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.

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    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.