Reaction to Salt, Sugar, Fat

    Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss is a book that may make you rethink what you eat on a daily basis from the products and contents it goes over. The salt, sugar, and fat in processed foods are found in any convenient store and grocery stores nationwide. The process of each of the key ingredients to foods effect our nation’s health is ways people could never think are possible. These products that were made for the on-the-go type of family now have been made into the everyday thing people turn to for convenience of not cooking. The convenient foods have taken over the market and are found in the most prominent places throughout the market where they are easy to find. The dependence on these foods have increased diabetes and heart diseases as well. Most people don’t know they develop health issues like high blood pressure aren’t detected until more serious issues occur, which puts people at risks of strokes and heart attacks.
    After reading this book, it does effect your eating in some ways, such as cutting back on eating processed foods and trying to healthier plus cooking more. The one thing I remember most about this book in the scientists involved with a lot of the makings of he products as well as  how they figured out the correct balance in the formula. What I found very interesting was that most companies called in experts who worked for other companies to help their company when their stocks and products were not getting the sales they wanted to reach. A lot of companies team up together, but the most unexpected one was when cigarette companies helped and joined food companies to increase revenue between their sales. It wasn’t a shock to read that some companies are money fueled and didn’t change their product to what the consumers wanted at the time they became concerned with their intake of salt, sugar, and fat.

Ten Things that Make life A Little Easier

1. My family because I can always count on them
2. My friends because they also support me, but can make me laugh when I feel like I am my worst
3. My dogs a.k.a. demons because they always keep me going and are filled with unconditional love.
4. My education because I can pursue a good paying job with it.
5. This year’s experiences because  it was full of great memories and opportunities that I can never forget.
6. Having a roof over my head and food to eat.
7. The health of my self as well as my family.
8. Getting to spend another year with hopefully many more to come with my loved ones.
9. The beautiful things that inspire me each day of the year no matter how small.
10. An easy online assignment this week!

What Family Means to Me

“Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” Lilo from Lilo and Stitch

    The meaning of family is different for everyone. For me, family are the people that care and love you, but can be the biggest pain in your butt too. My blood family hasn’t always been the most supportive and helpful, but there are still some people I would do anything for because I care about them that much. My immediate family have always been my parents, my brother, my uncle, my aunt, and their kids because they are the only relatives that have ever been there for me and trusted me and my journey so far in life.

    My second family are people I have grown to know through teams and clubs through high school. They have been there for me when I needed it, and I was there for them in return. A few of them have actually stayed close to me through the years and I consider them my immediate family. My teammates taught me to trust myself as an athlete and that even if I miss they always have my back. My ASB family were the biggest and craziest people, but the were the most outgoing and genuine people I met in my high school experience. We all stressed out together and had crazy long days and nights together, but at the end of  the day we all had each others backs and helped each other to our best ability. Family doesn’t have to be just blood relatives is one of the best things I learned, they can be anyone if you are both willing to be there.

    My family has grown to be the best part of me and without everyone of them I would never be the person I am today. I am glad to call them my family especially when each person in my family has a different story and an abundance of memories together. I wouldn’t trade any one of them for anything in the world.

A Traditional Holiday versus a Materialistic Holiday

    The holiday season is a time where people spend the time with the people they love and make memories, but in today’s world its all about what you give or what you get. The holiday has become materialistic to many people. I agree with Amel Saleh’s opinion on how you should spend the holidays with loved ones and gift should be given with the heart and not the flashy price tag. I believe the gift would mean so much more to  your relative or friend if it was a reminder of a memory you had together or an insider. Some people may have trouble buying extravagant things for everyone and feel like they have to break their bank to please people, but in reality they wont have to at all. While others think or feel that the only way they could express their love is through money.
    The one event so many people go crazy for just shortly after having Thanksgiving dinner is Black Friday. Black Friday shows how greedy and gluttony people can be to get the great deals people praise about. As the years go by Black Friday shopping starts earlier and it rushes the one time a year everyone thinks about the great things they have in their life. Black Friday may be known as the one day you can buy the extravagant and expensive gifts at a deal, but really it isn’t the case it actually is the first day of the Christmas sales.
    The holiday season is a time for our family and loved ones. For myself, the holidays is one of the few occasions  I actually get to see my relatives, and when that time each year comes around I make the most of it. The holidays are the days I remember from my childhood and will remember for the rest of my life. I don’t want it to be all about materialistic things, but the love that we have for each other. 

The Wonders of College

     My first semester of college is definitely not what I expected it to be, but it is pretty good. I love that my schedule is completely up to me and my classes are pretty interesting. At time my schedule is hard or weird to handle because of morning and night classes. Most of my classes are very intriguing and what I find interesting. The instructors are interesting and funny while being informative. The instructors keep the class involved rather than just dragging us through it. The way people explain college to be is not how it is for me. I like how the classes are set up and our plans are put straight out there rather than just going with the flow with what the teacher wants to do. One thing I regret is that I haven’t really stepped out and met a  lot of new people and I remain somewhat introverted. One thing I would like to change about being that way is to find something that makes me be more out there. Something that is very different and difficult at times is working online constantly. Grades are straight forward and can easily go up or down in college. 
    The challenges about college that are easy but hard is balancing your workload and free time according to your assignments. The time just seems to fly by no in like the blink of an eye and you can easily get behind in work. The workload varies from week to week and is getting pr aggressively heavier as the time passes and exams start. One thing that has been hard for me is the transition of feeling between high school classes to college classes. The textbooks tend to show more examples then content of reading which is good in the sense that you get to see how it is applied, but the explanation seems to be short and rushed instead of the full thing. As well as, not really knowing anyone in my classes and being one of the youngest in most of them too. Being the youngest is good in the way that people think I’m smart, but in reality I have to struggle through things just like them. I have to put a lot of my free time towards school work and it takes me hours just to get it sometimes.
    Junior College is only the beginning for me and I plan to go much further in my education to at least a Master’s degree. I am glad I ended up at Oxnard College because I don’t thin I was ready to be fully by myself at times, even though some days I long for that independence. In the future it will allow me to be more competitive towards job opportunities while being helpful financially. I want to be able not only to support myself later in life, but my family also. I believe that these little obstacles that may seem big now are only the beginning and are tests for greater things in life.

The Reality of Reality TV Shows

    Reality tv shows today have taken over on every channel you turn to. They have changed they way of thinking of people and may show that some things happen and its okay, but sometimes it shouldn’t be okay. Tv shows like 16 and pregnant promoted teenage pregnancy and showed girls that they can become famous if they get pregnant at a young age. Teen Mom the follow up show actually showed that teenage pregnancy wasn’t a good thing and people don’t have their fairytale at such a young age. Another show Keeping up with the Kardashians promote the outrageous behavior no one in real life acts like or deals with. Jersey Shore promoted a partying lifestyle and that its okay just to party and get drunk everyday.
    I prefer not to watch reality shows because of what most of them promote. I feel like they show things are socially acceptable, when to most they are not at all. People give teen moms weird looks when they see them, if a teen is seen with a young child regardless of their connection some just assume that its their child. The Kardashians to me are just ridiculous and need to get a real life without the cameras following them around.  Jersey Shore all they did was drink though the entire shore which taught younger kids that the do-nothing lifestyle was the way to be. Overall, reality television shows harm society to the point where people change their lifestyles to be like them or idolize them.
    Of course, everyone has their guilty pleasure with tv shows. For example, when America’s Next Top Model marathon is on I binge watch that show all day. Generally, reality tv doesn’t have many great attributions in today’s society. Some things did show how things may not be as easy as people think. People have become obsessed with being famous and since so many different type of people become famous today everyone believes they can do it too. People may think they can do, but they never really think how hard it is to be followed around by a camera crew and constantly be judged by people. I think that people do change when the cameras are around and eventually takes a toll on a person in various amounts of time. Reality television has destroyed some aspects of society, and will only get worse over the years.

Challeneged to change my opinion

When I was in high school there was a week long event for students to attend called Challenge Day. When most people went into it all they knew was it was a day where you just cry, but that was just a small part about it. It challenged you to take down all your walls in front of your peers and show them the real you. I got to participate in it for two years and I really enjoyed the experience. This event was for students as well as faculty, which even added more to the experience. We were split up into groups ad each year I got one person from a volleyball team and some people I knew from around campus. When we revealed what we have been through in our lives I got to know these people on a realistic level and was there for them when they needed someone to talk to. My opinion about my own problems at the time seemed so small, but it made me appreciate my life and understand why certain people are they way they are. Challenge day changed my opinions of so many things quickly and I don’t judge people or situations I the way I used to before it. I’m thankful that Ms. Lovejoy brought this program to my high school and I got the chance to experience it.

No matter how big or little my problems are I know they will get better eventually through a process of letting go slowly and not by holding in my emotions. I began to truly appreciate my life and the people who fully support me. I began to realize that not everyone will like me or what im doing, and it’s not my fault or need to worry about as long as I am happy with who I am.

Fast Food!

As a kid growing up fast food wasn’t an everyday thing. My parents would make home cooked meals most days, and when we didn’t eat at home we would go to a relative’s house and there would be a home cooked meal. Fast food was something we got as a treat or something we had when the day was just to crazy to cook a meal. We really never had just one place that we went to all the time because our decision on fast food was usually decided by what we ate that week or what one of us was craving. Our fast food experience usually wasn’t dinner most of the time, but breakfast was our downfall for fast food. Since me and my brother were always in some type of sport most of our lives we had a pretty healthy regime where my dad would give us certain things to keep us at our best. We were always on the go the days where we had games or tournaments two hours away it was hard to get a good breakfast in. We would resort to some type of donut shop, but only allowed to get a muffin or sandwich with milk or juice. The one thing that I always looked forward to as a kid was Saturdays when it was football season and the snack bar and what they made always smelled so good and tasted good too. We were allowed one thing, but it always had to have a Gatorade or water with it so we would keep hydrated in the sun since my brother was a football player, and I was he cheerleader. At times it was really helpful to keep us healthy and on the go, but still have all the right nutrients we needed.

Fast food through my senior was a necessity some days between having or working games along with ASB, I wouldn’t get home till ten and have to do my homework that picking up something was the only way I would actually be able to get a decent amount of sleep that night. Since the end of my senior year till now I haven’t relied on fast food as much and prefer not to eat it. Especially after getting food poisoning from Burger King one day. I try to be home in time for dinner most days of the week but there are some days when I have class or im out with friends that it doesn’t work out that I try to make arrangements to eat later that night at home versus eating fast food. For me, I feel that fast food just makes me more tired and doesn’t give me the energy I need. After eating fast food I find myself craving fruit or vegetables. I try not to rely on fast food, but sometimes you can’t help it with certain situations. Even as hard as I try to shun it, I always end up eating it occasionally. I’m glad my parents didn’t rely of fast food when I was a kid because I know the importance of a home cooked meal is to people.

How Cancer Changed My Life

At the end of my 7^th grade year when most people were happy and celebrating the end of the school year, I was mourning the loss of my great grandma, who was 83 at the time. She was the backbone of our family and the person who held us together. After the passing everything changed dramatically in myself as well as our family. I grieved her loss the hardest, My friends were all happy and would tell me to get over it, but they never once asked me how I was doing.

It was the middle of May 2009 when the family found out that she was diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized. She began to get really sick and couldn’t get treatment for her cancer because it had spread too far. She came home worse than when she left and every family member came to her house to take care of her and be with her in her final days. On her final day with us, a little over three weeks of her being sick, everyone lost hope and bean to surround her at her bedside to say their final goodbyes. The look of pain over her aged face her small body frame became even smaller than usual, as I looked at her suffering it made a knot in my stomach and chest. I just wanted it all to end.

They called all the great grandchildren in to see her, we all walked obediently into the house and down the hall that felt cramped, dark, and seemed unusually long to end up at her door left wide open. I go to walk into the room only to be stopped by a force and couldn’t walk pass the door frame. I couldn’t stand to see the caring, witty, and loving woman I grew to know in that condition. I never was able to go into her room and said my goodbye from the door under my breath so know one could hear it.

The one thing I remember about that day is the feeling that had built up in my chest was relieved, but I felt a piece of me was now missing. I went out to eat with my aunt and cousin to have a little break from everything. As we sat outside in the playground area of McDonalds I remember the release and just looking up at the sky. I knew at exactly that moment she was gone and she didn’t feel pain anymore. Even with the cars buzzing by and kids playing loudly, I was in complete peace and the dull colors of the past few weeks began to become brighten again.

As she was brought out of her room and the kids were in a room across the hall waiting for the okay to come out of my uncle and aunt‘s room. I was holding my cousin Evan ,who was two at the time, and looked out the door to see her room dark and quiet. He looked into the room and waved. He simply said, “Goodnight grandma.”

“Yeah, goodnight grandma,” I responded, as a tear slowly ran down my face.

The next couple days were a blur with everything happening between the funeral and her will. Her house had become chaos. People were having arguments left and right about everything. The funeral went smoothly everyone remembered her for who she truly was and how she would have wanted it to go.

The two personalities of my family came out the ones who had money were only worried about the money and their benefits and the other group who sat together and watched in disgust of what the family had become. The greed of the relatives was shocking because not one of us was raised to be that way. The one thing I remember was my grandma letting people that were her children or grandchildren take her place to choose something. I went once in that cycle and choose the one piece of jewelry everyone happened to be looking for because of their value, but for me. The strand of fresh water pearls I choose reminded me of summer I spent with her, and the day she brought out all of her pearls. She went through each strand and everyone of them had a story and the fresh water pearls were the pearls my great grandpa gave her after he had come after a war.

Later that night I overheard my grandma talking to my aunt Lydia asking what had happen to the pearls. My grandma responded,” I don’t know, they were on the table at one point and when I looked for them again they were gone.”

I waited until my aunt and grandma finished their conversation, and called her over. “I took a pearl necklace from the table.”

“Show it to me,” my grandma commanded under her breath. I slowly took the necklace out of my mom’s purse and passed it over to my grandma.

“This is the one everyone is looking for, but I want you to keep it. I want it to stay in our family. Don’t tell anyone else you have these.”

“Okay, I understand,” I said as I put them back into my mom’s purse.

After a week everything started settling down and everyone went back to where they live is when her passing really hit me hard. For awhile, I wasn’t eating or sleeping and had a constant sharp pain in my stomach. When I would actually sleep all of my dreams were about her. One night while I was wide awake in bed, I started thinking that she may not be with us physically anymore, but she would always be in my heart and memories. The strength of her and her genuine personality of just speaking her mind is in me. The strength and support she gave me was in me, and no one could put me down unless I let them. Since her passing there has been multiple times where I wished she was here still to keep the family together, but I know she is watching from somewhere.

I now have lost three people to cancer and have learned that with loss it gets a little easier and what they taught me have stayed with me to this day. They all truly believed in everyone and their potential to be great. At the end of each day, whether its been bad or good, I know they were and still would be proud of my accomplishments and the person I have grown to be.

I changed as a person through these experiences. I went from being kind of selfish and took people for granted, but I never knew what life would be like without them. On tough days, when I feel discouraged I think about what they told me, as I look at my wrist. Where my cancer ribbon tattoo is and remember what they taught me. That I only have to be my best self and not everyone will like what I’m doing, but it doesn’t matter as long as I’m happy with my choices.

Today's Thought on Marriage

Marriage today is viewed differently than any other time because unlike most generations, women are independent and have more options available to them. Although it is different now people still want and find marriage is important at some point in life especially if they want children. It is alive and strong but not as much as it used to be. People now get married at their convenience rather than for financial stability, as the genders became more equal to each other marriage was put off longer. The business marriage has faded away and the marriage for love took its place.

As you get older some people start jumping on he bandwagon of marriage and tries to move you in that direction when they decide to. For some marriage means everything to them. Some men think they have to take care of women and the women will take care of the house and children, but that’s an archaic way of thinking. Most women want to work and contribute to the household, in reality today’s society needs two incomes to keep a comfortable lifestyle most people want and enjoy.

The temporary marriage license being introduced is one other thing this generation is adapting too, but some people are completely against it because of what marriage is supposed to represent a lifetime. Why would someone cut the lifelong commitment short? Divorce rates play a big role in that, it has become a normal thing and everyone knows at least one person who is divorced. The children of divorced parents get it the hardest between custody and their way of living being shattered. The hope of a till death do us part doesn’t happen for most people. It is almost uncommon to have one marriage in your lifetime.

Temporary marriage license may be good because divorce rates will go down, but then it really isn’t a marriage then. People live fast and don’t slow down in life to get to know someone the way they should before marriage which eventually just leads to divorce. On the other hand, there are people who live together unmarried and raise children perfectly happy. Some of those people cannot marry legally though, they may want to be married, but a law restricts them from it.

Today’s way of thinking has become too complicated between all the labels between to people to what people settle for. They are treated a certain way then start to believe that’s the best they will ever be treated and end up unhappy with their life. The slower way of living helped people get to know each other before marriage in the past, while today is fast and more promiscuous life makes it harder for people to settle down. Marriage is important to some, but not until later in life after they have had their partying years and are ready to settle down. Life has changes for the better and for the worse for our generation because of the way of free thinking is allowed now that wasn’t accepted before.

My Name

    My name Valerie Nicole Barnes doesn’t hold a connection to my heritage or family. When my name was being chosen my mom gave two options Valerie Catrell, my middle name would have been after Kim Catrell, or Nicole Marie, but my dad like Valerie Nicole better. The origins of Valerie comes from Roman times and Nicole comes from Greece. He only background know about Barnes is that we came from Southern part of the United States and owned plantations in the slavery days. I don’t know where they came from or when they cam to the United States. I didn’t know that side of the family because they didn’t approve of interracial relationships. I can tell you more about the Acosta family and the Collazo family which is the heritage of my family I have been exposed to.

    The Collazo and Acosta families come from my grandma on my dad’s side who are full Puerto Rican. The Acosta family is prominent in politics in Puerto Rico. They have a street named after them going to the capital, San Juan. The Collazo family were the local town heroes in their city and were really good at their trade in shoemaking. They also have a street named after them where they owned a shop. Both families were known in Puerto Rico but when they came to the United States they became like everyone else.

    Valerie and its nicknames like Val or Vale have been what my best friends or family have always called me. The nicknames have grown to be comforting because it has always had my closest people to me saying it. When I was younger I never really liked Nicole as a middle name, until someone used to call me Nicole to make me angry. Most of the time I never responded until he would just end up saying Valerie. I ended up liking my name; and to me it just sounds right and no one else I know has my name. The only thing I feared or didn’t like my name at that moment was when I got in trouble with my dad would say Valerie Nicole and I already knew I was in for something. The best feelings when hearing my name was at graduation and getting to walk across the stage and hearing my name at the start of a game and being part of the starting six.

    My name means everything to me. It may not have ties to my heritage or family, but it is the person I am today. Every experience in my life, through laughs and tears, I have always been and always will be Valerie Nicole Barnes. My name is apart of my life and I wouldn’t not change it to be somebody different. I wouldn’t want it to be any other way but, sometimes I wish I knew more about my last name and the background of them. The only reason my name will ever change is when I get married, but other than that I think my name is perfect and describes me well.

Reflections of Life

 

My name is Valerie and I was born in Camarillo, California, I grew up with one older brother and both of my parents. My childhood seemed like any type of childhood. The one thing I remember about my childhood is going over to my great grandma's house every weekend and everyone would be there and always have a good time. At that house, my cousins and I would play and run around outside always up to something and having to look over our shoulders for the adults checking in on us. I grew up in the same area as my older family members went to the schools and they all went to thesame schools from Parkview Elementary to Hueneme High School and being the last of my family to graduate from there.

I am now 18 and attending college full time. I am working towards getting a bachelor's degree in Biology and maybe one day a master's degree. When I'm not at school I am at home cleaning and taking care of my dogs. I take on the responsibility of taking care of things while my parents work full time and my brother is off who knows what he is doing or where he is.

In my future, I want to be able to support my family and have a job that I love doing. I want to teach biology and coach a volleyball team. I want two kids and when my parents get older I want to be able to support them like they have always done for me in my life. I want to be able to live comfortably and have a strong family bond like when I was a kid because those have always been my best memories.