“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” ~ Albert Einstein

Time is precious. It’s the easiest thing to throw away and use and unfortunately most people take it for granted. I however think of time as a gift and have learned to manage it. As a matter of fact if I didn’t manage my time I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am in school. I would rather download songs or watch television but along with time management comes prioritizing. Once my priorities are straight I am able to plan my week. Breakfast, class, lunch, homework, gym, dinner, shower, friends and sleep is my routine on a normal week. Sometimes I have so much homework that I need to cut out the exercise for the day. I remember for orientation our community coordinators acted out skits and the main theme in a bunch of them was time management. One in particular sticks out in my head. There were three students who like many of the people in this school, loved to party. They all went out together every night but there was one difference. While the other two were getting breakfast and hanging out in the morning their other friend was getting his school work and studying done. By the end of the semester the two who were just hanging out in the morning came out with a terrible grade point average and the one who would get his work done came out with a great grade point average. The moral of the story was that you can still go out and have fun with friends as long as your time is managed and work is done. I think I’m doing pretty well with the way I’ve been managing my time. Hopefully I continue to make the right choices now that I’m learning the ins and outs of this college experience.

Personal Blog Preference!

Searching through the internet I found it a little challenging to pick out only two blogs I like. There are so many! I think the best choice I made was the one on Kim Kardashian. She updates it herself and gives advice on fashion, boys and many other things. She puts videos and pictures up of herself and in my opinion her life is very interesting and worth following.

                                                      http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/

A little less then a year ago a rapper that I am very fond of was sent to jail. His time to be served was set for a year but it was said because of his good behavior he would be getting out sooner. The blog I chose speaks about how Lil Wayne still loves his fans and how even though he is not allowed internet access he is writing hand written letters which are being transcribed onto the internet. This blog isn’t a visual one its more informative. The point is to let fans know that Lil Wayne still appreciates our support which is why he is having a concert the day he gets out of jail.

                                      http://www.spin.com/articles/lil-wayne-starts-blog-prison

These two blogs that I have chosen are completely different. Kim’s blog has much more information. It gives her biography and tells me so much about her. I love how she tries to give advice and her television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians shows that she has feelings and problems just like normal people in every day life. Lil Waynes blog does not have any videos or biographies but it is good to know that he is still giving back to his fans in any way he can. 

Outcast United

I started reading Outcast United by Warren St. John the night I received the book at orientation this summer.  Normally when I’m interested in a book it takes me about two weeks at most to read it. This book took me all summer. After I read the first thirty pages at orientation I could tell that it just wasn’t my kind of book. Therefore I devised a plan to read five pages every morning when I woke up until I finished it. Time management I felt was going to be the key to success in getting this book finished. With my long summer nights, I found it difficult to follow my initial plan to read every morning when I awoke.  Eventually, despite procrastinating, I was able to finish the book after what felt like a lifetime. Although overall I did not care for the book, I did like how it demonstrated diversity and the ability to overcome cultural differences. Despite each member of the team coming from different backgrounds with different customs, they were able to all come together and form one united team. This theme shows how one common interest can override numerous differences. I found that this theme relates to Southern and its diverse student body. There are many students of different races, religions, and even different political views yet we all manage to come together and form one school. Although in the end the Fugees did not win, they gained something more and learned to respect others who may differ from them, just as students at Southern do. Though I didn’t enjoy reading this book, I found that I could relate to its message.

you'll never become old and wise if you aren't young and crazy

     This journey in which we call "life" contains many people. Some people turn out to be pretty insignificant and others you meet will leave everlasting footprints on your heart. These experiences, no matter who you are, will teach you, touch you, and at some point it will leave you. People need to stop shoving time into their desk drawers like it's something they can recycle and get back.

     I would suggest to never look at "the glass" half empty, but rather to see it as half full, appreciate it for what you have left and what you have overcome. Above all though, surround yourself with people who make you happy. The best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly who you really are, no matter what. You deserve to be with somebody who makes you happy, somebody who doesn't complicate your life, somebody who won't hurt you.

     Live, laugh, love, be inspired, dream BIG, accomplish goals and be a good person no matter the circumstance. If life was perfect and ser-real, there would be no erasers, or kissing and making up. My motto is that along with a sense of humor, kindness can change the world.

     Life will leave us not only with beautiful moments but it will unfortunately also leave us with a few scars. The most important thing in life is to find yourself, know who you are at all times, and stand by that for the rest of your life. Mistakes lead to scars for a reason though, our old wounds teach us something. They remind us where we've been and what we've been through. They teach us lessons about what to avoid in the future. People say you should learn from your mistakes so you don’t wind up repeating them. That’s not always the way it is though, is it? Some things we just have to learn over and over and over again. That's the only way we grow as people though, through our mistakes. Keep in mind imperfection is truly the beauty in a person; it's what makes them who they are.

Cherish every scar, every flaw, every freckle, and every beauty mark. All these trademarks bring me to a word that I have been questioning the meaning of lately. Fate. What a word, what a thing to experience, something you don’t need to rush because the best things in life are worth the precious wait. In the meantime though, make someone's day with a smile, with a hug, whatever it may be. Want to make my day? Hold my hand and have a real conversation with me, tell me something you trust only a select few with. Tell me what you really think of me, not what you want to think. Give me a chance. All in all, I believe that what's meant to be will always find its way. Think of it as no regrets, just lessons learned. Strive to be unique, to be one of those people you don’t meet every day, make a difference.

Does Practice Really Make Perfect?

     The article that I chose to read was called 10,000 hours for Success. It is said that practice makes perfect. In my opinion practice may not make perfect but it will most definitely help you in whatever you’re trying to achieve. As I read I started to question my point of view on the subject. The article stated that if you work really hard at something and spend a lot of time practicing then you will be good at it. Putting some thought into that I don’t really know if that is true. If one is not born with the talent, capacity and gifts then how far can practice get them? For example, My brother Zachary is an awesome baseball player. He started pitching and subbing in at first base for our high school varsity baseball team during his freshman year. My father has put my brother through multiple programs for endurance and speed but no matter how hard Zach tries he can not run fast. Everyday for hours he practices sprinting, jogging and other techniques used to get his speed up and my family and I have come to the conclusion that he will never be fast. That doesn’t mean he has given up but I don’t understand if practice can make you perfect this rule just doesn’t apply to my brother. To answer my own question I’ve come to realize that not everyone can excel in everything, sure they can get better but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be good enough. A basketball player coming in at five feet to a division one school may be a really good player and teammate. He could spend hours at a time practicing and jumping but no matter how hard he tries or how high he jumps he will most likely not be able to keep up with the other players.


    How does this article apply to me? Is practicing important? Yes practice will always make you better. By exercising one will get more toned and by repetition one can memorize. I swam for my high school swim team. By the end of the four years I had dropped ten seconds off my time which is really good. That didn’t happen from me skipping practices and blowing off the diet. It was obviously practice that made me better. However if I was born with smaller feet and a shorter body would that have happened that way? I don’t think so. In conclusion I feel as if yes, practice will always help but if one is not born with the necessary skills or if they are not supplied with the necessary materials for that particular craft then they probably shouldn’t make it a profession.

Home Away from Home

   
     Growing up I always thought I’d go far when that time came for college. As a matter of fact I thought that up until about a year ago. Always arguing with both my brothers, my three sisters and my parents I felt I needed to escape. “One day you will all miss me! I’m going to college and never coming back!” I’d say. I imagined going somewhere warm since I am not a fan of cold weather. Somewhere beautiful, tropical and most important distant. That fantasy slowly drifted from me when I was forced to come back to reality and face the cost of an education instate and an education out of state. After visiting various schools and figuring out the budget Southern seemed to be the best choice.

     I've spent two weeks in college and I’ve become conscious of what my greatest challenge is. My greatest obstacle is not the work load, the walking to classes, or the balancing of social life and school. The real challenge is living so close to home. I personally feel that as an incoming freshman I need to be thrown into a big place that I am not familiar with. I need to depend on myself and my instincts using everything I’ve learned in the past eighteen years of my life. However my parents don’t feel that way. My parents think that because I chose a college so close to them that they can come visit more frequently and come pick me up more frequently then they would if I had went farther away.

     I feel as if I need time away from what I know. I need space to make my own mistakes. Having the choice to go home every weekend is hard. It is difficult for me to stay here with new people rather then go home to my friends who know and love me. It is difficult for me to hear my parents response to me saying I wont becoming home to see them this weekend. They are taking my time away from home personally but at the same time they’re realizing they were once young and felt the same way.

I know that sooner or later everything is going to pan out. I am my parents first child to go to college. I’m going to prove to everyone that I’m going to be ok on my own. I have morals and standards for myself. I’ve spread my wings and I’m ready to fly.
 

Heres to new beginings !

     College for me is much more then an education. It is a place for questions and answers. It is a place of new beginnings and hope for a successful future. It is a place for me to meet new people that will hopefully transcend into life long relationships. Going to college is an experience that not everyone gets the chance to have and I know that I am lucky to have been granted this opportunity.


     Academically as a college student I know that I must stay on top of my work. I’ve had a week of classes so far and I think I’ve gotten a small taste of what the work is like here. I’ve decided that no matter what, school is always going to come first. I am dedicated to getting good grades and looking forward to learning.

     Socially as a college student I walked onto campus knowing no more then five people. Since I’ve been here I have already started making new friends. I’ve noticed that every relationship forming is different. I’ve found friends to do school work with, friends to go out with and friends to hang out in the dorm with. Most people here are from Connecticut but the school is so diverse. I have never had or even met so many people from different backgrounds striving for the same goal, an education, a better future and a happier life.

     I chose Southern because I walked on campus and fell in love. As I looked around and saw all of the students working, eating and talking to each other I knew I belonged there. I looked at other schools after I visited SCSU but no other campus felt right. Ever since I was young I would say that I wasn’t staying in Connecticut for college but Southern made me change my mind.

     I have set standards for myself and have many goals to accomplish throughout this college experience. First It is to keep at least a B average in every class. Any lower then that is unacceptable. I want to remain a psychology major and get involved on campus. I’m even looking into joining the Greek life. My number one goal is to stay on a good path. Many students get side tracked and peer pressured but I know better. I know the difference between right and wrong and I know that I will do anything it takes to do good in school and graduate.

The Real Me !

          When I first read about this assignment I thought that it would be easy to sit down, pick five words that described me and write about them. I mean, who knows me better then I do? As I brainstormed ideas I came to the conclusion that it is almost impossible to do. I wondered how could I create a blog entry for my whole class to see and get them to understand who I am. How can five words explain eighteen years of life? After staring at a blank page on the computer screen for much longer then necessary, I began the journey to writing my first blog. I came up with five words that I believe give a good depiction of who I am.

IMPERFECTION

     Growing up, especially through middle school I always felt I had to be perfect. The perfect daughter, the perfect sister, friend and student. I did exactly what i was told when I was told with no questions asked. I strived to be the best and tried to exceed every standard my parents had set for me. One day I realized that I was living how they wanted me to instead of how I wanted to. I learned to accept my imperfections because thats what makes me different from everyone else and being different is beautiful.

LOVED

     Everyone has their own definition of love. I've come to realize that people abuse the word, use it as a weapon to make another person vulnerable or to get what they want. It's also used to show affection. The word love can be misused, but when used in the right context it can be the most powerful word in the world. I know that I am loved. I first learned the word when I was very young from a theme song on a t.v. show that I was obsessed with, Barney. My parents have always said it to me and that is where the foundation begins for my definition on love. There is one woman though who displays a perfect example of my take on love. She's always there for me and always has been. She's the kindest and most caring person i've ever met. She'll do anything for her family and she would give you the coat right off of her back if your were cold. She has the biggest heart and always finds it inside of her to forgive. She loves herself and she taught me that this is key to loving everyone else. Because of her, my Auntie Jane and the people I surround myself with, I know I am loved.

EDUCATED

     Education is the key to success. Ever since I was three years old i've been going to school. I believe everyone should be given the right to an education. An education should not cost as much as it does. There are thousands of people out there willing to go to college and learn but are not fortunate enough to have the money to pay for it.

STUBBORN

     Just like my father, I am very stubborn. I like to do things my way. I'm not saying this is always a good thing because most of the time I wind up finding things out the hard way. I need to learn from my mistakes on my own.

FREE

     We live our lives daily by a schedule and we walk around following a routine that either a teacher or a boss has set for us. We choose the roles we play. One outlook on all of the things that we do is that we do them because we want to. We're free. I'm free. We live in a society where we feel trapped and caged in when really we bring responsibilities upon ourselves. Imagine living as slaves? Life would be completely different and this is why being free is such a massive part of who I am.