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.