of Arizona's own as they start a whole new journey that can only be described as "Living the Dream."

Entry #9 My Media

     My first thoughts on how I see media now relates to the San Bernardino shooting. We recently watched a video in class talking about how the news/media leave certain information out for specific reasons. They leave out things like race or gender in certain cases to play down the truth of what happened. After the San Bernardino shooting I was curious to see how the media would react so I watched the news for the first few days following the shooting. It bothered me that they weren't mentioning important information like the race of the people involved in the shootings. In fact, they specifically mentioned that we should not make any quick assumptions that this was a terrorist attack. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/04/us/shooters-family-attorneys-transcript-cuomo-intv/

Here the family lawyer of Syed Rizwan Farook stated that their is no connection to isis affiliation, but the very next thing I see in the news is that they found a connection to ISIS.  The police know who they shoot the minute they take off the mask of the suspect, so why hide it only for it to come out later. Now I know they cannot make claims that they are muslim or radical islamics but they can say it the minute they find out, and they find out much sooner then we do.  The reason behind all this I believe is to try to save face of the muslim community; they don't want people to start making the assumption that all muslims are like this. It is true that you cannot blame everyone in a race/religion for a few peoples actions but the truth is the truth; the news/media should not make light of the situation. If they do not know who did it then they shouldn't put their 2 cents in and say things they know nothing about. Let the truth come out on its own and stop hiding things fro the people. 

     Heres another example of taking advantage of the media. Its no secret that Obama has been trying to pass gun laws that will strip law abiding citizens of their rights to bear arms as stated in the second amendment. Right after the San Bernardino "attack" Obama takes advantage of the media and proposes that more gun control laws should be in place. Watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9FktuBovW8

     Instead of sympathy or action of what we will do to stop terrorist Obama says we should have stricter gun policies. I for one do not wish to give up my right to bear arms, I would rather have my weapons and not need them then to need them and not have them. I don't watch the news much but after learning about the media in class I have been starting to pay attention to the little things that people normally don't pick up on. Lets hope that our media will share the truth instead of hide the truth.  Until next time!

Entry #8 Dreams vs. Life is their neutral ground?

     What is a dream? I'm not talking about the dreams you have when you fall asleep, although some people dream about their dreams. I'm talking about your dreams in life, what your passionate about, the thing that motivates you to go above and beyond to get a taste of it. By life I mean society's definition of being responsible: a responsible parent, husband or wife, or just a responsible adult. Should you give up your dreams to be responsible? Should you give up on your responsibilities to pursue a dream? Is there an in-between?

     Everyones dreams are different. Dreams can include many things such as: being a professional athlete, making tons of money, owning many homes, as well as being very responsible and financially stable. Dreams make you feel determined, accomplished, happy and sad, driven and so many other mixed emotions can come along as you chase a dream. Dreams may come at a cost, you may have to make sacrifices, some maybe easy and some may be life changing the decision is ultimately yours. 

      Being responsible comes at cost as well. You may feel like you've lost out on some of life's greater moments or you may feel a sense of accomplishment, that all your sacrifices you've made were the right choices. Being a young parent for example can leave you making this difficult decision; do you give up on your dreams, do you continue schooling in search of a greater career or do you go out and get a job right away starting from the bottom and working your way up.

 d

    Lets talk about the possibility of doing both. Is it possible? How would it work? Will I have the time? Everyday these questions run through peoples minds and they need to make a decision. Without guidance or someone who's been their to help talk you through your options it may feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. One thing I feel you need to decide is wether or not you can balance both. The time constraint of doing both can weigh on you causing you to be frustrated, upset, and depressed; as well as take a toll on you physically making you not able to perform at work, on the field or where ever your dreams or goals take you. 

     Another thing to be aware of is how it will affect you financially? Can you be financially responsible while you chase your dreams? I know many people chasing their dream while taking care of business at home; wether being the breadwinner in the family or being a contributor while the husband or wife works. Some of these people have children and do a very good job raising them and spending quality time with them. Some struggle and some live comfortably. I have friends who live their dream and live very well off and I have friends that are struggling with the balance of it all. The fact is it is possible to have both; you just need to find balance in both. So don't give up on a dream just to be a responsible person unless you know you'll be able to live with it. People regret dumping their dreams all the time and some can live with it and some end up taking it out on the other people around them. Just make sure you take a look at yourself before making any major decisions. Best of luck!

Entry #7 Dumb Men

     When you first read the title of the site "Dumb Men" it catches your attention; it makes me feel like its going to be about something funny. As a man I know we do some pretty funny things; some people may see it as dumb and some people may see it as funny. When you enter the website it says stupid men and male bashing. Exposing the stereotypes of men in advertising hahaha! now I know its gonna be funny. The site is set up with rows of polaroid pictures that show a glimpse of what's coming. Anyone who's into a good laugh should watch this site. One of the things that could be fixed on the site is some of the videos don't work, which makes it seem like the site isn't updated regularly. Its a simple site, nothing to read unless you click on the polaroid picture.
     My all time favorite commercial was found on Dumb Men titled "Doritos Commercial: Dude Sucks Cheese Residue Off People". I haven't seen this commercial in a while but I will never forget it. In the commercial for Doritos two employees are sitting together in what looks like a fancy break room. Employee 1 is eating a snack size bag of Doritos chips, while employee 2 is hovering over his shoulder; as he dumps the last bit of crumbs into his mouth employee 2 whispers in his ear "hey are you gonna finish those?". Employee one says "sorry their already gone" and employee 2 says "no their not, you left the best part" hahahaha I can't stop laughing! Im going to leave the rest for you to watch for yourself and trust me its worth it.
     I don't want to give up the ending of the commercial, but I believe its a persuasive commercial based on selling Doritos. The point they are making is that Doritos are so good that you would do anything to get a taste. It is a very funny way of being persuasive, and yes I do believe if I went to the store right now I would buy a bag of Doritos. They sure nailed this one! Although I don't believe someone would ever do that it makes you laugh, and the next time you see a bag of Doritos you'll probably remember it. Now stop reading and go check it out (by clicking the link) if you haven't already.

Entry EC: A Love Story

Michael Moore’s film Capitalism: A Love Story 

I found Michael Moore’s film very interesting. The Purpose of the film I believe was to inform people of the things going on around them. Hard working American’s losing their jobs and their life style. It has an effect on everyone; he makes a very strong case on how it affects us and why it effects us. He also tells us who is responsible for it and shows support in a way without showing it to us at all. The people he tries to interview about certain situations refuse to talk to him; in a way it shows that they have something to hide which leans us as the viewer to side with him. He also makes the film very personal by bringing in his own father. He walks his dad down to his old job site that has destroyed; the walk down memory lane for his father is hard but needed to connect him with his audience. I think without showing his upbringing and bringing his father into the documentary people would not connect the same. He shows that he is just like the rest of us and had to face hard times as well.

           I’ve been hearing a lot about the top 1% recently and it made it very interesting to hear him bring it up. These people make money off of the rest of us regardless of how it affects us. He shows corruption at very high levels all in the name of money. If you haven’t seen it yet check it out, I’m sure you’ll be just as surprised as I was. I haven’t had a chance to finish the film yet but I will be very soon.

Entry #6 The Coffee Shop

What do you like about coffee shops? Is it the coffee, the free wifi, the conversation, the music, the art collection dangling on the wall, or is it the service? Whatever it may be that keeps you coming back for more; the fact is your hooked. How do you feel when you don't find what you're looking for? What if the service is crap, or worse the coffee? How does that make you feel?

     As luck has it, I'm writing to you from a coffee shop. Have you ever been to Grinders? well let me take you there. Nestled on the corner of N Central Ave. and E Dunlap in Arizona is Grinders coffee company. As I walk into to the door I notice the little chime that is usually followed by a "Hello" or "Good-morning", and sure enough I here a voice from behind the counter say " Hello, How are you?". "Good" I respond as I make my way to the counter. I notice all the usual things you'd find in a coffee store. I give my eyes a quick gaze of the room: the lighting is dimmer than that of a usual store (although the sun beats through the glass windows), pictures hanging on the wall from local artist, coffee all around the store, people scattered about; some are chatting with one another while others are on their laptops or phones. I also hear the nice mellow music playing in the background, and best of all the smell of the coffee beans. The mixed variety of cultures in the room is always nice along with the mix of generations, the older people sitting around a small 4 seat table, the young man playing on his phone, a woman sitting there with her laptop open staring off into space, the workers coming in for their coffee break, and the randoms sitting outside enjoying the brisk air with a side of coffee. Everyone seems so nice, a "thank you" here and "your welcome" their; it  makes you feel comfortable. I place my order and have seat on an empty table big enough to fit my laptop. I realize that I forgot to get the wifi info; as i get ready to stand a gentlemen at the counter asks for the information. I just sit back and ease drop for the password and log in. I wonder what people think of me as I sit here typing away. So many people walk into coffee shops on a daily bases from all walks of life. What an interesting place to come to; this is my type of coffee shop.

     I've had the pleasure of traveling to many different places; It has led me to many different coffee shops in the US and some in Canada as well. For the most part they are always pretty similar unless you go into the big chain shops like Starbucks or Tim Hortons. The one thing I definitely notice is coffee is a money maker; no matter where you go in the world you are bound to run into a coffee shop. Maybe you have a favorite one around the corner from your house or maybe you drive a little ways for a better brew. All I know is that it's good and it sells. The next time you drop into your coffee shop or a random one take a look around, see whats on the walls or listen to the chatter around you; you're sure to be entertained. Until next time, enjoy your coffee and have a great day!

Entry #5 Arizona State University

     Going to college may seem like the obvious choice for most students out of high school however, many young adults choose otherwise. Students have options of: joining the military, going to work or pursuing other endeavors. Which ever may be the case a good portion of those students will probably end up back in college sooner or later. This is very true for our military as well; everyone who joins the military will have some kind of education benefit that will be used by them or their family. That along with financial aid, grants, and scholarships give us more and more reason to pop open those school books. After figuring out how to pay for school the next step is to find a school that fits you and thats where the logo above fits in.

     Arizona State University (ASU) offers many degree programs. It seems that they have now figured a way to shorten your semester, save you money, and shorten the amount of time it takes to get your degree. They are now offering 7 1/2 week courses! Thats 1/2 the normal semester of 15 weeks; the length of time may be shorter but the actual in class time will remain the same. So how might this affect you? It doesn't, unless you decide to take the course. The great thing is they still offer the same classes in a normal 15 week semester; they just decided to offer more options for others. 

     I think its great that they are offering more options. Some people have dependents, jobs, or other obligations that may hold them back from committing to a 15 week course; their are also those students who like to keep busy. As long as it doesn't affect the normal schedule for those students who are use to the 15 week courses it shouldn't matter. I know I sure would like to finish my degree quicker. I give a big thumbs up to ASU!     

ASU to Offer More Short Classes (Links to an external site.)

Entry # 4 Dealing with Anger and Stress

Today I'd like to talk about anger, stress, and frustration. Specifically how it affects us and what we can do about it.

 The 3 things they have in common is they're all negative emotions and can cause us to do dramatic things. Take this guy punching a hole through his computer screen for example, what did he accomplish by doing this? The truth is he accomplished nothing; he will likely be more upset, angry frustrated or stressed out because now he has a useless computer that he is going to have to replace. Some people say or do things out of anger that may cause them to hurt someone physically and/or emotional. What have they accomplishes by doing this? Nothing!!! When you react out of anyone of these emotions the likely outcome will not be good. Think to yourself how do people feel around you when you act that way. Are they proud of you? Do they want to hang out with you? chances are they don't really want to be around unless they're a good friend trying to help you out. Remember the old saying "misery loves company." Well its true, if your miserable, angry, frustrated or stressed out; chances are your gonna take it out on those nearest and dearest to you which will make them feel the same way and so on and so on... Enough about that, take a look at the last time you looked like one of these people. Remember that moment and think about how long it lasted, 5...10...15...minutes, all day, all night or maybe something so bad happened that you let it ruin your whole week. Was the issue at hand worth being angry over or was it something that you blew out of proportion? The person who hurt you so badly, are they still in your life?

     All this leads to my main point "TIME!" It's probably the most important aspect of life; it is something that not even money can buy more of, so why waste it on nonsense! Now I'm not saying that you don't have valid reasons to be upset, angry, frustrated or stressed; even I get stressed and overwhelmed from time to time. What I am saying though is don't let it get carried away, don't let it destroy your relationship with others, and don't let it waste any of your precious time. When your upset all day about something and you get over it the next day because you realize it wasn't as bad as you thought then you've just wasted a whole day that you can never get back. Thats right you'll never get that time back, its gone. Think about the situation at hand and don't let others steal your time or make you do something you'll regret doing later. Worst case scenario: you go to prison for being angry and hurting someone or worse killing someone. Let's stop, take a deep breath and realize that life is short, and no one can ruin your day without your permission. Brush off that negativity that surrounds you and live for yourself the way you want to live. If someone irritates you stay away from them; if someone hurts you choose to forgive them or stay away from them as well. When you want to punch a hole in the wall think about how much its gonna cost you to fix it, and laugh!!! When you wanna punch someone in the face, think about the beautiful view you'll have in that comfy little cell in prison and laugh.       Make your choice because you're the one who has to live with it.

Entry #3 - Slanted Commercial

So as I'm reading about slanted news and bias; one thing kept popping into my head. Have you seen the new reebok commercials lately? If you haven't take a look at this clip from youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpR171G9-hE

Reeboks commercial featuring JJ Watt & Ronda Rousey training in reeboks new Z Pump Fusion; it makes you think that you can train like they do, and some might even feel inspired to try some of the things that they are doing in the commercial without seeking professional help. What we have to remember here is that they are trained professionals and they have a reason of wearing reeboks products. Ronda Rousey is the UFC women's bantamweight champion, and JJ Watt is a NFL player. They both stand at the peak of there sport and put their stamp of approval on these products. The question is do they really believe that this is the #1 product out there? Maybe or maybe not. The only way to tell is to drive by their house and see what type of shoe they come out wearing. I've worked with a lot of professional athletes, some of them wear their sponsors product and some don't. Some of them feel like their's better products out there and some just use what they're given. But, anytime they are put in front of a camera they are sure to be wearing their sponsored product. Its all about the money, people will use it if you pay for it, but it doesn't mean they would go out and buy it if they had a choice and had to pay full price for it. In my opinion this is slanted because some people are representing products that they themselves don't really use or like. The commercial makes you want to buy their product; it makes you think you that the product itself is gonna make you faster or stronger when it doesn't. If you knew someone didn't wear a certain product that their endorsing would you buy it? We shouldn't buy products because someone says they work, instead lets try them on for ourselves and see how they make us feel. Remember, next time you see a commercial don't immediately assume that it does what they imply that it can do.

Entry # 2- The best thing about moving

 

 Doesn't this sound interesting "the best thing about moving". You must be thinking that moving sucks, and although thats true the best thing about moving is you find out who your true friends are. You may be the guy or gal that love to go out of your way to help your friends in need wether: listening, cleaning, buying lunch, or moving. But until you actually have to move you won't know who is really gonna sacrifice their time to hang out with you while you move; you may already know who your shady friends are and who your true friends are because you've moved a couple times already hahaha! but the fact remains people say they will be there and don't show or make up some excuse of why they can't make it. A real friend will make the time to help you move, a real friend won't ask for money for helping, and a real friend will be smiling while they help you. Hope you enjoyed the read and good luck on your next move...

Entry # 1- How do I feel about Blogs?

     So I've never really knew too much about blogging or had any interest in checking out blogs, but after combing through a few of them I found myself quite interested. People blog about all sorts of stuff; there are some very inspirational and informative blogs out there. Here's one of my favorites.
http://marginalrevolution.com
     I found this blog very informative, there's so many random topics that your bound to find something that interests you. That along with questions, comments, answers, and links could have you reading for awhile. Some of the information might even seem useless, but useless to who? What I enjoy reading might not interest someone else and vise-versa.
    After reading a good blog like that of marginal revolution, it was a bummer to come across this next blog. http://violentacres.com This blog was probably the worst that I've read so far. Right from the start you get a negative vibe and bad language.As if that wasn't enough for me to stop reading already   I decided to read a few other articles written, and sure enough more of the same. I don't enjoy being around negative people therefore I don't like reading negative things. People say all the time "well what about the news"? Their is always negative news being reported, but its interesting news about the area you live in. When the news starts to drag on about negative things that don't apply to me I shut it off.
    Finally the last blog I will write to you about is off of the top 50 blogger blogs, rating in at #25  Dumb little man http://www.dumblittleman.com. At first glance this blog may sound like its going to belittle men, but it actually has some really good ideas that you can benefit from. With multiple titles and authors writing on this site I'm sure you'll find something interest. Here's a few titles to give you an idea 9 Simple Tricks to Supercharge Your whole Day, 4 Reasons Why We Never Give Ourselves the Advice We Would Give to a Friend, What To Say To a Girl You Just Met, and Reaching a Goal? Here’s 10 Common Fears that May Derail You. Sounds pretty interesting right? I thought you'd like that. Well thats some of the blogs that I've read through, their were more but ill save it for next time. So as we say in Hawaii "A Hui Hou" which means until next time or goodbye!

Who am I?

Let's start by saying who I am. My name is Eddie. I am originally from Hawaii and moved to Arizona about 2 years ago to pursue my career in mixed martial arts. I served in the Air Force for four years after high school and am currently using my GI Bill to pay for my schooling. My goal for college was to get a degree in kinesiology, but at the moment I am looking to possibly change my degree. I currently work part time, am going to school full time, training full time as a professional fighter, and trying to be a great husband and soon to be father. As stated before, my goal is to pursue my passion for fighting, but I also want to get my education just incase fighting doesn’t pay the bills.

To me life is about doing what you love to do. This picture shows one of my favorite places in the world to be. 

                                                                  In the moment!

 I also enjoy hiking, hunting, scuba diving, free diving, fishing, and traveling. 

The beginning of a 3 day, 16 mile round trip hike through the lava fields of the Big Island.

Hunting in Hawaii with my dog Naya

Scuba dive off the boat in Maui!

 So as you can see I am a very active person. I enjoy many things, and am willing to try just about anything once. That just about sums up who I am. I hope you enjoyed looking at and reading my very first Blog!