Welcome to My World

It is a known fact, everyone doubts themselves at least once in their life.  It is in our nature to do it, whether we mean to do it or not. 

There are many reasons why self doubt occurs.  Failure is a main reasons why people don’t believe in themselves.  When someone fails at something, they may think they are not good enough to do it so they give up, or they may try a few more times and then give up after fail awhile.  Another reason why they may doubt themselves is not because of failure, but because they didn’t do it as good as everybody else.  When doing an assignment, some people may think that they have done it perfectly, until they see someone elses.  After seeing one that is better than theirs, they may start to think that theirs isn’t as good. Fear is also a reason why self doubt occurs.  They may be scared about what happens if they fail.  At judo, my coach tries to get everyone to do certain excersises.  Some of these exercises I don’t do because I have hurt myself doing them before.  I don’t want to do them again because I can’t do them and if I tried to do them, I would end up hurting myself.   

When one doubts themselves, they may always think that they will never be able to do certain things.  This is a result that may come from self doubt.  Once they doubt themselves once about a certain thing, they will always think to themselves that there is no way that they can do it.  Another result is they will always question their ability to do every task they are asked to perform. 

However, these result can be overcome.  If you want to find out click here to check out this website on how to overcome self doubt. 

I know that even I myself have doubted myself when I have not been able to do something that everyone else has done.  I feel this way when I am in math class.  I start to doubt myself when I can’t get a simple math question.  There are many questions running through my head like ‘why can’t I get this?’ and ’Maybe I should just give up?’  When these questions run through my head, I stop for a minute and turn to something else just to get my mind off the question.  Later, when I go back to the questions, I usually get them.

Self doubt is a big problem in sports because it can decide whether you lose or win a match, game or race.  If you self doubt yourself, you lose before you even step up to play.  Here is a video I found on how self doubt affects sports. 

<a href=”“>

To see what else I wrote about this topic, check out Graeme’s blog by going to gcurrie.learnerblogs.org, or by clicking here. 

At this moment I really don’t feel a connection with Hamlet.  It could be because I have never experienced the death of someone really close to me or because I have never had my mother marry my uncle.  I have never seen a ghost before, let alone one who looked like a relative.

Here is a clip of a very short summary of the play Hamlet. 

<a href=”“>

It’s hard to say what I would do in Hamlet’s situation because there is so much going on in his life at the moment.  He just found out his mom married his uncle, who killed his father, the girl he loves is told she is never allowed near him and he recently encountered a ghost who looked like his dead father.  First of all, I would try to find out who killed my father right from the beginning instead of waiting for the ghost, “my father,” to tell me.  Second of all I would also try to win back the crown that is rightfully mine. 

There would be a lot of emotions running through my head, to many to talk about.  I know for sure I would be angry and sad.  I would be furious about losing the crown and the title of being King.  I would also be mad at how everyone is trying to spy on me.  I would be sad about the murder of my father.

To read Hamlet, click here.

Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also suppose to respond to other people’s blogs.  I responded to Krysta’s blog.  So to see what I wrote, check out her blog at curriek.learnerblogs.org or by clicking here.

Procrastination- to put off intentionally and habitually.

Whether it is intentionally or not, procrastination is done daily.  Everyone procrastinates, even though they mean not to.  There are always other and better things to do.  Many people procrastinate the simplest things, like when they pick out an outfit in the morning, choose what they are going to eat, lose interest in class and doing chores at home. 

I have recently procrastinated a few things.  Like many of my classmates I thought there was lots of time to work on these blogs, so I didn’t work on them.  Two weeks or so I thought they were do on 16th, so I started working on them . . . until I found out they were due on the twenty third, so I stopped working on them for awhile.  I worked on other things, and then the due date crept up and I realized I only had a few days left.  I quickly started working on them and here we are.  I have also procrastinated in my school work.  I decided it was a smart idea to take Claculas and Psychology 30.  I thought I had lots of time to complete them, boy was I wrong.  I only have a few weeks and I have a ways to go. 

A great video that shows procrastination is a video called Saturday.  It is about a guy who has a list of things to do, but unfortunately, he can’t decide which order to do them in.  He spends his whole morning trying to decide which order is best.   

“>

Unfortunately, procrastination does affect a persons fate.  The examples I talked about are a few ways it can affect your fate.  If you spend too much time picking out an outfit in the morning, you may become late and have to rush through getting ready.  When rushed, you might forget to do something or bring something.  You might be late for school and in the end miss an important lecture.  This also occurs when you lose interest and concentrate on something else.  At home, the house may never become clean because there are always “better things” to do.  Martin Luther King said it best “How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.“  To read some more quotes about procrastination, click here. 

Even in stories, procrastinations keep characters from doing what they wish.  In Hamlet, a recent procrastination caused a poor innocent man to be murdered.  Hamlet had an opportunity to kill his uncle, Claudius, but he didn’t.  He didn’t because he thought he was praying and Hamlet didn’t want someone who had killed someone go to heaven just because they had confessed all of their sins.  When Hamlet went to see his mother, he thought the King was spying on them, so he took out his sword and attacked the curtains.  When he pulled them away, he found he had killed Polonius instead of his uncle.  Another story that has procrastinations in it is Twilight.  Bella really wants to become a vampire, but Edward won’t let her.  While he debates on whether or not to turn her into a vampire, she is forced to reconsider this idea of changing into a vampire.  She thinks about her relationship with her best friend, Jacob, and what would become of it if she stayed a human.  But, in the end, she gave in to her love for Edward and decided to marry him and become just like him. 

Relationship is defined as  a state of connectedness between people. 

Based on this definition, it would seem like relationships would be very predictable, but they aren’t.  Everyday, relationships are forming, whether they are friendships or love relationships.   There are many reasons why some relationships are far more predictable than others.  It could be because of the types of people involved or the situations people are in.

One of the main reasons why relationships aren’t predictable is because of the people involved.  Many relationships are between the most unexpected people.  A very pretty and outgoing girl may be best friends with someone who is very shy or the hottest of boys who is very popular may date a nerd.  Of course there are always the people that are meant to be together, but that is beyond the point.

A great example of showing how unpredictable relationships are is the movie Elizabethtown.  This movie is about a guy, Drew, who’s life has been turned upside down by the loss of his job and the death of his father.  On his way to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, he meets an airline stewardess, Claire, who keeps him company on the flight.  When they get off the plane, she gives him her number and tells him to call her whenever he needs someone to talk to.  After a day of being with his fathers family, he calls her.  They talk and talk and talk about the strangest things.  While talking to Claire about his life, Drew unexpectedly falls in love with her. 

<a href=”“>

The other reason why relationships aren’t very predictable is the situation in which they are involved.  Many people meet in the strangest of places.  I became best friends with a girl when I little after an argument we had.  We had the same name, and when we found this out, we argued with each other over who had the name first.  In Elizabethtown, Claire and Drew met when Drew was on his way to go get his dead father.  This is a very unusual situation to fall in love in.  

A great singer that I notice always sings about relationships is Taylor Swift.  It seems like many of her songs talk about how she wants to be noticed as girlfriend material by her best guy friends.  I notice this in songs like, I’d Lie, Teardrops on my Guitar, and Stay Beautiful.  To check out the lyrics to her songs, click here.

Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also suppose to respond to other people’s blogs.  I responded to Chantelle’s blog.  To see what I wrote, check out her blog at chantellesthoughts.edublog.com or by clicking here.

In class, we were asked to debate certain topics of human life and quality.  Megan and I paired up and randomly chose the pro side if humans were inherently good.  This was a good topic to debate about because it was a topic I believed in.  Megan and I tried our hardest to come up with as many good comments on the topic as we could, even though they really were more or less the same thing.  

Here is the debate Megan , Tahra, Vanessa and I participated in.

<a href=”“>

<a href=”“>

As we researched for this topic, we discovered the first emotion a child feels is love.  They don’t know any other emotion.  All humans are also born with a conscience.  They all know the difference between right and wrong.  The only exception is people who have been diagnosed with Anti Social Personality Disorder.  These people have no consciences.

We found out that the main reasons why all humans turn evil is because of the influences around them.   A persons environment showcases the evils of the world, but those who have been taught the difference between good and bad don’t give into the evils.  Their environment  If a person grows up in an environment that is willing to protect everyone from the evils that turn people into cruel hearted people, they are less lucky to do wrong.  Unfortunately, this is hard to do because there are all sorts of influences in the media and surroundings that always talk about all the violence.  Even the simplest of shows show someone punching someone else or killing someone. 

The internet has its own online debate on whether humans are inherently good or not, to read one click here. 

Once again, my favorite TV show, One Tree Hill showcases how easy it is to show violence in the programing. 

<a href=”“>

Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also suppose to respond to other peoples blogs.  So to see what else I wrote about this topic, check out Holly’s  blog at hollysrambling.learnerblogs.org or by clicking here.

“Shooting an Elephant” is an essay by George Orwell about his decision whether or not to kill an animal just so he could be liked by the society he lived in.  He was sent to lower Burma, where he was supposed to make the people living there follow the laws the British set.  Orwell didn’t believe in changing the way these people lived, so he didn’t force them to change.  In fact, he was trying to avoid them as much as possible.  The Burmans hated Orwell as much as he hated being there.  An incident occurred, that changed his perspective and theirs.  An elephant escaped from its owner and started rampaging through town.  In its rampage, it killed a man.  The town wanted Orwell to do something about the elephant, so he sent for a gun.  Once the towns people knew he was going to do something about the elephant, they followed Orwell, waiting for him to kill it.  Orwell had an internal battle, deciding whether or not to kill the elephant.  He didn’t want to give in and kill the elephant because thats what the people wanted him to do, he wanted to do what he wanted.  In the end, he shot the elephant and killed it. 

For a look into the essay by George Orwell, click here.

It is hard to say what I would do if I was in Orwell’s situation.  He was in a situation where it didn’t matter what he did, he was still the bad guy and was hated by everyone.  To the Burmans he was an intruder.  When the incident occured with the elephant, the village was waiting to know what he was about to do.  He responded to the situation as if he was giving in to peer pressure.  Even though he was debating on whether or not to shoot at it, he still gave in.  He did what made the villagers respect him.

Like I said before, it’s hard to say what I would do if I was in that situation.  I would weigh out all of my options and the consequences that go with them.  I would think about everything, what my country would think, hwo I would feel after doing it, and what everyone else would think.  I know I should only do the right thing, but what everyone thinks effects the outcome.  I’m one of those people that cares about what others think.

If I had a choice to decide whether or not to do a job that I didn’t agree with, I wouldn’t do it. 

Here is a video I found on youtube about “Shooting an Elephant”.  It was a class project from another school.

Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also sippose to respond to other peoples blogs.  I responded to Tyler’s blog.  So to see what I wrote, check out his blog at tylerjcline.learnerblogs.org or by clicking here.

Walking down the hallways of the school, you would see a variety of different things.  You would see little groups of students in many forms.  There would be groups of girls gossiping about the latest news and there would be boys talking about their hunting trip on the weekend.  Continuing down the hallway, there would be couples showcasing their affection for one another.  By the end of the walk through the school, you would notice everyone shared something in common.  Everyone shared the same kinds of human qualities.   

These qualities are common throughout society and the world.  However, they are seen at different times and by different people.  The positive qualities may be seen by close family and friends, while the negative ones may be seen by everyone else. 

A few of the positive qualities that are shown throughout society are honesty, kindness, joy, and respect.  All of my friends show their positive qualities daily.  In fact, they show them every minute of the day.  I know how loving they are and how honest they are.  I also know how courageous they are.  My friends and I have recently started using these to help each other overcome our weaknesses.  We have been able to be honest with each other. 

Many people may only see the negative qualities of someones life because that is all they want people to see.  There are some people at school that I only see the negative qualities to them because that is all they let others see.  I don’t know the kindness they have, or the love or courage they have.  All I ever see is the anger they have towards other people.  I know that once I get to know these people more than I do, their other qualities will show.  Even

One of my favorite shows, One Tree Hill, shows some great human qualities everyday people have.  In the most recent episode, Brooke had an interview for adopting a child.  After being interviewed, Brooke found out her mother was asked if Brooke would make a good mother and she said no.  She replied to her mother’s remark by talking about how she was told that she would never be able to start her own clothing line.  She showed lots of courage to be able to talk to the adoption agency like that.  She also showed a lot of patience because she was willing to do what ever it took to become a mother. 

<a href=”“>

Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also suppose to respond to other people’s blogs.  I responded to Nicole’s blog.  So to see whtat I wrote, check out her blog at nicsnotation.edublog.org or by clicking here.

When asked what do I compare my identity to, I would say everything.  I compare myself to the world around me, whether it is my friends, my family and my environment.  There are many aspects of my life that I compare to others.  I compare myself to others in school, in the way I act or the way I am treated. 

My friends are the first thing I compare myself to.  I know that I’m not like them, but I try my hardest to do things that they do.  I do my best to fit in, but its hard because I’m not as smart as them or as pretty.  Even though I am told I am part of the clique that is athletic/ smart/ popular, I still want to be more than that.  I want to be liked by everyone.  All of my friends are more responsible than I am.  I admit it, my mom does a lot for me, and it is something I don’t talk about in front of others because it something I am very conscious about.  My mom does my laundry and makes my lunch for me in the morning. 

I also try to compare myself to what I see around me everyday.  When I look in magazines I am always comparing myself to the girls I see in there, whether they are models or girls that are doing things to help the world.  I try to be like them by wearing certain types of clothing or wearing my hair similar to famous people.  My sister has told me that I buy my clothes at the popular places like Garage and Lulu Lemon just because my friends have clothes there, and it is something I ask myself.  Do I really just buy clothes there for that reason?  Of course I know that it’s not true, but a part thinks it is.  I also compare my lack of relationships to other people.  It seems like everywhere I look someone is in a relationship and I am not.  I don’t know why I compare it to others, but I do.  It is a subject that is kind of embarrassing to be talking about because I have yet to be in a relationship and most people my age have been in a few. 

Finally I compare myself to my family.  I know they love me the way I am, but I can’t help but think what I can do to improve myself to earn more love and trust.  I try my hardest to be what my family wants me to be, but I feel that my best isn’t enough.  I know my mom tells me I am smart and pretty, but it is hard to believe it when my sister is smarter than me and prettier.  Funny isn’t it, I’m comparing myself to my fifteen year old sister, but it is true.  She has everything she wants because she is caring and responsible.  

The song “Lucky”, by Britney Spears is about a girl who is always upset.  She has everything she has ever wanted, but she is still sad.  She compares herself to everyone who has someone in their lives to make them happy.

Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also suppose to respond to other peoples blogs.  I responded to Melanie’s blog.  So to see what I wrote, check out her blog at melsmusings.edublogs.org or by clicking here.

These past few months, my English class has been looking into who a person is and what makes us be who we are today and who we will grow up into being.  We also looked into what we want to be.  I learned our identity is influenced by three main factors.  They are our family, our peers and the media.  These three factors influence us each and everyday.

Family influences us daily.  From the beginning of our lives, it was our parents who told us what was wrong and what was right.  They taught us how to live our lives by following their examples.  Our parents push us to succeed in life and do whatever we want in life that makes us happy.  Before this year, I have always asked my mom to help me decide what to do next year when I go to University.  She always replied with a ‘what do you want to do?’ and I didn’t know why.  Now I realize she only answered like that to make me think about what I wanted.  I think history is inextricably linked to identity. If you don’t know your history, if you don’t know your family, who are you? ~ (Mary Pipher)  I picked this quote because it talks about how important it is to know your history and family to know who you are as a person.  For more quotes on identity, check out this website. 

Everyone wants to fit in, even though it means doing things that are harmful to ourselves.  Our peers create an environment for us that can be dangerous, but it is in our nature to change ourselves for their benefit.  They are major influences on if you become drug addicts or not.  Most people who become these are pressured into it by their peers.  We always want to do things to fit in, whether it means changing our appearance by wearing clothes that are totally not us, or by acting like fools to impress them.  Many labels come from a persons peers.  They decide on whether you’re cool or not and what label you receive if when you are at school.  You could be a geek, a jock, a loner, or a prom queen.  This video is from one of my favorite TV shows.  The teacher asked the students to pair up and spend some time with their partners getting to know one another. 

<a href=”“>

The final factor that influences our life is the media.  The world revolves around the media.  It is the first thing to listen to in the morning and the last thing to be seen at night.  The media is used to help teach children how to say different languages and learn new things.  As we grow up, we start to read books and watch TV shows that we can understand the story to.  Society looks at these and wonders if they are like the characters, and if they aren’t, if they will ever be like them.  The media changes I can flip through a magazine and come across superstars I wish I look like because they are pretty and influence so many people.  Labels also come from the media.  Some magazines say if you are bigger than a size six, you are considered fat.  If you can’t afford to shop at the coolest stores, you are uncool. 

I have recently read an amazing set of books by Stephenie Meyer about a girl who falls in love with a vampire.  The story is about Bella Swan, a girl who recently moved to a small town in Washington, who falls in love with a vampire.  After a near death experience, he unintentionally influenced her to want to become like him, a vampire.  He doesn’t want her to become a vampire unless she makes a decision that will change her life.  Before becoming a vampire, she must take on the role of becoming Edwards wife.   

“Isabella Swan?”  He looked up at me through his impossibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft but, somehow, still scorching.  “I promise to love you forever – every single day of forever.  Will you marry me?” 

There were many things I wanted to say, some of them not nice at all, and others more disgustingly gooey and romantic than he probably dreamed I was capable of.  Rather than embarrass myself with either, I whispered, “Yes.” 

“Thank you,” he said simply.  He took my left hand and kissed each of my fingertips before he kissed the ring that was now mine.

 Here is a trailer I found on youtube of the movie Twilight.

<a href=”“>

 Not only am I suppose to write down my ideas, I am also suppose to respond to other peoples blogs.  I responded to Megan’s blog.  So to see what I wrote, check out her blog at meganelle111.learnerblogs.org, or by clicking here.