Living in the late 1800s

If I could live during any decade, I would live in the late 1800s-Early 1900s in New York. I would want to be part of New York high society class. I absolutely love how carefree those privileged people lived their lives. There was always a ball they had to attend and the girls always wore beautiful, elegant dresses. The boys would have to make appointments to see the girls they liked and everything was formal. I would love to experience this. There would always be something I had to do and somewhere I had to be. My name would be in the papers and my every move would be scrutinized by the papers. My milestones (birthdays, boyfriends, etc) would have the complete attention of the public. My tragedies would be their misfortunes and they would feel my pain. Whenever I had a new boyfriend, the papers would run hundreds of articles on when it occurred, what type of flowers he brought, and if marriage was in the near future. Oh and the scandals! My family would be rivals to another family and it would be simply unthinkable that I should be in a relationship with the son of that other family because our families hated each other. Yet, what we would feel would be true love that transcends beyond all family squabbles and lineage roots. I would go shopping in all the best stores and the store owners would close down the stores just so that I may shop in peace. Oh, and the details of my wedding would be of the utmost secrecy and even a small detail would spur an explosion of the press. Oh, perhaps this is a fantasy but the girls who lived in this era lived this same fantasy.

Respecting our Parents

We love them, we hate them. We can’t stand them but we absolutely need them. They are our parents and like it or not, we absolutely need them. However, many of us forget this simple fact and end up disrespecting our parents. We fail to remember that our parents brought us into this Earth. If it wasn’t for them, we would not be here and so owe them our lives. That’s reason enough to respect them. However, there are much more. Our parents will always support us in whatever endeavor we may face. It is their duty as parents to provide us with what we need and oftentimes all we need is their support. They will not judge us and will always want what’s best for us. Perhaps we won’t like what they believe is good for us and we will try to rebel. Yet, they have years of experience over us and they often no better than we do. Overall however, they will always want us to succeed. We can trust them that they won’t send us down a river for a few coins because they love us and when we disrespect them, we hurt them in more ways than one. We are their flesh and blood; imagine if your child told you they hated you or you’re stupid. It obviously would hurt you but you would still support them, wouldn’t you? You would because parents are there to love their children unconditionally, even if we are disrespectful and inconsiderate.

Article on a recently arrived Immigrant

Everybody, say hello to Ms. Anna Granganino. She has recently arrived from Italy to America to study at UCLA. She is very excited to be here in America, especially California and Hollywood! She is 21 years old and is originally from Venice, Italy. She is studying business communication and public relations. Her ultimate career goal is to become involved in the business aspect of the fashion culture of Italy working with a major fashion designer. She is a tall brunette with deep brown eyes. She tells me her favorite food is still her mother’s spaghetti; however she admits she’s developing a taste for In-n-Out burgers. Don’t we all share that guilty pleasure with her? Unlike the wild Italian party girls shown on MTV’s “Jersey Shore”, Ms. Granganino is not a party animal in fact, she does not like to go to a club. She prefers long walks on the beach and reading books. What she does share with the Jersey girls is their love of tanning. Anna is obsessed with achieving the perfect tan; she admits that she has spent hundreds of dollars on spray tans and tanning lotions. She also likes to be kept in good shape and works out at the gym for 3 hours every day. I wish I had her endurance! Anna also confesses to me that her secret talent is her excellent cooking skills. Apparently, Anna is a n extremely good cook and loves to whip up a traditional Italian 3-course Sunday night meal. I wish Ms. Granganino the best in all her future endeavors and hope that she enjoys her stay in California.

Asking older Relatives

Do you ever feel intimidated by your elders? They can seem so wise and unreachable, but in order to preserve some family traditions, it is often necessary to talk to them. You should ask an older relative where they come from. Ask them where they specifically come from and where the entire family is from. It is very necessary to know where your family roots are because that helps form an identity. Then ask them how your parents were as children. You might think it funny or ludicrous that your parents were ever children, but knowing how your parent’s childhood was will help you better understand why they act the way they do now and what was important to them. You can also compare how different or similar the two of you have grown up. Then you must ask them what family traditions have stayed intact over the years and if they remember how they were started. It’s important to know what is important in your family but if you don’t know why they were created in the first place, then there’s no point in knowing what they are if you don’t know of their history. Once you know why your family does a tradition or activity that they do, then you will appreciate it more and be more inclined to keep the tradition going. Finally, ask them what they would like to see the future generations do. The past is  important, however, we are the future and the promoters of the family. Thus our opinions and ideas are vital to keeping a family intact.

Blueprint of my House-My Living Room

If the walls of my house could talk, the stories they tell can be seen in a socialite’s magazine. The walls of my living room in particular have the grandest stories to tell. My family loves throwing extravagant parties and while the parties take place throughout the whole house, the living room is the main area where people converge.

            The most brilliant parties my family throws take place during the holidays; our annual Christmas party is always something to look forward to. The living room is decorated lavishly from top to bottom. Christmas lights twinkle as they are hung across the ceiling giving the room a soft glow when combined with the flickering candles perched on the walls. The rest of the room’s light emits from the large twinkling Christmas tree and its golden start atop its peak. The tree and the candles also gave the room the distinct smell of Christmas festivity; pine, cinnamon, winter green, and peppermint. These smells drown out the fruity and sultry scents of the attendees’ perfumes.

            Christmas music is the soundtrack to our festive night and accurately portrays my feelings. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Yes it is Andy Williams, it is the most wonderful time of the year; the feeling of good joy that is in the air for two months and the feeling of family and belonging that is present in my living room that night makes it so. “Rocking around the Christmas tree”, the guests dressed in their finest attire swirl around the room, their sequined and glittering dresses catching the light of the room. Joy and warmth is present in every corner of the room.

            My entire house is full of precious memories; yet my living room has been the setting to the one’s dearest to me. More than a simple room to sit down and watch TV, it is the stage for festive events with family and friends. Everyone in my family has at least one good memory that takes place in there. It is the room that brings our family closer together and creates the memories that make a house a home.

How to Choose the Right College

Seniors, it's that time of year; college applications time! No doubt we're all busy researching colleges, writing admissions essays, and filling out applications to send just in time for those deadlines. However, with so many colleges and an abundance of choices of where to attend, how does one choose the right college? It can be difficult decision, one that can define the rest of your life. The first step is to decide what you want to study. What interests you and what career do you see yourself in for the rest of your life? One you discover what it is you want to do, then research the colleges that have your interests as a major to study. Figure out which college has been acclaimed or is famous for the study programs that can get you into the career field you want to get into. For example, if you want to become a lawyer and study law, Harvard is a good school for law, with many famous lawyers serving as professors at the school. Next, decide whether you want to remain in your state close to home or go out of state. Perhaps you feel more comfortable staying close to your family and if that’s the case, then you should narrow your school choices to those schools that are in your state. However, if you want to go out and explore the world, then you should pay particular attention to out of state schools. Finally, the cost of the school should be the final factor in your decision. Calculate how much federal financial aid you will receive and choose the college you can better afford. Don’t forget that schools will also give you money to study at their schools, so while cost shouldn’t be the only factor in deciding your college choice, it should the last factor in your quest for college.

Persuasive Essay 8-Bullying

Prompt: Elementary and secondary schools around the country are beginning to actively address the problem of bullies. In your opinion, is bullying an issue that should be addressed by schools or left to the parents? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.  

Imagine having to wake up every morning with dread. You get dressed slowly, thinking all the while about the horrible place you are about to go to where you are abused both verbally and physically. This is the reality of school children who are victims of being bullied at school. This is an atrocious epidemic spreading across American schools. As education is a double relationship, both the school and the parents are equally responsible for preventing and stopping bullying at school.

            Children spend at least 8 hours a day at school every day, making teachers and school officials faces they see more often than even their own parents. Thus, school officials have a strong influence over matters that occur at their schools and they have a responsibility to take care of our children. If a child is being bullied and suffering at school, then the school officials are not doing their job. Some teachers may argue that they are only paid to teach children and give them an education. How are you going to teach a child if they are too terrified to go to school and are so miserable at school that they cannot process the information? School officials cannot reach students who are being bullied and, more often than not, the bully is a student who is not understanding from class instruction and takes out their frustrations on other children. Therefore, if a teacher is truly teaching, they are able to reach students who find the material hard so as to prevent them from attacking other students.

            It is an undeniable truth that parents hold the most responsibility of their children; they are, in fact, their, children. Parents must always take care of their children and watch out for their well-being. Many times this means parents must protect their children from harm. If their child is being bullied, parents must take matters into their hands and put a stop to it because someone is harming their child and as parents, it is their duty to protect them. They must cooperate with school officials and find ways to stop the bully from abusing their child.

            When parents and school officials work together, they can actually help stop the bullying problem. Everyone must first recognize the signs of bullying. If a child is uncharacteristically silent, moody, jumpy, and their school work is suffering, there is a high chance that that child is being bullied. If parents notice this first, they must go to the school and discuss the problem and ways to solve it that could include a meeting with the bully and his parents or a complete expulsion of the bully from the school. If school officials notice the problem first, they have the responsibility to notify the parents and then make the appropriate afterwards.

            Bullying is becoming a widespread problem in American schools and everyone wants to put a stop to it. The two most influential participants are the parents and school officials; they both have the responsibility to protect the children from bullying’s destructive effects. If they work together, they have the power of saving a suffering child’s innocent life.