Could Your Facebook Profile Throw a Wrench in Your Future? By Rebecca Dince

Now that social media has expanded, more and more people can use it to connect with friends. People can now easily track someone down by typing their name in the search box and all of their personal information is accessed. I don't recall an incident when I felt my privacy was violated because I put up whatever information I'm ok with for people to see. We can also change our settings on our social media sites to private so in order for someone to get to know you, they have to request to be friends. Once they are my friend, they are free to whatever they want to see but I know my limits to post what I want other people to see. Its common sense that if you don't want someone to know or see something about you, you shouldn't post it up on social media sites.

Focusing on Friends By Steve Tesich

The fitness gram is a fitness assessment test for the youth. It is a comprehensive set of assessment procedures ranging from running to push ups to trunk lifts. As everyone grouped up in pairs of 3 to spectate each other to do push ups, I was thinking in the back of my mind that I had to impress my friends by doing the most push ups in the class. When it was my turn to take my test, I started off well and did 30 push ups easily. The majority of the class already stopped at 20 but I wanted to do more and I pushed myself to the limit. I finished with 50 push ups but my arms practically turned into noodles, every time I tried to push myself up my hands would give away and I would fall to the ground. Everyone didn't know if they should've been proud of me or laughing at me but they were all impressed. I think that moment was embarrassing but I was more proud of myself that I was one of the many people that did the most push ups. 

Making Connections #2

In "Abandoned but Not Alone", by Thomas Oliphant, Oliphant writes about the how kids are being kicked out of the house by their very own parents just because they're gay. The story of how a freshman at Boston University really touched me because of how helpless kids can be and how unsupportive parents are. If I could be able to talk to him, I would say everyone has a period of time when everything is dark but at the end of every hole, there is light for which he will eventually find. It is unfair for many kids to go without a home for being gay but I'm glad to hear that many organizations are starting to help fund these kids.

Making Connections #1

Everyone has been through a time of miscommunication because of a difference in language in a particular group. I live in a neighborhood mostly with Hispanics and sometimes when I don't feel like going far to get something I need so I decide to go to a nearby store. Most of these stores are also owned by Hispanics and they all prefer to speak Spanish. I only know a little Spanish because my mom lived in Honduras for a good amount of time as a child. However, Most of the times I still wouldn't understand what they're trying to say so I nod my head and try to make hand gestures to make myself as clear as possible. We all might not speak the same language but hand gestures always help, so does google translate and google images.

Let the Colors Run By Ron Suskind

I can relate to the story, "Let the Colors Run" by Ron Suskind because I have written a formal piece on something I passionately care about. When someone writes about something they care about, not only that their happy thoughts are in their mind, but its also written down somewhere where he/she could see and read it. However, when you write about something you care about, its similar to a diary and sometimes a person may not want other people to read it and it is possible that other people can read what is going on in your mind. Writing is a good way to make you feel good about yourself to see what you can accomplish and it stimulates your brain to make you think and reflect on what is happening around you.

Abandoned But Not Alone By Thomas Oliphant

In the story, "Abandoned but Not Alone" by Thomas Oliphant, Oliphant writes about how thousands of kids each year apply for the Point Foundation assistance. The Point Foundation assistance helps kids that are abandoned by their parents just because they are gay. It must be tough for these kids because their very own parents whom they love and trust the most just abandoned them without saying a word. Now that they are alone, it is hard for them to survive in the real world but Point Foundation assistance is there to help as many of those kids as possible. I think that not only parents should accept kids for who they are but kids should also accept their parents for who they are whether they are gay or religious. Family is the most important thing in life.

The Meaning of Work By Rodrigo Joseph Rodriguez

In the story The Meaning of Work by Rodrigo Joseph Rodriguez, Rodriguez talks about his fathers hard work to provide for the family. Often times, the father would say "If you study hard, you won't have to work like me" meaning that the father missed his chance to get a degree but his son still has a chance to make a difference. Some people might say working in high end jobs for good salaries is the way to go but I think everyone should do what they love to do as a job. I'm proud of my father because he's a car enthusiast since he was a teenager. Now he is the owner of a well known mechanic shop in the neighborhood.

And Then I Went To School By Joseph H. Suina

I can't relate to Suina's situation but my mother has told me many stories of herself on her past. Many people living a harsh life many end up leaving their family to have a better future by going to school. Apparently moving to America or learning English will help you live a lavish lifestyle and many people did that and left their family. Suina's life indirectly gets better when he gets treated for lice and starts learning English. Even though he was humiliated for poor English and having lice, it actually benefited him. If I were to have a better life by going to college, I would not risk everything to leave my family. Changing myself would make me unknown to my own family when I finally return from college.

Bricklayer's Boy by Alfred Lubrano

In the story Bricklayer's Boy, by Alfred Lubrano, the father works hard daily as a bricklayer to help support his family. His two rules were to make as much money as you can, to pay for as good a life as you can get and to be happy, which the essential answer is money. Alfred's father tried to live his life vicariously through him and it didn't really work out because instead of being a advertiser, Alfred wanted to be a journalist. Even though the father didn't like the path Alfred choose, he supported him and eventually everything worked out. Unlike Alfred's father, my father loves his job as a mechanic and he encourages everyone in the family to follow his footsteps. I'm still unsure of what I want to do in the future so it'll be a surprise for me to see where I end up.

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

I do believe as Tan does, that the way that people speak affects our perceptions about that person's skills or abilities. I myself have experienced a situation in which I've been stereotyped because of my race. Just like Amy's mother, the doctors mistreated her because of her broken English. In a similar situation, people around me misjudge me and think that I am incapable of doing certain things just because I am Chinese and can't speak English. But when they find out that I can speak fluent English, the whole world opens up and everything goes normally. Language is also really different in New York City and I've come to realize that people, including myself adjust to different situations and we end up talking in a different manner. When doing business, we talk formally and when around friends, we may talk informally. I think we change the way we talk because we want others see that we fit into their requirements.