Damn publish button

So when I began working on this blog last night I though I had sent it with the damn publish button but of course it didn't send once again. This problem has happened on many occasions sadly I usually publish my blog immediately after I finish it but last night it may have skipped my mind to publish. So now of course I'm sitting in class after I was remembered to check if i had published my blog and after checking I saw my blog was not posted so in response to me not remembering everything i blogged about last night I'm here writing a new blog to make up for the previous one that no longer exists sadly.

Wrapping It Up

Social media, I'm sure, is probably how most people our age use the internet. I think the coolest thing about this is how we carry ourselves online. You can see how diversely open people are about their lives.
Some people hardly post unless it happens to be a big event such as a wedding or recently taken pictures at a school dance. However, on the other side of the spectrum, there are also people who post daily or maybe even multiple times throughout the day.
What I find even more fascinating is how people also portray themselves differently than you would expect online. Although we may expect the quietest person in class to not even own any social media we could find out that in fact theyre somehow an incredibly active DIY-er on Pinterest.
As we close this segment of Online Anonymity in class, I've learned more about how the internet and its usage is different to each and every one of us and that's what makes it so popular among our community.
Also as a side note, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy winter break and that I'll definitely miss being in this class for two weeks!

Social Media Comments

Much of the posts about social media that I saw this week state that all comments that one posts should be positive because they lift the spirits of the one who posted what was commented on when they are going through a hard time. However, I think there are some cases where a negative comment might be warranted, when the poster is not known or seem to be in distress. These negative comments, to be helpful instead of hurtful, should state why they are not in agreement, focus on the topic or circumstances instead of attacking the poster, be respectful, not involve ranting, and be limited to misunderstandings of what people think or know about something or common knowledge and illegal acts that most people do not do. Do you think there are any legitimate reasons to comment negatively on something?

recap

Concluding on our unit about Online Anonymity, it has been a great lesson to understand the importance of being anonymous on the internet and in our lives. The internet shapes our human existence, from social networking to work relations, infinite interactions are happening all over the world. And sometimes, we can forget the world is a scary place that includes both good and bad people. The capability of being anonymous online allows both kinds to do tremendous things. The good kind utilizes it as a way to express themselves or seek advice from others without conflicting their personal life. It's amazing as internet anonymity provides them with an outlet within their own comfort. However, this allows the other kind, the bad kind, to use anonymity with confidence and inflict pain and fear to others. I view the word "trolls" as tricksters. Entertainers. People that annoy for fun. Yet trolls is also an umbrella term for those egocentric individuals that crosses the point of being annoying to becoming a threat or predator. Just like the real world, it is scary when we are being harassed by these individuals. To be online is also allowing yourself to be vulnerable to the world, so it's important to have the option of being anonymous.

Social Media

Social Media is an asset in our daily lives. It has given all of us the ability to be connected, and make new connections with others. Social media has helped us turned acquaintances into friends and even boost careers. Everyday as we scroll through our feeds and read tweets or captions we are influenced.   We are influenced to know the difference between pretty and ugly. We are influenced to know what is funny and not. We are influenced how we should live our life. Our phones take up so much time of our day, doing nothing but brainwash to us. I'm not necessarily saying to avoid social media as a whole, but just like everything else it's important to do everything in moderation.

90's Kid

When Fletcher reminisced about not having technology like we did today, it made me think back to my childhood when technology was barely taking its peak and it was the last thing on our mind as kids. I remember spending days outside and going to the park with my dad and neighborhood friends. I remember spending playtime with my neighbors, riding our bikes or in our front yard playing tag or hide and seek. Everyday me and my family made up games to play, drawing or reading books was a daily. Seeing children today and parents rely on technology is really sad to see, I wish they had the same childhood as I did and did more than just watch youtube and tv all day. Technology has consumed most of our lives and time that I can't even imagine what people did years ago for fun. I think anything we did as children was considered real fun over playing games on our phones. Although technology brings some benefits for convenience I believe that we miss out on real life experience, like learning hands on, being more creative, and expressing our imagination. Sometimes I would see post about “old” things we used to have, for example gameboys or different types of old shows we used to watch as kids. And its crazy some kids today don't know what we used to have, or know well enough that their missing out on a lot of things. I wish some old 90's toys/shows/ideas that we enjoyed made a comeback to today. What are some things you guys miss from your childhood?

“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”

-unknown

Toro, toro!

Some of you may have noticed that I wasn't here on Friday. I got to visit my dad at work. It was pretty exciting. I hadn't done that in a long time. A lot of things changed. They changed buildings, there's some new people. I saw people I met a long time ago that I didn't remember... Yeah, It's been about 13 years.  It was kind of weird because my dad is there all the time. He disappears at six in the morning and doesn't come back until the evening. I know what my dad does- he brings work home every weekend- but I never really saw him in a work setting like that. And finally I was able to put names to faces. And you might think that accountants are notorious for being organized, but in reality my dad's office is messier than my mom's (she's a college professor, with a computer in the bedroom). It's like mom's desk but with more stacks of paper and one of those weird calculators that prints out stuff while you use it. And those funny rubber covers for your fingers so you don't get a paper cut.

But, of course, I did have an ulterior motive. I wasn't going to ditch just so I could have mom drive me to see my dad's office in Culver City. Oh no. I went to talk to one of the attorneys at the law firm that happened to go to Stanford. And we got sushi.

I'm applying to Stanford. I'm not sure I'm going to get in, but a girl can dream, right?

So after a nice lunch and talking about school stuff, we went back to Dad's building and I stayed the rest of the day so we could take the carpool lane home. I used to think working in an office would drive me insane but almost everyone has a bowl of candy on their desk or a radio and one of the partners has a giant Snoopy in his office.  And I got to meet Igor, who likes to do fantasy football and March Madness bets with the others. And there's a Mrs. Fields Cookie Store across the street. I was surprised that my dad rarely goes there. I would go all the time!

Anyway, while I was waiting around in the office, my mom texted my dad when she got home, right around when the mail came. And Dad said, "Uh-oh... Should I tell her?"

Now I was getting anxious because I knew report cards were coming out. Then he hands me his phone and shows me a picture of an envelope that says, "Congrats Future Toro!"

I got my first acceptance letter! I got into Cal State Dominguez Hills!

I know it sounds silly coming from me.

I know that if I get accepted into any of my other schools, I'm pretty certain I'm not going to Dominguez.

But it's kind of comforting that I know I'm going to college, Stanford or not.

I know college applications suck.

And I know some of us, myself included, are scared as hell right now.

And I know we're probably gonna hate staying up late working on a long paper (more than three pages) hopped up on caffeine, or sitting in a lecture hall feeling invisible.

But you know what? That's fine.

As long as we stay in school, we'll be ok.

...Right?

Looking Back...

Unbelievable! The end of first semester is near, but I have yet to truly figure out the path I plan to take in the future. I mean I do have a general idea of my job interests, but it boggles my mind on the process of how to obtain that job. But in the meantime, senior year has really gone by in such a breeze. It's quite remarkable because I had remember making my first blog post not too long ago, and the pressure I had put on myself to present that post in a more orderly fashion. Now when I'm blogging, it feels as if I'm able to voice my opinion more smoothly without any restrictions what so ever.  Soon second semester will begin in about a month or 2, and I need to really prepare for college and the outside world, but then, school has taught me a lot more than I should have, and I feel like I'm ready to launch. In the meantime, winter break is approaching and I hope every single one of you have an awesome break!

*Sigh*

Although social media has positive aspects such as discovering new people, places, and interests, I sometimes wish society did not have social media at all. If we did not have social media today, things would be different and more genuine. People would be able to meet someone for the first time in reality without already "knowing" who they were already. Social media gives an impression that we seemingly "know" who someone is based off of their pictures, videos, and feed;however, we do not truly know their personal life or who they really are.Sometimes, I find myself meeting new people & thinking "Oh, yeah I follow them on Instagram" and subconsciously I have already developed a pre-judgment on who I think they are. But honestly when I  meet someone for the first time, I would like to avoid passing judgement because you do not give yourself a chance to perhaps meet someone you genuinely connect with. Unfortunately, social media makes it hard to do so because it is human nature to observe and judge someone unintentionally, without even knowing so.( I could go on & on with plenty more examples..) *sigh*

Pessimism and Negativity

The Internet makes it easy for anyone to become someone else. Whether they're looking for advice or hurling insults, anonymity makes it effortless. Especially when we openly exhibit ourselves online through the use of social media, we're vulnerable and susceptible to the negativity of the Internet. Usually when this happens, the choices are to ignore it, respond to it, block it, or report it. But whatever you choose, trolls always find a way to come back; the negativity never truly leaves. So when the pessimism and the negativity become too much to handle, what would you choose to do?

Late Start

The last few school days of 2016 are slooowly coming to an end. As we all know, winter break begins on the 22nd of December this year, but one thing I've been wondering is why so late...? I understand that we're still out an extra week into 2017 in comparison to everywhere else, but we had to stay in a week more as a result. Many people have travel plans to see family or to vacation somewhere far off over Christmas Eve, and to have our last day a mere 2 days before that is a pretty big inconvenience. Despite this,  I wish everyone out there Happy Holidays!!

What Are You Expecting for Christmas?

Nothing is more exciting than knowing that Christmas is just around the corner! I know there are many new pieces of technology and toys out there that a lot of us can't wait to get our hands on. When I was watching the news I found that this new toy called "Hatchimals" was becoming quite popular and high in demand. It's kind of an interesting toy to describe as it is an egg that basically hatches a creature out of it. I found the toy intriguing, but its $80 price not so much. With many parents going to stores waiting in long lines just to purchase these toys makes me wonder what makes this specific one on the wishlists of many children? Maybe it is the fact it's an egg that can hatch an interesting creature out it? Who knows!

But putting that aside, as Christmas is coming up this weekend, I want to know what you guys are hoping to receive as a gifts this year? I know that there are some people around the country hoping for a new phone, computer, tablet, or some other form of technology. I personally feel that the best gifts are gathering with family members to spend quality time together. We should take the time to take a break from social media and put aside the technology during this holiday season or mainly Christmas. Make this holiday season a wonderful and meaningful one while you spend time with your loved ones! I still do want to know what you're hoping to receive this Christmas whether it is something tangible or intangible!

Power Through

Hey everyone, I hope you are enjoying this school year so far. I know that it has been a very strenuous and tiresome couple weeks, but we only have three more days  until we get to go to break. Try and power through these last couple days and work your hardest. It may be tough since a lot of our minds are already focusing on this upcoming break. Even though the break is so close, keep in mind that all the work that we do in these upcoming days will count towards our grades. Here are some tips that can help you focus throughout class. Try to keep your phone away. I know a lot of us like to have our phones out on our desk for certain reasons whether they are good or bad. However, keeping the phones away will help us prevent any distractions from popping up into our heads. Also, try to eat a good breakfast. I know it is a bit cliche, but it does give our body the power it needs to stay focused. For the people that don't have time to prepare a nice and hearty breakfast, try to eat a bit of fruit. Even though it is not much, the energy that the fruit gives will make a difference throughout class. Hopefully, these will help you stay focused in class and help you do better.

Can't Wait

With Christmas right around the corner, I can't wait to get out of school, looking forward to these next two weeks off, just got to get through this one first.

Just A Habit

I used to have a habit of checking my social media first thing in the morning. I would wake up, grab my phone, and just scroll through Instagram or look through Snapchat. Now that I don't wake up as early as I did before, I don't have time to look through social media. Usually I wait to check it until after school, mainly because my phone battery dies quickly. However, I have noticed how I do not go on social media as much as I used to when I first got it. Now, I feel like I have a better control of how often I use it and I am quite pleased with it. I definitely enjoy my social media, but sometimes I need a break from it. 

How often do you check your social media? Do you ever need a break from it?

Free

A few weeks ago my interest in social media had slowly faded away. Everything felt repetitive, superficial, and irrelevant. Not long after that, I turned off the notifications from the apps, not including Snapchat because I had to continue my streaks.

Honestly, it's great. You don't feel the nagging tug to check your feed, and if you are honest with it, you lose that feeling of being left out or uninformed about what other people are doing with their lives. You realize that there are other things to do and your own life to worry about. You stop comparing yourself to other people and their seemingly perfect lives and perfect complexion because you realize that we are all equal but unique in our own ways, and that everyone only shows their best selves out there on social media. You stop feeling the anxiety of wanting to post the perfect picture that fits the theme of your feed, and finding the perfect filter and caption. You realize that you don't really need any of that at all.

And that can tie into witnessing all the trolling and cyberbullying. Once you've cleansed yourself from social media, other extraneous things get easier to let go of. Out of sight, out of mind. Seeing how bad people can be online had made me grow a displeasure for people in general. It made me see society as horrible and sad, walking around at school and seeing loud or obnoxious groups of people had made it worse. But spending time outside of the digital world had cleared my mind up more, and reading has helped. I had forgotten for a while about all the evils of the internet because I hadn't accessed it or had cared to, and while this can be hard to do, it's completely do-able. Hear it from me, or anyone else, who has spent hours on end refreshing their feed, with nothing new or important learned but still yearning to see something new. Or binge-watching youtube videos and watching everyone's snapchat story. That thankfully got old really fast. And I wish I hadn't wasted all my time on that. They won't really matter. It was all just an outlet for my boredom and a place to waste my time and help me forget about the real responsibilities I was trying to avoid. It made me see people in a negative and discouraging light. It made me insecure. Thankfully I was able to get away from it all. And anyone is capable of doing this if they really wanted to.

Social media is needed, surprisingly.

So normally I don't really like social media all that much I don't really like to post all that much on my instagram normally I browse on their or Twitter just to find some insightful quotes I could use whenever I'm down or could help anyone else in need. I never realized how a lot of people especially on twitter are begging for help yet never receive it. When I saw somebody that was reaching out I decided to take action and I think I really helped that person out I hope. Social media is a wonderful tool but we don't use it to its fullest extent, whenever our peers are depressed their really isn't a hand they can grab on for encouragement. Although it is understandable to not really do it every time because some people just love attention and can make up problems out of the blue make sure that it is genuine at first and if you see the signs if you see them in real life make sure you help them it could make a huge difference.

Lives are important take driving seriously

Today as many of you know, there was a motorcycle and car accident, sadly the person on the motorcycle passed away after being hit and losing too much blood. I was on my way to Starbucks this morning and then I realized that me and these other cars were stopped because an accident had occurred and as I moved forward I saw the mans body on the floor. This accident is very heartbreaking and sad especially with Christmas coming up, my thoughts and prayers go out to that mans family. From this tradgedy I hope we all learn a lesson about how precious lives are and how driving is a very serious thing. Many kids including my self take advantage of driving and don't worry about the serious things that could happen when not paying attention or making bad judgement calls. I hope everyone drives a lot safer from now on so that no more lives are taken.

The Internet is Weird

I remember checking out YouTube for the first time. It was around sixth grade, I think. It was because my best friend at the time, Sabah, told me to watch funny cat videos on it. So I did and I was confused. I thought to myself, "How is this entertaining? Is this what people do in their free time?" Then I saw how people were able to interact with each other over videos and that freaked me out! My mom always told me "Never talk to strangers" but apparently the people on that cat video didn't mind talking to different strangers all the time. I told myself that I was never going to talk to people I didn't know in real life. Flash forward to 2016 and I'm close to people who live as far as Finland! Of course, I am always careful with who interact with. There are lots of people out there on the Internet that want to make some friends too and have a good purpose. I'm happy I was able to find those types of people. It's best to try to be slow with meeting new people online and see who they are as a person on their other social media like Instagram. Of course, this is not always a sound method to follow, but it's a step in a better direction than just "meeting" someone and telling them everything about yourself. You never know, you might find a really special friend on the other side of the world.

What do you think? How was your first experience with interacting with someone online? Were you scared? Have you made close friendships with people online? How did you develop your friendships?

Trolling (week 3)

During the weeks that we spent learning about online trolling, I found that the internet isn't all good and that just as with other things in the world, it has its bad side. I've always known about cyber-bullies and trolls - however I've never experienced them myself so I never really gave them too much thought. After this lesson, I've discovered how much of a serious problem they can be to the people that spend their time online. I am aware that trolls can go to an extreme level of offensiveness, but I don't agree that they are reason enough for our online anonymity to be taken away. I know it seems kind of insensitive of me, after hearing about terrible trolling experiences, but I just don't think trolling should jeopardize one of our rights- our right to speak our minds. Some people can only do so behind a false or unknown identity and if we take their anonymity away, we might be taking their right to speak freely as well. Also, there are plenty of other harmless things that can be done behind the saftey of anonymity as discussed in the third article we received.
Anyway, I just thought I'd say that and I wish you guys safe and harmless online experiences.

winter break!!!!!!!!

What are you guys going to be during winter break? Every year all of my family comes to my house for Christmas Eve for dinner and we open presents and I'm really excited to be around my family again! This year I'm also hosting a Friendsmas and I'm really excited to see how that goes. For New Years Eve I'm going to go a concert so hopefully that'll be a fun time! Other than that, I don't really have any set plans but spontaneous plans are always the best ones!

Putting the Phone Down

Every night before I go to sleep I check all of my social media feeds.  I watch one Youtube video and check my Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter.  I feel like this is just a way for me to relax and rewind after a long day of school and sports.  However, the other day I decided to put my phone down and read a couple chapters of my book instead.  I honestly think I am going to do that more often in the future.  I actually found it more relaxing than looking through social media.  I used to read before I went to sleep all the time before I had social media.  It's kind of crazy to think that social media is replacing some of the stuff I really enjoy, but I am going to try my best to put some of my favorite things back into my life.

Social Media is Scary

The main reason for the recent rise in trolling is because of how invested our society is in social media. The majority of our lives are displayed on the internet for the world to see. There’s actually a tv show based off of this concept called Black Mirror. It’s a slightly creepy drama that ‘examines modern society in regard to the consequences of new technologies’. As I started watching it, I got really freaked out, but then realized how true it is and where our society is headed. Social media is scary, just be aware of what your posting and where you’re posting it. I don’t know where our society is headed, but it doesn't seem to be very positive.

Instagram streaming?

Instagram has recently updated their application with a new live streaming feature. They always seem to be copying everything, but I think it's great that they are trying to eliminate apps on my phone. Going live is an interesting way to share events and moments with your followers and has a different set of experiences compared to their stories. The reason why is mostly because everything that you are recording is raw footage. Unlike a video or a story, you cannot edit or cut things out in live videos. Live streaming is something that involves being very comfortable with change and understanding that plans will not always go as planned. I went live just to test things out and I was extremely curious. I learned that while you are streaming, people who are watching can comment and give you hearts for you to see. Once I discovered this, I saw this as a great tool and also a very destructive tool. People can praise you and bully you, which is one of the uncharted waters that you can not be entirely sure about when you are live. But since people are not anonymous, I believe that people are less likely to bully since their names are pasted with their comments. What do you think about it?

Why can't we be friends? :)

Whenever I'm on social media, I can't help but notice all the negative energy some people have. I understand it's freedom of speech and all, but is it really necessary? Why hate you know?

Hating and bashing others must take up much more energy and effort than it has to be. It's much nicer being positive and spreading love towards others. It feels good when you brightened up their day or boost other's confident with your kind words.

Being nice can make such a big difference in other peoples lives. It can even go to an extend as saving someones lives. I see people all the time being scared to post a picture because they're afraid their eyebrows aren't on fleek or their hair is nappy or they didn't like their smile.

You shouldn't bash or downgrade yourself because you think you're not good enough for this society. In reality, you're all great in your own unique way! You shouldn't be afraid of what others have to say. You're your own boss and you run your house. Just kill them all with kindness. Let's be friends!

Get Yourself Out of A Routine

Lately i have been stuck in a routine and it sucks. I have all this school work, Showtime performances, and work. For the past month I have rarely had time for myself. I either go to work as soon as I get out of school or I have a performance after school. I mean I have some time between them, but I use that time to do my homework. I am starting to hate life, but I know that once i find time I will be my normal self. Being in a routine is like watching a movie over and over again. You don't look forward to things anymore and you know what is going to happen. Making time for yourself will probably be the best thing you will ever do for yourself.

Spread Love Online

Whenever I'm on the Internet, I sometimes like to look through the comment sections on Instagram. What's surprising is that the comments are split up like the nice and rude comments are equal. But I really like reading the nice ones because it's usually encouraging things to whoever made the post and I know that it means a lot to whoever made the post. For example, my friend Bella is very well known on Instagram for her make up and music she makes. She tells me that every time she gets nice comments on Instagram it makes her day because it's usually when she's not feeling good at the time, so reading them makes her feel better and she's more optimistic about her music. It's better to be nice online and spread loving and encouraging things instead of nasty, hateful things.

Summary Paraphrase Quote

Here's a link to today's slide show that goes over the details of summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting.  Good luck!

These Last Days...

As the year inches towards its end, many of us are only waiting impatiently for (a much needed) break. Some time to rest body and mind is something that I’ll certainly be happy to take advantage of. But with this year coming to a close, think about what you’ve gone through these past months. Whatever it may be, many of us surely have gone through new experiences that may or may not have had big impacts on our lives. An obvious one is applying for college. But what else? What were some goals that you hit, and what were some that you came up short on? More importantly, what have you done to improve and make yourself a better person?

We are asking these same questions of ourselves all the time, especially around the end of the year where we reflect on our past and look forward to the future. As we move from 2016 to the New Year, try to reach for some change and improvement, as there is always room for that in our lives.  Push your limits. Try a new schedule. Put a little more effort in. Meet new people. We have all heard these phrases over and over again, and as cliché as they may sound, they ultimately can give benefit for the better when you take them to heart.

Winter Break

Since there are only two more school weeks left before winter break, I am curious about what plans people have for winter break, whether they are big or small, such as catching up on sleep or travelling the world, or a large or small amount of activities, such as watching television or doing school work and taking care of many family members that are visiting during winter break.  It could include family traditions that you do every year during winter break or homework that you were assigned to do during winter break. I am not looking for anything in particular, just anything that you plan on doing during winter break, whatever it may be.

Necessary Distractions?

Wow, senior year is flying by. Colleges are starting to notify us if we are excepted or for scholarship opportunities. We are just one step closer to graduation and adulthood. I don't know how other people get through the days like these but I tend to distract myself. I watch a lot of netflix, mess around, and love researching sneakers. I have been checking this website 24/7 to see the 2017 releases. This is how I have been spending my time when I don't want to think to much about school or my future. Anyway, I would like to hear if and how you have been distracting yourself?

Growing outside of your comfort zone

It's pretty scary to go out of your comfort zone. In the latter half of this year I did just that. I feel much more open and knowledgable about my environment and the people close to me. You grow as a person when you step into the world and out of your common space.

It's one big epiphanic adventure.
Whether the things may be good or bad, people aren't always going to agree with you but it's okay.
For experiencing a mediocre 2016 I, myself, will try and make 2017 a better year.

Be open to change, new adventures, new people.
Everything that went wrong in 2016 that you know have the capability to change, do it.
Don't carry it on into the new year.

Every day brings new opportunities for growth and more knowledge.
Start living with less regrets, be more appreciative, caring, and understanding.
I always generally have a pessimistic mentality with regards to school and boring life.
But understanding that people also have similar thoughts and feelings made me become more empathetic. It reminded me of that article we read earlier this year called, "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace.

What are your goals for the new year? Do you think you'll abide them?
What are some times you stepped out of your comfort zone and experienced something new?
How was your 2016?

How to stick to a "New Year's Resolution"

As the New Year approaches, many of us are anxious for a clean slate. We set goals, or "resolutions", that for most of us never keep. The problem with most of these goals are that the majority of them are unrealistic. A lot of us look way beyond the spectrum of reality and set a miracle as a goal. In order to  obtain a new year's resolution it must first be achievable. After, you've set our your goal in stone it is important to remain calm and patient. **Nothing happens overnight**. Creating a timeline is fundamental to achieving your goal, it helps keep track of not only progress, but also serves as motivation to what is to come next. This next step takes a bit of pride, but letting your family and peers know about your goal is important. With the help of your bickering friends and family they'll make sure you don't fall off track. In addition, nothing is more satisfying than letting your friends and family know you've accomplished your goal. By sticking to these steps you might just be able to reach what you always thought was the impossible. Good luck!

Anticipation and Regret

With Christmas break being not too far from us now, I just wanna take the time to acknowledge how fast our time in high school is slowly coming to an end. Just in a few months or even weeks, many of us will be getting letters from the colleges we applied determining whether or not we made it in. It is pretty terrifying to think about the future ahead of us because I don't even know where I will see myself a year from today, but I do hope to see that I am in college! Just last week my uncle had called my dad and was told that I had already submitted a few of my college applications in. When my uncle had asked to talk to me I was a little bit afraid of what he was going to say. After I had ended my call with my uncle I had regretted that I didn't apply to more colleges. I really should have gone with my instincts and add maybe one or two more colleges to my list. On the bright side I still have two more applications to privates that I need done so wish me the best of luck! I also wish you all the best on the rest of your senior year and don't suffer too much from senioritis!

Music recommendations?

Lately I've put a lot of time and effort into trying to find new artists and exploring the music world and I love it! So i was just wondering if you guys have any recommendations for me! I pretty much listen to anything so I don't think that'd be a problem. Also if you want any recommendations back I'd be glad to give you some!

Behind the screens

I've always wondered who is behind all these trolling and why? Why are you like this? Why hurt someone? Why pretend to be someone you're not? Why waste your time and energy seeking a fight? It's all just a big mystery.

What these trolls are forgetting is that these are real people. These are real humans that you're hurting. These humans, indeed, have feelings and emotions like you. You have a big impact on that victim. You never know what the outcome is. How are you okay with hurting someone like you?

Im not so sure if these trolls understand what their actions can lead to. What's even more upsetting is that the trolls behind the screen are to, in fact, humans. These people couldn't find happiness within themselves. Instead, they go out hurting others to seek their own happiness.

I have hope that we can educate the youth and make our internet a better place. Lol that was cheesy. I have hope that these trolls are capable of changing their ways. In the mean time, be smart. Remember, sometimes ignoring isn't always the answer. Baby steps.

Anonymity

I’m kind of excited for tomorrow’s lesson.  I remember seeing some really good points from Room For Debate.  One of the writers said that not all anonymous people are bad, and not all bad people are anonymous.  In fact, The Federalist Papers were written by the Founding Fathers under a veil of anonymity.  

I’m just curious to see how far we can justify that.

Anonymity is an issue, as it gives people the freedom to say what they otherwise wouldn’t or couldn’t as themselves. But sometimes people just do it to be jerks.

I don’t really think the Founding Fathers would have done that in the newspapers.  They had the means to do it. They could have been trolls, but they chose not to be.  (That, or the publishers wouldn’t print it.) Also, let’s not forget that these are the same people that would arrange a duel where they can formally shoot at each other. It might not be that far-fetched.

It’s also much easier to use the internet to do things like this.  Usually websites either disable comments completely or don’t screen them.  We can’t possibly keep track of everything everyone says. We can sift through mass amounts of posts, videos, and comments to see what’s worth investigating, but we would have to dig pretty deep, past all the trolls. It’s so ridiculously easy to share things over the internet, regardless if they’re worth sharing or not.  Should anonymous people carry that much weight? How do we even tell different anonymous people apart, if their profile merely says “Anonymous”?

I feel like one would’ve better be able to get away with it under a pseudonym, before the inception of the internet. I feel like having a pseudonym offers more legitimacy than just being “Anonymous.”  But that doesn’t mean it’s better than being a troll.

Don't lie next year

Normally around this time of year people start to sound really determined saying  next year is really gonna be my year I'm going to work out, get my grades up and etc. Then when it finally hits New Years you don't start on the things you were so adamant on accomplishing, become lazy then get all sad talking about this was a bad year for me or I wish I could've done the things I said or just do better. One of the best pieces of advice I've heard was by this man named Trent Shelton he says " Don't wait till next year start now and when that next year hits you'll hit the ground running". So no matter what you're goals are start on them now because last time I checked we aren't getting any older and the more you practice bad habits the more likely you're willing to do them. Any plans for the future? Feel free to comment

So my birthday is coming up

I don't know if anyone else feels this way about their birthday, but I'm seriously dreading mine. I guess I don't want to be reminded that I'm growing up. I don't know anymore. And that's the problem. I don't know and I'm growing up to face the world and I have to know something about anything, so I can take the first step in a good, general direction in adulthood. Then everyone in my family is making a big deal about my birthday because they want to celebrate it, which is fine with me. (Technically, it is a holiday.) But I don't want to make a big deal about my birthday. Honestly, I have other things to worry about at the moment instead of being another year older. Ha, guess I'm really getting into the Christmas spirit, aren't I? Sorry...

The Secret Life of Pets

I just finish watching "The Secret Life of Pets" and man it was good! I mean what did I expect, the movie is from the same creators of Despicable Me & Minions, they always deliver. That and Kevin Hart plays as the bunny. Animation movies always gets me in a good mood. It's very uplifting and cheery to watch, nothing too serious. Also, the movie is about pets! Specifically dogs, which I can relate a lot to since I own a dog myself. His names Hiro :-)

He's a Super-Hiro 

They're Everywhere!!

With the serious issue of trolling in our society, it’s difficult to NOT see it everywhere. What I mean by this is if you’re online, you’re most likely going to see trolling. For example, just the other day I was watching a youtube video and just happened to scroll through some of the comments. That was a serious mistake. Almost every other comment was some form of hate towards the youtuber. They pointed out every imperfection and drew way more attention to it than was necessary. My concern is, how much longer until it is literally impossible to avoid trolling when going on social media? Already, the presence of trolls is very real, but I know it can only get worse from here. How often do you guys notice trolling? Do you see it in the regular social media apps you use?

Homework

Don't you guys hate it when due dates just sneak up on you? I barely remembered that this was due right now after a long weekend.  Any funny stories about due dates?

Dinner convo of the night

The dinner discussion started with me asking my mother how her day went at work and she responds with it went well. Later in the discussion it was brought up that my sister had a D+ in a class because she is constantly being the class clown entertaining the kids in her class. So now she has a follow up meeting with the principal due to her recent actions that lead to my mom receiving a phone call to inform her that my sister threw a marker across the room to hit a kid who threw it first. Next week my sister will have to be chaperoned all day .

The Positives of Online Anonymity

Although we have only been talking about online anonimity as a bad thing in class, I believe that there are actually some benefits to it.
Many times people are afraid to speak out due to to their situation and may be harmed if their identity becomes known. The reality is many people don't have the liberty to speak out like any of us can about out thoughts and questions to others.
Online anonymity allows for free discussion among people without the possibility of having your name online and available after a single Google search.
However I also don't believe that online forums and websites should be able to comment anonymously and go rogue. Rather these websites should make an attempt to filter through their comments and reject the ones with lousy and rude messages.
What do you guys think? Are there other benefits to online anonymity? And do the posituves outweigh the negatives or not?

Darn Trolls

Trolls trolls trolls. Those of you out there should be ashamed of yourself. I'm not talking necessarily to my classmates unless you are one, I'm directing this to everyone who is a troll. You go around starting trouble and making people feel bad about themselves for your own pleaseure. You are a bully. Making fun of people and starting fake accounts calling them mean things is wrong and you should all get a taste of your own medicine. I know that is not the morally right thing to do, fight fire with fire but that's what you trolls deserve. I find it appalling that these people can say all these bad things and cause these innocent people all this harm. There's honestly no reason for such ruthlessness and the fact that joy and happiness that trolls receive from all this bullying is disgusting. I hope my fellow classmates are not trolls and that if you are after reading about what has happened to people that you have stopped and realized you're wrong for doing what you have done. What do you guys think about trolls? Should people take action and fight fire with fire?

My 9th Grade English Teacher Was Right

When I was a freshman, I had Mrs. Berryman and she is actually one of my favorite teachers. Her class was so easy and laidback, but I remember her saying to my class that we should develop better work habits before we're too accustomed to procrastinating and half-doing work. I didn't quite understand what she meant because by then, I was doing pretty well in school. But as the years passed, I found that I was starting to put off work until the last minute and then stressing about finishing it on time. Not to mention I was too stubborn to ask for help earlier instead of later when it was too late. These habits carried through each year, becoming slightly worse every time.

It's only the second quarter and I already feel like I'm underwater. I'm struggling to understand Statistics and I should have asked for help when I had more time. My French is not as good as it used to be and it's becoming harder to translate my thoughts. I'm relying on participation points in Government to help compensate for certain assignments. I'm not entirely sure of how I'm doing in Photo Fundamentals since I'm worried that the tests are weighing down my grade. I never know what my grades are until teachers post grades or until I get a progress report.

My 9th grade English teacher was right about developing better habits because if I had, I probably wouldn't be struggling as much as I am right now.

Trolling Part II

While reading the article, "What Happened When I Confronted My Cruelest Troll" by Lindy West, I went through so many negative emotions. I just find it so unarguably inconsiderate and cruel how people can actually do this sort of stuff just for sport. Again- trolling has a limit and there's a certain point where trolling isn't trolling anymore, but becomes cyber bullying. What Lindy West experienced due to the man that pretended to be her dead father was terrible. It really disgusts me that there are people like this out there and it horrifies me as well. It's stories of experiences like these that make me terrified of opening my mouth to express my opinion about something or even just typing it out on some comment section etc. The worst part is that I happen to be a lot of things that would make for a good trolling target - I'm a woman, I'm Hispanic and I also am openly gay. I've been lucky enough so far to not have to come across a troll but I've seen what can happen because of them and most of the time they aren't so severe as what we're reading about with Zelda Williams and Lindy West. These women may have been trolled, however, they were also cyberbullied. Just reading West's article got me all worked up because how can people say such hurtful things and be so constant with it to the point where the victim isn't even surprised to receive such negativity? There's honestly no need to go to such an extent to show disapproval or a disagreement with someone else's views. It's not necessary to put others down because they want to speak their mind on a certain topic. Trolls are honestly just little pests that try to irk people but I seriously doubt that internet trolls can be considered as such if they are doing things like what "trolls" did to the two previously mentioned women.

comments on articles

When I was reading the articles that were assigned in class, we were told to write about what was going on in some of comment sections for them. One article's comment section was really tense. Just by reading the comments I felt uncomfortable because there was nothing but negativity and hate. One comment in particular caught my attention because it was shocking that someone could possibly such things especially the author was speaking from her point of view as an African American woman journalist. I'm not going to quote what they said, but here's the link to the article.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/08/19/the-war-against-online-trolls/women-and-minorities-as-targets-of-attack-online

Senioritis

It is starting to get harder and harder for me to do things for school. I have projects that I need to continue, homework to finish, and personal duties to perform. But they are all now difficult for me to start doing. I don't know why I do not want to do them, I just do not. For a sure fact my freshman self would easily get into work, start, and not procrastinate at all, but now I am a compulsive procrastinator. I just do not understand. I hope this will not carry onto college.

Christmas Spirit!!!

Yay, its that time of the year again! Whenever I think of Christmas, I just think of a time of Family and Love. Although, I also think of those two weeks of no school, and in most cases no homework. It seems though that most teachers are simply just finding ways to slip in these homework assignments into our "stress-free" season, but I see it as unfair! But besides that, I guess we can bring up a post and a conversation within our class to see what we all have planned for the Christmas Break! Or even for New Years, which in my opinion is my favorite holiday! Is anyone going out of town, expecting a big gift, or just excited to get away from the school setting for a couple of weeks? Our countdown to Christmas begins now!

Internet as an Outlet

Trolling has many definitions on the Internet, we know what they are, but what about the different types there are. I wanted to know the different levels/types of trolling there was so here’s a website describing some forms of trolling online. http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/18-types-of-internet-trolls

A few of them can be quite relatable for example we can all agree we know someone who wants to feels the need to correct every, single, grammar of ours. Even with their, there, or they’re or its and it’s, someone is out there just waiting to correct everything. The internet is just a place where people can speak out freely. I think the internet serves as an outlet where everyone is connected, some just their voice to be heard, for attention, or simple communication. Facebook reminds me of my old pictures, and cringe worthy messages but keeps me updated. Instagram helps me meet new people and follow pages I like. Snapchat lets me have fun sending videos/pictures on demand. The internet is as great as it is a bad thing, what is your favorite thing about the internet or dislike about it? Do you guys have any stories to talk about and share?

What's your favorite social media site?

Since we're talking about social media, I'd like to know what everyone's favorite social media sites are.  Right now I really, really like Instagram and Youtube.
I think I like Instagram  more than Twitter, Snapchat, etc. because it is so organized.  I often find my Twitter feed full of stuff I don't particularly care for or about, and I also feel like Snapchat updates all the time, which I don't particularly appreciate.  I like how Instagram only has pictures and/or videos that people that I follow post (along with the occasional ad).  This feature ensures an organized feed, which I enjoy.
Youtube is a fairly new favorite for me.  Last year, my little sister showed me this youtuber, and my life changed for the better.  That first youtuber opened up the flood gates to so many more youtubers that I watch weekly and/or daily.  I spend so much time watching Youtube it's kind of crazy.  I also seem to find myself watching Youtube at the most inconvenient times: when I should be doing homework, cleaning my room, etc. (oops).
Let me know what your favorite social media sites are, and, if you watch Youtube, let me know who you watch.  Thanks!

I'm sitting here in class blogging now that I've found out how to get back into my blogger account. I'm sitting here thinking about how much it sucks to have an Android in a time here's all my peers are enjoying 8ball poll on their Iphones. The current phone i have isn't a bad phone just not my ideal phone for many reasons. First of all I've never been an Android type of guy until this phone came into my life, after my mom took a away my iPhone, im glad and definitely grateful to have a phone that works well but I really want to part take in all these games since I've always been really competitive. This Christmas I definitely plan to upgrade and get an iPhone 7 because it's finally the first Iphone that comes waterproof which I've always longed for also it's camera is amazing which I look forward to.

I don't get it but I don't care

I wasn't sure as to what the first blog post was suppose to be about, but I guess it's appropriate to talk about our unit Online and Anonymous. So I recently haven't been posting or updating anything on any of my social medias. The occasional here and there post about going to the movies (recently just saw Moana 👍👍) however I got sick of it. I found no point in posting about stuff I do. So I just use it as a news feed, just to catch up with everyday

But the biggest part of users on the internet goes to... the Trolls! Oh ha aha! These creatures love the internet. Usually to stir up some problem with someone just for the fun of it. Personally, I will never understand why. You can do literally aaaaaanything else. Literally anything to entertain oneself. Also, if people don't like trolls then just ignore them. Trolls are just bored with their lives so they have nothing to do but try to irritate others to spice up their life. By ignoring them, trolls will stop trolling. 

Secret identity

Trolls can come in many ways. They can be either positive or negative. I personally see it more in a positive way. You see, when you think of the word trolls, you automatically think bad. They're people who go online and harass others for their own amusement. I however, when I think of trolls, I think of friends just teasing one another trying to get a couple of good laughs.

I've always wondered what are the trolls motives and why they find it so amusing to hurt others? It then accord to me that trolls are, in fact, humans too. There must have been events that triggered or lead them to the path they are on now.

Most trolls are hiding their identity online because they see it as an escape from their realities. A way to make themselves feel better. An opportunity to be who they wanted to be.

 It's sad that people can't be themselves confidently and had to hide themselves online; having to hurt others to make themselves happy. People shouldn't have to live based on our societies expectations. Live how you want to be instead of escaping the realities by going online, moreover hurt others. Only you can make a difference.

Trolling and Cyberbullying

It seems that multiple posts on the blog are about whether or not cyberbullying and trolling are the same thing. Personally, I think that cyberbullying is a type of trolling, since they are both intended to get a reaction out of someone, though trolling is not always directed at a certain person, unlike cyberbullying. Another reason why I think this is that they are both disruptive, meaning they disrupt the conversation with something that is very off topic. While cyberbullying always hurts someone, which is not always the case with trolling, I still think that cyberbullying is a type of trolling, mostly because they use the same techniques, such as what was mentioned above and having content that is used to intimidate, attack, or harass one or more people. However, I understand why someone would think cyberbullying and trolling are not the same thing, which, from what I have read, is because trolling is usually used to tease someone in a situation that it is expected, such as internet video games. Do you think, are cyberbullying and trolling the same thing, and why?

Stirring up Trouble

Personally, I do not understand the trolls online. I feel like trying to make others mad or starting unnecessary arguments on the internet just wastes time. Especially if it is done anonymously, because the person is not taking credit for what they are say. I just think maybe they want attention or they have nothing else better to do. If it is for attention, I don't understand why they would disguise themselves because no one knows who they are. On the other hand, I know it is not easy to ignore trolling because many people have the urge to respond as a defense. And with our technology advancing we will continue to have trolls that stir up trouble. Unfortunately, it is one of the consequences that comes with the internet. I do not think we can get rid of trolls completely, but I do believe that by ignoring and not giving them satisfaction, we can decrease online trolling. 

AKA Catfish

Whenever we began this unit on trolling, the first thing that came to my mind was the MTV show, "Catfish". In case some of you haven't seen the show, it was started by a guy named Nev, that was romantically talking to a 'girl' online. Although they spent a couple of years talking before actually meeting in person, she ended up being someone completely different. Now he helps many people around the nation to solve their online friendships that may just be a screen to screen relationship.
Although this isn't exactly the same thing as trolling, I guess so consider it similar just because they are either being someone they are not, or simply just using anonymous accounts for some reason. But I was just curious if anybody else thought of the tv show, "Catfish" when we read the article last week. The reasons are typically, because they are bored or because they just have low self esteem issues, but either way it seems to be something common today with social media being in the middle of our lives everyday.

Simple Solution

There are trolls everywhere on the internet, especially across social media sites. As a result, you probably will come across one at some point while browsing around. However, when you do, don't react to them. Many people fail to realize that all these trolls are doing is trying to get a specific reaction out of you, just to get one of their laughs for the day. If you're someone who constantly goes up against these people, I'd recommend to stop. It's pointless and will only negatively affect you. The solution to stop only takes a second, requires no thought, and is ultimately very simple: scroll past, or turn off the screen. Yes, you can go a little further and block them, but doing that every time you see something you dislike will only turn it into an annoyance, and frustrate you as a result. To make your browsing time better and more enjoyable, you should keep a clear, calm state of mind and don't let your first reactions get the better of you.

Overpower the Bad with more Good

With anonymity and invincibility breeds potential for hate and instigation. And that occurs all over the internet. Since I barely go on social media anymore except for snapchat (streaks), I have the privilege of not really encountering many internet trolls. But when I would watch youtube videos, the comments section is the cornucopia of immature, rude, disgusting internet users who seem to represent the ugliest parts of society. They appear on even the most casual videos, with no reasonable explanation for a crude comment. It just simply seems to be there to belittle or annoy anyone who will possibly read it. It just makes me question their intentions. Why? Why do they feel thrill with the suffering of another individual? It's sad. And although we have these dark parts of the internet, or even society itself, the bright side is that the presence of these accentuate the best parts of humanity when we encounter them.The compassion, empathy, support, and love makes an even bigger impact on people. For example when you watch the news, it's dominated by really bad events such as a shooting, death, accident, loss, or crime. But when something positive comes up like a dog being rescued, it brings light into the picture and brings some hope for society. Negativity and internet bullies and trolls will never go away, but if we spread more positivity and good vibes towards one another, we are able to overpower the bad.

You may think it's funny but it's snot.

Whenever we got sick in my house my mom would always say, "Don't kiss your honey when your nose is runny- you may think it's funny but it's snot." But it most definitely isn't funny when your honey is the one that gives you the snots.
Let's be real. Being sick is the worst. And everyone is particularly vulnerable at this time of year. It's cold outside. It's flu season. Everything is super crowded. The mall is crowded with people trying to get gifts for everyone, and maybe you're lucky enough to have some family staying with you in your house. With your tiny snotty cousins. Sucks for you.
Anyway, I'm gonna share with you some tips. I learned from experience. And if any of you guys have any remedies that work for you, please share.
1. Keep some hand sanitizer with you at all times. I know it kinda looks dumb to have it strapped to your belt loop whenever you need it like some geeky cowboy, but it looks dumber to have snot pouring out of your nose or to be praying to the porcelain gods for mercy on your poor burning esophagus. Use your sanitizer after you touch doorknobs or books and especially computers. The best cure is prevention. Wipe down your phone once in a while. Nothing is safe.
2. Vitamin C. My method of choice is cranberry juice.
3. If you feel something is off with your body, go on full attack mode. Pretend you're already sick. You can never be too safe.  Earlier this year everyone around me was sick and I was scared when I felt like something was wrong in my throat. So I got a bunch of honey lemon Halls and popped those suckers one after another. I was feeling pretty good within a few hours. And my mouth felt fresh and not like death was upon it. It says on the package that they're oral antibacterials or something like that. That explains a lot.
4. Don't drink milk if you're feeling mucousy. It makes it worse. This is the one time drinking a room temperature soda would be better.
5. Drink plenty of fluids. Flush out all the bad stuff.
6. Drink tea as hot as you can handle it. It might hurt but it feels good after.
7. Spicy food will clear you out.
8. Eat a lot of garlic. Eat enough to kill a vampire. My mom makes a killer chicken noodle soup and I swear it has magical powers.
9. If you're feeling stuffy and nothing'll come out, get a Neti pot. It's like a watering can/ teapot for your nose. Water comes up through one nostril and out the other, along with some serious snot. I know it sounds gross, but it's magnificent. You'll feel a lot better after you finally do it. You'll be able to breathe through your nose for a while. And it's not so bad if you know you can take a shower after you do it.
10. Don't snort. Better out than in. Also, I really hate that sound. It really grosses me out. Just blow your nose. And if you have to cough it up, so be it. Just do it out of earshot.
11. Zinc. I know it sounds weird, but zinc is know to shorten colds and lessen symptoms. There's this stuff called zicam that you can either swab up your nose or take in a dissolvable tablet every few hours.
12. Stay up to date on your vaccines. There's absolutely nothing dangerous about them. It's safer for everyone around if you get them.
13. Stay home if you get sick. We love you. But we'll love you from a distance until you get back. Don't worry about catching up with school work. We got your back. Just relax and watch Disney movies and sleep.
14. I don't know about you guys, but Mucinex really works.  You really only need it twice a day. I take the big tablets. The sooner you get all that snot out your system, the better.
15. If you have stomach issues, even if you know you're about to blow chunks, take some alka seltzer or at the very least some Tums. They'll settle your stomach and if you gotta spew it won't burn because it neutralizes your stomach acid.
Thanks for reading. Stay classy.

Trolling or Cyber Bullying

In my opinion, I see trolling as a less serious method of "yanking someones chain" while cyber bullying is what is happening in the articles we are reading. When I hear the word trolling I think of someone just messing around yet cyber bullying makes me think someone is actually being harassed. Don't get me wrong trolling can be annoying but its all in good fun in video games and web forums but when it gets taken a step to far it can become very serious and I don't think many people know how to walk that thin line. I can't really explain why I have this specific opinion on the definition of trolling but I feel like there is a definite difference between the two.

Can the Trolls be Avoided?

As our society becomes more enveloped with the use of technology, positives and negatives have come along side with it. One of these negatives I speak of are trolls. Trolls come in many forms and they have increased in numbers online. They deliberately post offensive and provocative material in order to receive an angry response. Some say to rid of the trolls, we must not give a reaction to them. However, I believe that it is easier said than done. Some people may be strong enough to resist the urge to respond back, but trolls will post very offensive material and some will not be able to resist giving the reaction that trolls desire. Others believe that all society needs to do is to report/delete their posts.  However, the internet makes it very easy for these trolls to continue posting even after a post has been deleted. So is there an actual way that trolls can be avoided? What are your thoughts?

Some Reasons Why People Troll

Before our article read on Online and Anonymous trolling, I didn't know how trolling was such a big influence in harming people emotionally. I always thought trolling as that one poorly drawn meme and making it a simple prank. I guess I was wrong on that part, the internet is a huge access to everyone to freely to share their thoughts both known and anonymous. I believe we kind of forget that many people who troll can just be like every other person, I don't believe all trolls are bad and it just depends on the situation. Like between friends I can see it as a joke and taken lightly; what actually makes a bad troll? I think we also need to ask why trollers even troll online in the first place. I read online about 10 former Internet trolls to learn about their reasons for doing so. One thing in common I found was that many of them had problems and believed online trolling to be a fun activity, and later on in life they too will soon move on from their trolling days. We should all accept that as long as there is the internet, trolling and other internet problems will remain. 

http://kotaku.com/10-former-internet-trolls-explain-why-they-quit-being-j-1722649439

Trolls... let them be

Trolls are sought to be evil banes of the internet searching for egos to destroy. But in my perspective they're just your 21st century, mean spirited, nobody. No matter what time period we are in life there will always be the bully. This isn't anything completely new, it's just a bully that's taken a new form. There's no need to do extensive research on how to stop this bane of the web, but to just accept it like how we do with everyone else. Trolling is just a leeway for the less confident bully's to get their point across. They spend their days hiding behind their computer monitor sneering at the distress they've cause to complete strangers. If you feel threatened by an anonymous pathetic troll, you need to suck it up and deal with it because the internet is not a window away from reality, but a gateway to more issues than we're normally exposed to. 

The Sweetest Thing

Christmas is a holiday that is meant to be spent with loved ones. It's a time for love, peace, and joy as well as giving and receiving. I remember in the beginning of 6th grade, I started reading Harry Potter and I basically became obsessed. Since then, watching any of the films during Christmas time is a must. Harry Potter found out he was a wizard when he was eleven, which was the same age I was when I started reading the series. It was a nice coincidence. My sudden fascination carried into December when I really wanted Hermione's wand replica among other magical Hogwarts merchandise such as her Time Turner and her purse with infinite space. I was pleasantly surprised when my parents got them all for me that Christmas, even though I didn't really need any of those things. What was an eleven year old going to do with a necklace that couldn't really transport her back in time or a wand that couldn't really shoot spells? Hermione's purse was the only thing that was remotely practical for me. But it was the sweetest thing I was given on Christmas Day.

What is the nicest gift you've ever received? What is the nicest gift you've ever given?

Don't Feed the Trolls

Online trolling is a real issue that often times, isn't taken as serious as it should be. It’s a problem that’s becoming more serious as social media becomes a bigger part of our lives. I recently read an article called "Don't Feed the Haters: the Confessions of a Former Troll" where this guy, Paul Jun, exposes himself and the hateful things he used to do on the internet. He suggests that the only way to defeat the toll is the understand the troll. Basically, they do what they do because they're bored and they want attention. So, how do we eliminate trolls? Stop feeding them. Paul Jun puts it this way: it's part of our human nature to want to defend ourselves when someone unknown comes at us. We don't want to stay silent, because we think that means surrendering, and surrendering means losing. But really, that's just a bad philosophy. If someone is commenting hateful things online, don't engage them. Instead, try ignoring them. They're likely to get bored and move on. Many internet users are putting this idea to use. For example, the youtuber pewdiepie got rid of the comment section on his videos. This way, he prevents the hate from even happening in the first place. If you have to deal with trolling, which I'm sure you do, try to ignore them. Let's stop feeding the trolls. If they stop getting fed, they'll eventually die out.

The Best Option Against Trolls

As many of us may know trolls are everywhere and unavoidable. According to urban dictionary the definition of a troll is one who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument. Why do trolls do what they do? We really don't know for sure or understand why they do it, but in my honest opinion the best option against trolls is to just ignore them. Trolls mainly seek to start arguments or cause problems that are unnecessary. Just learning to go on with your day and not give the troll the attention it is seeking is the way to go. Don't let them get to best of you, because we all know better than to let someone that sits behind a computer screen with nothing better to do ruin your day just by trolling or offending you in any way.

Why waste your time on a troll?

We live in a technological age where almost anything is posted on a blog, website, and social media applications, whether we like it not whenever there is a good thing for the common people there will always be that one person who just loves to raise havoc and create hysteria to them it's just a wonderful thing to see. However, while it is a horrible thing to troll people and make them upset for no apparent reason. What's the point of wasting your energy and time on a troll that only wants to see you upset? The wonderful thing about the Internet is that it has this amazing feature called the block button. This helps you filter out what you don't want to see so if you see someone trying to make you upset just use this block button then poof they're gone forever. Although I never wasted my time with a troll I learned just from life that some people just want to live in their ignorance, they have no drive to change their ways to become a better person so ultimately they just settle for less. So whenever some troll tries to take away your peace, don't let them just move along and enjoy your day.

What's the Point in Trolling?

Trolls are literally everywhere and for the most part can't really be avoided. They just pop up out of nowhere and unexpectedly causing problems for no specific reason. The worst part about it, is that they're able to disguise their identities and no one will know who they are. I genuinely don't know how trolling became a thing, nor do I understand why it even happens. There really isn't a pint in trolling; it's pointless, a waste of time, and can be hurtful to the person experiencing it.

Trolls Are Amusing to Watch

In Merriam Webster's Learner's Dictionary, a troll is a person who tries to cause discord in the internet on purpose by posting messages or any type of communication to cause people to argue, become angry, or become unstable emotionally.

Trolls are looked down upon on society because of how rude and inconsiderate they can be on message threads, blogs, and in social media. And usually, the person being targeted by the troll is a good cyber citizen, but what if the troll's target is, for example, a scammer?

There are many videos in YouTube that shows computer engineers, computer geeks, and even hackers trolling "tech support" scammers. I enjoy watching these because it makes me think a lot of how even bad things, e.g. trolling, can be used to create laughter and great video material at the expense of a scum-of-the-earth human being that gets their money by stealing from hard-working people.

I do not feel any remorse or sympathy for the scammer, mostly because I have been scammed myself and know that I am not the only one in world that has lost a lot of money. So I do support trolling on the internet, but only to the wrong people.

Love your trolls.

Anonymous Internet trolls or trolls you encounter in reality..learn to identify them for what they really are and watch them become more and more irrelevant to your life. As we all know, trolls are people who try and stir up unnecessary trouble for their own entertainment. Trolls' intentions are usually very hurtful and cruel;however, if you take a moment to analyze a troll, you may feel more sorry for them than yourself. Trolls are people who are unhappy in life and seek to make others feel just as degraded as themselves; likewise, you'll notice how trolls are anonymous because they wish to hide to their true identity..sad story. Moreover, trolls are people who really need to find time to work on themselves and become productive in life, do not let them shatter your positivity! Overlook them as best as you can and pray for them to find happiness.  

What do you guys want?

As we all know, Christmas is right around the corner so the anticipation for giving and receiving gifts is quite high.  I was just curious to see what you guys ere excited about getting for christmas, be it small or large, share it here.

What do you guys think of trolls?

When we first started talking about trolls in the beginning of the week my table was split on our opinions about trolls.  There were a few of us that don't see it as a big deal.  They thought that trolls are kind of funny, and don't see the issue as a big deal. The other half of us kind of got upset at the idea of anonymous trolls.  We honestly don't get it.  We don't understand why people feel the need to negatively involve themselves in things that don't pertain to them.  We see trolls as mean individuals that feel the need to stir the pot in horrible ways.
We share our opinions with our tables quite often, but rarely get the opportunity to share with everyone.  I'm just curious as to what the rest of the class thought.  Do you guys think that anonymous internet trolls aren't that serious?  Or do you think that they pose a threat to our society?

How can I prevent trolls from the internet!!!

Hello! You may have read my last blog "How can I stop my procrastination habits before going to college!!!" If not, you can read it here. Now, I assume you are here to stop something else, internet trolls. Well, technically there is no ways to prevent internet trolls, but there are ways to avoid internet trolls. The career path I am trying to pursue right now, is computer science. "Why would he bring that up?" you ask. The reason behind this, is because most of the time, I would spend hours on end working on projects on the internet to help learn new techniques, meaning I would always run into internet trolls, people who would make indecent comments on forum posts or blogs post giving irrelevant opinions, only to hurt the author. Now the technique I used to avoid these trolls is very simple, just ignore them. Do not let the hate reach you, if you're the author just skip right past it, don't read the comment, and if you manage to do, then don't take it personally. I've created many posts on forums asking for help on coding, but at times I would receive tons of hate such as "Learn it yourself, kid!","No one is going to help you","Watch this video for help (Link to very inappropriate sites)", and many more...But there is always gonna be that one person that's gonna supports you, and that one comment is worth more than all the other negative comments.

Will We Win Against Trolls?

So recently we've been learning about trolls from Farhad Manjoo's "Web Trolls Winning as Incivility Increases" and how trolls are just multiplying and people are trying to find ways to prevent or stop them. It's been on my mind for a while about how people on the internet have something to say, whether it's "bad" or "good", no matter what. Yes, there's the First Amendment with the people's freedom of speech, but is there a cost to that freedom? The internet brings so many people together from all corners of the world and we have the ability learn so much about different cultures. But there are those who take advantage of such an amazing opportunity to just crash the party and pit everyone against each other. Those who spend all their time on the internet, but refuse to take the time to use the internet as a learning tool and instead be ignorant. There's nothing wrong with making a mistake online, just so long as the person learns from that mistake and tries to be better. That's all we really can do, right? Just try to be better next time? I think we can win against trolls if we try to use the internet for good and educate ourselves as much as possible about issues and who knows? Maybe trolls will become a fairy tale once again. Is it possible to eliminate trolls this way? Or should we just use force like taking away anonymous messaging? Will trolls ever really go away if we do that? Please let me know your thoughts.

Christmas is coming

My favorite time of year is finally here, I do not only love this time because I receive gifts but because I love to buy my friends and family gifts. I'm usually the person to go above and beyond, and spend way too much money especially on gifts for my boyfriend. Something about shopping for others brings me so much joy, I don't know I just love it. But this year has been a little different. I still have the same feelings towards Christmas and gift buying but this year I don't feel like I need to buy everyone a gift. I'm realizing that I only need to buy gifts for people whom I want to buy a gift for, and not buy certain people gifts because I feel obligated. Instead of buying so many gifts especially for friends I'm trying to spend more time with them. Like with my friends Karla and Kristen, rather than spending money and stressing over what to buy I suggested we set up a day to hang out since we don't always get the chance to spend time together and gifts are really not important. How do you guys feel about gift giving? Do you ever feel obligated to buy people gifts but you don't really want to? Share your gift buying experience please I'd love to hear. :)

The Gift of Giving

Christmas is coming! Which also means family, friends, cookies, santa, cute decorations, carols and lastly the first of our worries... GIFTS! We can all agree that it's something we all look forward too. However one thing we can't say the same for is buying gifts that result in empty wallets. It's something we can all relate to, as many shoppers every year search frantically for the perfect gift. Can people really buy happiness? I recently read an article called " Money Can't Buy Love: Asymmetric Beliefs about Gift Price and Feelings of Appreciation." by Francis J. Flynn and Gabrielle S. Adams. This article compared feelings behind gift-giving and gift-recipients, researching the amount of appreciation between both the giver and receiver. It was a really interesting read because it discussed how many people tend to overspend, or struggle to take account of the receivers perspective. It also talked about how people tend to believe that the more expensive the gift the more appreciative they will feel. I disagree with that thought, I honestly would be happy with a simple gift, sure a more expensive gift would be nice but I think that just pressures me into having to give something expensive back. In my perspective I believe people should appreciate the littler things, instead of relying on the amount of money spent to measure your happiness or friendship. I also recently saw a video of a mother giving her young daughter a gift, and inside was a paper clip. My prediction was that the child was going to throw a tantrum but to my surprise she thanked her mom. I believe more children and adults should be like her, in my opinion its the thoughts that counts. Just seeing someone else's smile is such a great thing. What are everyone else's thoughts on receiving or buying someone else a gift? Have you ever felt disappointed at a gift? Whats the best/worst gift you have ever received? Whats the best gift in life? 

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift." - Pierre Corneille 

Tough Skin

Can you recall a time where you personally have dealt with a troll or cyberbully online? Dealing with those types of people require tough skin. I can recall a time when I was in 8th grade, I was running for Freshmen Class President and a lot of drama surrounded it. Somebody went out of their way to make an anonymous Kik account to tell me I was worthless and that I should kill myself. Back then, I was really young and it took a toll on me. I wasn't comfortable in my own skin so I actually believed the person and questioned my self worth. Now that I'm older and aware of who I am and what I'm capable of, I look back at those times and it makes me sad! I ended up becoming Freshmen Class President and doing so many great things with my life while that person still remains unknown and anonymous like a coward. Like did you really tell me to kill myself over an ASB election? Get your life together. Don't let those masked losers get to you!

Cyberbullies vs Trolls..?

So I do not know if it was just me but while reading Farhad Manjoo's article, "Web Trolls Winning as Incivility Increases", I felt that I might have been misunderstanding the definition of a troll previously. I always thought an internet troll was just someone who posted something - usually a comment - that would make others react in a defensive way. However, after reading about Zelda Williams's trolling incident, it's been made clear to me that that type of troll I had imagined is just one of many. I felt, though, that Ms. Williams's trolls were simply cyberbullies and I believe there's a huge difference between them. For me, I classify a troll as a person that just wants to get a quick reaction and just cause an online feud as to where I feel that cyberbullies intentionally try to make others online feel bad about themselves. Telling someone that they are at fault for a suicide is something I didn't see a troll doing. However we all have our different interpretations of things and I am not here to judge and just hope that my perspective isn't face-palm worthy.

Your Way

I go on Twitter almost everyday. I simply scroll through my timeline just to see what's new and to find videos that make me laugh. Many people, like myself, constantly tweet how happy they are in their life or how that video of the little kid dancing made their day. I think social media brings joy to users. I know when I am feeling down, I can go to my likes on Twitter and find that thread of hilarious vines and just watch them until I feel better, however, it's social media. It's not always fun and games and laughs and positivity. There has been some serious anger and craziness take place. But when I see someone tweet "I don't understand how _______" or "I don't get how this person can do this or that" I can't help but think to myself how YOU DONT NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE REASON SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING IF IT DOESNT INVOLVE YOU. They are not wrong for living their lives the way they want to even if their morals are completely different from yours. To get into it more specially, a while back I remember a girl discussing how she didn't understand how girls can hook up with multiple guys. A guy responded to her and told her that every woman is entitled to their own body and she didn't need to understand what she did with her body. I don't think I'll ever forget that. I'm not going lie, I used to ask myself why would someone want to do something and seeing that opened my eyes into trying not judge people and not caring what others did with their own lives because it had nothing to do with me. Now, this doesn't mean either that when I do come across people who declare they don't understand, I don't judge them and think they're narrow minded. They probably just have not taken into consideration the circumstances.