8:14 AM Break, Plans and the Summer.

My spring break was really stressful and tiring, we had 5 - 6 hour rehearsal everyday of break, and for three days out of my break I had to work my shift right after my rehearsal. We are working hard preparing our show for Spanish Night. My plans for the rest of the school year is to finish strong and figure out where I am going to college. I'm scared for finals because they'll be my last finals and I have a few grades to pick up other than that I'm not so worried about the rest of high school. During the Summer I'll continue to work, and hopefully find a job on campus, if not I'll keep my current Job. I am auditioning for the Ensemble Espanol Youth Company, along with three other members of Ritmo Espanol so that we can become better Dancers! I'm preparing myself to transition out of High School and into College. I also lost my phone during break, but it's okay because I got a new iPhone instead. 

8:09 AM

Smart Watches?

Apple, Google and Samsung are once again in an arms race to create the next new thing. They are all now trying to create a smartwatch. Smart Watches have had numerous failures over the years, but is the world finally technologically advanced enough for us to handle smart watches? The question is how will the consumer react to it. Tablets weren't anything new when Apple introduced the iPad, and when Samsung introduced it's galaxy tab. Google is also set to launch their new Glass Headsets. These headsets will make it possible for you to look up at a tiny screen above your eye to check text messages, look at emails, and use other social media devices. Will these devices be flops, or new ways of the world?

8:36 AM How was my weekend?

My Tattoo a few hours after it was completed.

The newest addition to my ink collection is the quote "Break the rules, Stand apart, Ignore your head and Follow your heart." on my outside of my right forearm. I got this tattoo on Saturday night, and it took half an hour to complete. The artist took his time to make sure all my lettering was perfect.The significance behind this quote is that you should never be afraid to follow your gut, and to be an individual rather than a follower in the crowd. No one should be able to tell you who you are and what you'll become, you have to find that for yourself. I got the quote done in the Font Edwardian Script because it's clean, simple and eye pleasing. This tattoo is one of the biggest I've ever gotten, it extends from my elbow joint to the very end of my wrist, and it was a very tight squeeze, however it was just able to fit. 

8:46 AM The Arrow Tattoo

My 7th Tattoo will be an arrow my the outer left side of my left wrist. The arrow will symbolize strength playing a little bit of irony since my left hand is not my dominant hand. The arrow also is a symbol of myself. When life pulls you back, just like a bow pulls an arrow back, you will only be shot farther and get stronger. Similar to the quotes No Pain No Gain, or When one door closes another one opens. When you go through something, you'll only get more out of it. Arrows also always move forward which is a sign of growth and forward-looking. 

7:48 AM Import Things That Students Should Know in High School?

The single most important thing that students should know to be successful in high school is achieving balance. High school essentially is a small taste of how the real world works. When in high school you shouldn't just focus on school, you should try to do some extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, or even get a job. Learning how to balance different responsibilities and develop time management skills will help you later on in life. You should also put some effort into developing your social life, even if you're a shy person having friends and interacting with other people will also help you later in life. Eventually in the workplace you'll need to interact with people you like or dislike and learning the social ins and outs while you're young will help you significantly. Ultimately balancing day to day activities and adding more things to your agenda will help you develop a variety of skills that will help you be successful in not only high school but in your future.

7:41 AM Android Dominates Phone Markets in 2012

The world renowned Android operating system climbed to the top of the world phone market in the year 2012. Android handset were 68.8% of all phones sold during the year. Toppling phone technological super powers Apple, Blackberry, and Windows. Some reasons behind the big surge in the popularity of Android handsets were the hundreds of different phones that android was available on, while Windows Phone, Apple and Blackberry were only available on few select models. Apple also released on one new handset last year which dropped the prices of the iPhone 4 and 4s models, which made them more appealing to customers. Samsung sold 384.6 million phones in 2012 which contributed greatly to Androids rise to the top of the markets food chain. 

Overall, the number of phone sales in 2012 actually dropped 1.7% from the previous year, the first drop since 2009.

"Tough economic conditions, shifting consumer preferences and intense market competition weakened the worldwide mobile phone market this year," Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta said in a statement."

8:04 AM All Boys or Co-Ed

Throughout history, the societal roles of men and women have remained the same for the most part. The man is greater and the woman is lesser. In our society today, that is increasingly changing. Women in the workplace, women presidential candidates, and more women in what used to be men's positions. Our high school used to be an all boys school and not until 2002 became a co-ed school. I think that transitioning into a co-ed school is a good decision. With both genders present in the school we learn how to adapt and how to live with everyone. This also prepares us for life, by letting our natural emotions and feel show. As opposed to an all men's or all women's institutions where the absence of the opposite sex handicaps you because you don't know how to socialize with people of that gender by working with them. The workplace is not all one sex, both sexes are present, so why would you go to school in which you have to essentially work while only learning how to work with other people that is of the same gender as you.  

8:37 AM My favorite Super Bowl Commercial

My favorite superbowl commercial was the commercial for Fast and Furious 6. I have been a fan of this franchise since the first film. I like this movie because of the action in the film. In the commercial they use high intensity imagery and scenic moments that make you want to watch the movie. They also cut the video abruptly so that you don't get a full taste of the movie so you can go and watch it. Commercials are like ad campaigns for any other product you buy. It compares to websites because they use certain colors and dynamics to crate a certain style and feeling to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giXc-I0-pb4

8:34 AM Technological Post: Social Media and Hiring

Social Media's world domination has seeped into our daily lives even deeper according to experts. Companies are starting to now use Social Media as part of the job interview process. Either a flip through to make sure they are a suitable person for their position or to look for specific skills this person has. Popular social media website YouTube uses a version of this for recruiting popular YouTubers as partners. These partners will help youtube gain views. YouTube gives them different technological devices and pays these people as employees, mostly on a piecework type basis. They receive pay based on views, comments, etc. If other big companies use this in their corporate world, the social media aspect atleast, they will be able to have, essentially, a diary of the candidate. "Consider that 92 percent of employers either use or plan to use social media to recruit employees, according to the 2012 Social Recruiting Survey by the careers website Jobvite. It found that nearly three in four – 73 percent – say they have hired candidates through social media."
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/04/5162867/job-front-social-media-expected.html

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/04/5162867/job-front-social-media-expected.html#storylink=cpy"

9:08 AM If I lost my limbs?

if I lost my limbs the thing I would miss the most is the independance. I'm a very independant person and I like to do most things on my own. I would also miss my wrist tattoos. Another thing I would miss would be the ability to feel things example feeling my hair, my skin, or just textures in general. probably the thing that I absolutely take for granted that I would miss would be my drawing ability. I love to draw and planned on going to art school. I draw almost everyday. Another thing I would miss would be walking, I like to take walks and walk around my neighborhood or just walk to the train and ride around with my friends. I honestly would not miss driving, I hate to drive, there's too many bad drivers on the road and it's stressful. It's like waiting in a long line to get what you want, it just doesn't fit well with me. I would also miss showering because when I'm extremely stressed I drop everything and take a long hot shower to help calm me down. Not being able to make my own food would also be unbearable, I like to cook and feed myself rather than be fed.

8:20 AM Flying Bird Tattoo

My 6th tattoo will be an addition to one of my existing tattoos. I want to get four birds flying above and below the roman numeral date I have on my right wrist. This tattoo is not only visually pleasing it will also have an enormous amount of signifance to my life. The four birds will represent the four people that I consider to be part of my immediate family, my mother, father, sister and myself. The date on my wrist stands for the date my grandmother died. The flying silhouettes represent that we have all now let go and moved on and accepted the fact that she has moved on to a better place and that one day when the time comes, we will all eventually fly with her in heaven. The reason why I want the birds in black silhouettes is because I want the tattoo to have an ambiguous quality to it. You won't understand until you hear the background and meaning behind it. Each of my existing tattoos have some relative and significant meaning to me. The phrases "Only Love," "dont forget," and "Part of moving on is letting go," all relate to stages in my life that I hold dear. These birds will be the second symbol I put on my body, the first being a cross symbolizing my faith in God, forgiveness after suffering, and resurrection. 

7:50 AM Food items I can't live without

The two food items I could not live without are eggs and rice. As a Filipino-American I consume rice as part of my daily diet. Ever since I was a young I ate rice, when I was a baby I ate a typical type of rice porridge that is typical to the Philippines that even adults eat. Eggs are also part of my daily diet, i eat eggs every morning and before I go to sleep. However, with my high metabolism I do not tend to gain weight. During the school year I tend to lose more weight due to the time constraints and limitations on when I can eat. During the summer I tend to gain more weight because I eat all the time. Eggs and rice are my go to food when I'm hungry, partly because rice is always available in my household and eggs are easy to cook. I can make myself a variety of dishes from these two main ingredients along with a few sub-ingredients for example fried rice, rice with hard-boiled eggs on top, egg salad with a side of rice, garlic rice (typical from the Philippines) and deviled eggs.

7:49 AM Vine vs Instagram

Vine is twitter's new method of social media rivaling the social media giant, Instagram. A significant difference between the two however is that Vine is intended to create video or gif images. The article goes on to talk about whether consumers would respond positively to the new media or remain loyal to Instagram. In my opinion people use Instagram because it's easy, and makes our regular photos more interesting. Vine just seems too impractical and too tedious to become popular. The app itself, according to the article, is clean simple and easy to use. Something that will appeal to consumers. However not everyone will want to use it, because of shyness and vulnerability. With Instagram, you don't even have to post a picture of yourself if you don't want to. You wouldn't have to do that with Vine either but realistically what else would you put on video?

Article: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/24/technology/social/vine-twitter-video-sharing/index.html

8:29 AM Pick a quote, any quote!

"Part of Moving on is Letting go."

This quote is correlates to everyone in some degree. Whether it be a death in the family, a bad relationship or even graduating from school. Part of moving and and moving forward in your life is letting go of your past and looking to a brighter future. Letting go can be hard for anyone to endure. People naturally like to hold on to things that feel normal or secure to them because we’re scared of what’s ahead of us. Progression in history has moved forward when innovators broke the normality’s of their societies and tried something new. Here in the United States we have elections every 4 – 8 years. This keeps us from staying in one hole of misfortune since we have a change of power every few years. The new policies and ideas of a new president gives us hope and will always keep our nation fresh. We can adapt this quote to our daily lives by learning to never see a mistakes as failures, but as lessons.

8:28 AM If I Was a Teacher

If I was a teacher I would want to teach History class. I have always had a fascination with historical events and I really enjoyed all my history classes I've taken at school. I started to like history in grade school when we were first learning about the ancient Greeks and the ancient Egyptians. I was curious as to how society was back then and compared them to how we live now. I would want to teach high school students because I know that as a student most of my peers didn't like history class. I would want to try and teach in a way that didn't seem as if it was all textbook work. Sparking interest and ideas into other people is something that I like to do, sort of like how I do with my drawings. I like to draw simple things to high quality and when asked about it tell them the deeper significance behind it. This is like history, because in history you have to understand multiple points of view and how different aspects changed the course of history to fully understand the picture  

9:03 AM If I won the lottery?

If I won the lottery, I would open a charity to help people in developing nations. I would help people mostly in the Philippines. By opening a charitable organization I would do more help than just donating a large sum of money to another organization that I wasn't familiar with. The next thing I would do is invest a portion of the money. Investing money will help grow my money instead of spending it all at once, I would most likely invest in stock and government bonds. I would then put another portion of the money in savings accounts. Putting the money away will help me in the future, in case of any mishaps or misfortunes. I would then build myself a house, then give my parents money to do with what they please. In all honesty I would use the money to get myself more money. Without struggle there is no progress  and the only way for me to ensure my families well being for generations after me, I would have to fight the urge to save my materialistic goals and focus on different methods of ensuring wealth and prosperity for my family. I would also invest in my own education, by paying for the education that interests me such as marketing and art. Investing in yourself and the future is one of the best investments anyone can make. I would take a few trips to see my family in other countries for example my family in Switzerland, Germany and the Philippines. One thing to keep in mind with money is, if you don't use it wisely it will dry up fast. There are numerous accounts on where people win the lottery and then spend the money all at once and in 2 years, they are broke and homeless.

7:45 AM A 3-Day Weekend

This three-day weekend wasn't full of dull moments for me. On Friday, I went with one of my good friends to my regular tattoo parlor, so that I could get two more tattoos done. I got them done on my neck, but low enough so that if they need to be covered for school/work etc. they'll be able to be concealable. The tattoo on the left side of my neck is a plain black cross, representing my catholic faith and values. The tattoo on my right side says the phrase "only love" and is something that my late grandmother used to tell me when I was little. To fill myself with only love and happiness rather than hatred. On Saturday I went to the new movie "Mama" with two of my close friends. The movie was suspenseful but was not really that scary. There were some moments in the movie that surprise you, but in a good way. On Sunday morning I got a call at 5:30 AM from my supervisor asking me to come into work earlier at 6:30 so that I could gain three more hours. I complied, because I know the check at the end of the week would be a good one. The rest of Sunday I spent with my niece and my sister. Monday was my sleep-in day and homework day. I spent all day in bed and at the end finished my homework. Needless to say, it was a successful weekend.

7:59 AM Russian Roulette

Three chances to survive that's all you get, in this game anything can happen. Spin the cylinder round and around it goes, where it stops nobody knows, is what goes through her head. I watch her intently, I can see she worries. Put the gun to your head, pull the trigger. Click. Nothing. Just a gentle sigh of relief rolling out of her lips. It's my turn now. Spin the cylinder round and around it goes, where it stops nobody knows, is what's going through my head. I feel my wrist tense, click. Nothing. One for one, it's still anybody's game. I pass the gun to her, and again spin the cylinder, put it to your head, click. Nothing. It seems as if we've been playing this game forever, even though I know it's only been five minutes. Now I worry, there's only three shots left. Click, again my wrist tenses and I can almost hear her thoughts now. Two shots left, and only two people in the room. We stare at each other, I wonder how we got to this place. How low we both must have  fell to play such a lethal game of chance. But, none of that is of any concern now, I'll hold my word, and I know she will too. But we both know who will walk out of this room alive. I pass her the gun, she's almost all in slow motion. I watch her fingers apply pressure to the cylinder, I watch it spin ever so slowly and when it stops I quiver. She raises it to her head, click. Only one shot left to share for two people. She passes me the gun. I examine it for just  a second, then I spin the cylinder and when it stops again I raise it to my head. I pull the trigger slowly. And the only thing I hear is....

8:22 AM Where Will I Be In 10 Years?

The ideas and dreams of our futures continually linger in people's minds. In our society today, planning ahead for the future instead of living in the now seems to be what is acceptable. We tend to plan for our future financial security, education, business ventures, and lifestyles ahead of time. In ten years I see myself settling into a new job in some type of business/marketing firm. I plan to go to college for Marketing and Marketing Management. I also plan to pursue my masters degree in Marketing as well. By the time I graduate from college I will be around 26 - 28 years old, I see myself buying my first condominium here in the city and getting settled in. 

In regards to my family life, I don't think I'll be married or have children by that age since I spent most of my time working and studying. At that age I'll most likely be more worried about bills, what car I want to buy, and my clothes rather than starting a family. To get to this point in my future, I'm planning on taking summer college courses to get a head start on my freshman year of college at Wright College and then taking year round school until I get enough credits to transfer to a four year institution, hopefully DePaul. DePaul offers a transfer program from Wright College into their business programs. 

8:30 AM Pick a quote and respond to it...

The quote "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional," is a quote that originates in the Buddhist religion. The quote is universal for all people and can be perceived in many ways. I respond to this quote as in life you inevitable feel some sort of pain, whether it is physical or emotional. However, how we choose to react in the aftermath is determined by us. One can break their arm, but not let it affect their daily lives, and choose patience and perseverance rather than anger and self-pity. After a hard break up one can first feel the pain of loss, but choose not to suffer. Jesus felt physical pain during his journey to his crucifixion, but did not suffer until he yelled out father why have you forsaken me, but in the end ultimately beat suffering by speaking in triumph and reunion by saying "It is finished," and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." 

  

8:11 AM If you could be any age again for a week, which would you choose?

If I were to choose to be any age again I would choose to be three years old. As a three year old you don't have to go to school. All you do all day is eat, sleep, and play games. You have no responsibility of yourself and can do as you please. You are cared for hand and foot, and you don't have to make your own food. Being three years old you are naturally smaller than everyone else, so if you wanted to run and hide somewhere in your house to be alone and never be found it would be easier. Three year olds also don't have homework, and they're very mischievous. They can pull pranks on people and get away with it with clean hands.

8:20 AM A Different Point of View

About this time yesterday I would have been washing the breakfast dishes before getting ready for work. But instead, today I get a call, a call that changes my life forever. My sister left for work this morning, the last thing she tells me is that she'll text me around lunch time to make arrangements on where to go. But instead, she's lying cold in a morgue, because she's just been shot. My body doesn't know how to react, I'm in disbelief, "This is not real," I tell myself. But, in a few hours, my family will call me to tell me of the news, the news I already know. I finish washing the dishes and walk to my room. I stand there imagining how it happend, who did it and how angry I am with this person. You would think that working at a school would be one of the safest places to work, no less a grade school. But, now my sister is gone, and I don't know what to do from here. Do I go down there? Go to my parent's house? I don't know. The only thing that rings repeatedly in my head, "You're sister's dead."

7:59 AM Which Of The Four Seasons Reflect Your Personality?

The Spring time is the best season that reflects my personality. Personally, I'm one who likes to learn and enrich my mind. Sort of like how flowers and plants grow in the spring time. Spring is also my favorite weather season because it's not too cold or too hot, and even if I have bad spring time allergies the weather makes it bearable. The Spring time is also my happiest because it's easier to be outside at my job. Spring also reminds me that after struggles there's rebirth, just like how after a long dead winter, the flowers will be reborn and grow again in the spring time. Spring time is also the season that ends our school years and prepare us for the hot summer weather. Spring time is also my favorite season for clothing because we don't have to dress either too bundled up in winter jackets, or too casual like we are during the summer in T-shirts. 

7:51 AM If Someone Gave Me A Plane Ticket, Where Would I Go?

If I had a plane ticket to go anywhere in the world, at this moment I would choose to go to the Philippines. I want to visit the Philippines again so that I could see the rest of my family since the only family members I have in America are my immediate family. Family, to me, is extremely important. My grandmother also recently died, so I want to visit her grave and leave flowers, and a rosary there to honor her. If given the option, I would give my father the plane ticket, since he couldn't make it in time to see my grandmother before she died. Being in the islands, it gives you a sense of relaxation and also a sense of appreciation for what we have in America. Island life in the Philippines is extremely modest and people live on almost nothing.   

There is a huge separation between the social classes in the Philippines, you are either rich or poor and there is rarely middle class families. But there's a sense of ease to living on the islands of the Philippines rather than the metropolitan areas such as Manila or Quezon City. 

 

Manila at Night

Marinduque, Philippines

7:38 AM 5 Things I Would Buy With 1 Million Dollars

The first thing I would purchase with one million dollars is adding an addition to my parent's houses in the Philippines. That way when the rest of my families go to the Philippines to vacation we can all stay together under one roof. Next I would buy myself a condo in a nice area of Chicago, so that I have a home in America as well. I would then pay my college debts. Next I would buy an Audi R8 GT, and give it to my Dad since he bought me a car, I should return the favor. With the rest of the money I would save and invest to grow into more money. A million dollars on paper seems like a lot of money, but when spent carelessly can dry up quickly. In reality with a million dollars, I would pay my debts and save and invest the rest and buy the things that I want slowly to maximize on the money given to me. 

7:32 AM Social Networking

The pros and cons of social networking has been debated by many since the dawn of the new social networking era. Only a few short years ago, social networking and technology was not advanced as it now is today, and only seems to be progressing forward. In the positive light of social networking, these social networking websites help people remain connected to each other. Examples such as school friends, colleagues, and distant family are prime for why social networking is good. However, some argue that social networks detract from human behavior as the internet draws us in, making us impersonal. They also argue that big companies use these social networking sites to profile future consumers and advertise to them, making us more susceptible to identity theft. Leading more into privacy, using these types of sites make our lives become less and less private. Often making cyber-stalking and bullying more common then it was in previous generations. Personally, I use different social networking mediums, however i try to post as little of my personal information on websites such as Facebook as possible.  

9:10 AM The Pros and Cons of School Uniforms

(children in school uniforms)

The subject of whether or not school uniforms are good or bad is a heated and subjective topic globally. Personally, even if I do not necessarily like school uniforms it keeps a sense of uniformity and discipline throughout the school. In the workplace, every company has guidelines and rules as to what your attire may be. Requiring school uniforms will prepare students for the future.Working in a grocery store, we are required to wear a specific uniform that they hand to us on our orientation date. An ugly maroon colored polo with our company logo on the left corner, with a black apron or vest on top. Uniforms are used to ensure proper dress among all individuals within the business or school. Another pro to school uniforms are that they blur the lines between the rich and the poor. Students and parents will not have to worry about buying the newest, hippest, or most expensive clothes because the required clothes will be listed for them. Parents of poorer families would rather pay the upfront cost of a school uniform, rather than buy clothes every month. In regards to changes that one can make to a school uniform policy, is providing a variety of different styles of clothing for students to wear, so that the students do not feel like robots. Even in offices, you are allowed to pick from a variety of different styles to choose from. And at my grocery store, we are allowed to purchase different articles of clothing to wear in the work place. 

8:31 AM Tattoos: Aftercare

Tattoos: Aftercare 

Within a few days of receiving your tattoo, it will begin to scab. Scabbing is the skins way of healing itself. This is normal and will ultimately help heal your skin and your tattoo. The Ink will settle into the skin. Do not pick or peel away the scabs, let the scabs fall off naturally. Premature removal of these scabs will remove pieces of skin on your tattoo and will cause your tattoo to fade faster or become blotchy. 

(An example of a blotchy tattoo) 

Any reputable tattoo artist will tell their clients to come back in after the healing process is over to go back into the shop and receive touch ups. These touch ups are to ensure that your tattoo is perfect and looks the  best it can. the touch up process is essentially getting the tattoo done all over again, same pain, but better result. 

(Tattoo before and after)