How do you describe a person? How do I describe myself? When I am asked to describe myself, a couple of words come to mind. The best words to describe me are athletic, compassionate, and optimistic. Although there are more words I can think of to describe myself, I feel that these are the words that quickly come to mind.
I describe myself as an athletic person because ever since I was a little child I always had a passion for basketball. I remember in school during recess how I would race to the cart where all the basketballs were and I would choose the best one. Even if I played by myself I was happy because I was playing the sport that I loved most. Do you remember when we were little children and people would ask us what we wanted to be? Well I remember that before deciding to become a nurse, I wanted to become a professional basketball player, but then I realized that I didn't want to be a professional basketball player and that I wantd to become a sports doctor. So I told people that I wanted to be a sports doctor because back in the day when I idolized Kobe Bryant who is known for his athletic abilities and with the assist of his teammates has led them to a three-peat, I always thought maybe if I am a sports doctor I will be able to meet famous athletes like him.
My compassion towards helping other people is another characteristic of mine that has helped me in wanting to pursue a career in the medical field. When it comes to family and friends I always put them first because I care about their well-being. My compassion towards helping people is a characteristic of mine that I have always admired about myself. One thing I remember is how I always offer to help before having the person ask for help. For example I'm always there when a friend needs someone to listen to what they have to say and be there for them. Another example would be how a couple of years ago when my grandmother was still alive and I shared the same room with her. Because she was diabetic there would be nights when I would wake up, not because I wanted to but because I saw that she wasn't feeling good, so I would check her blood sugar and if it was high I'd give her medication, and if it was low I would give her some orange juice to bring it to a normal level. My compassion for taking care and helping out my family and friends is just one of the many reasons why I want to become a nurse.
Along with being athletic and compassionate I am also optimistic. Whenever something doesn't feel right to me I always look on the positive side of things and try to make the situation better. An example would be whenver I see that my friend is down, I always start to make jokes to get her to laugh. I tell her not to worry about it and to look on the positive side of things. I always use my optimism to make me feel better whenver I feel that something is bringing me down. I don't like hearing about the bad things that go on in the world. I always want to have a positive outlook on life. Nicholas M. Butler once said "Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress." What I got out of this quote is that when you are optimistic you will always have the courage to achieve your goal because there is nothing stopping you from doing so. For example, if you have a pessimistic view on life you won't be able to achieve your goal or show progress because you will always have a negative view on life, thinking that you can't accomplish anything.
Aside from these three words I chose to describe myself, there are many other words I can think of. I felt that these three words help me stand out among others. What sets us apart from one another is our uniqueness and the affect that we have on each other. Although there are others that may share the same characteristics as me, I differ because I am who I am, and aside from my family and friends these characteristics that I posses have helped shape me into the person I am today.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
On Being a Cripple
In the story “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs she tells us about her struggle on being crippled. At first she couldn’t accept it, but as time progressed she learned to deal and accept it. The idea that got to me is when she said “When I was twenty-eight I started to trip and drop things. What at first seemed my natural clumsiness soon became too pronounced to shrug off.” I felt that I could relate to this because I too like the author have natural clumsiness. One day I was messing around with my friends and I can’t exactly remember what happened, but all I remember is that my knee popped out of place and I fell to the ground and I couldn’t get up. I also felt a lot of pain. After being on crutches for two weeks I recovered, but to this day I still feel pain in my knee and I know that it will never feel the same again.
“On Being a Cripple” got to me because I started to think about the things she was saying. For example, when she said “I will never run again, except in dreams, and one day I may have to write that I will never walk again.” What she said scared me because of the fact that I have a bad knee, it got me thinking what if as the years progress I won’t be able to walk normally or without the help of a cane. In the event that this ever happens I will learn to accept it because it is no one’s fault but my own. I just have to think of the fact that everything happens for a reason.
Although Nancy Mairs was sick it didn’t stop her from doing what she did. She never complained or said “I hate my life.” At the end of the essay it describes how she is talking to a friend who also has MS and she asked Nancy “Do you ever say to yourself, `Why me, Lord?` and her response was “No, Michael, I don’t,” I told him “because whenever I try, the only response I can think of is `Why not?” Nancy is a brave person and I have to admire her for never regretting what has happened to her. She just lived with it and learned to accept it, and I think that is the right attitude to have.
“On Being a Cripple” got to me because I started to think about the things she was saying. For example, when she said “I will never run again, except in dreams, and one day I may have to write that I will never walk again.” What she said scared me because of the fact that I have a bad knee, it got me thinking what if as the years progress I won’t be able to walk normally or without the help of a cane. In the event that this ever happens I will learn to accept it because it is no one’s fault but my own. I just have to think of the fact that everything happens for a reason.
Although Nancy Mairs was sick it didn’t stop her from doing what she did. She never complained or said “I hate my life.” At the end of the essay it describes how she is talking to a friend who also has MS and she asked Nancy “Do you ever say to yourself, `Why me, Lord?` and her response was “No, Michael, I don’t,” I told him “because whenever I try, the only response I can think of is `Why not?” Nancy is a brave person and I have to admire her for never regretting what has happened to her. She just lived with it and learned to accept it, and I think that is the right attitude to have.
My Different Languages
When I was growing up, English was not my primary language. It came as my secondary language. I remember my mom telling me that all I spoke was Tagalog which is one of the many dialects of the Filipino language. So before entering kindergarten I had to attend preschool. In pre-school I learned how to speak English. As I got older I didn’t really speak much of Tagalog, but I still understood it when my relatives would speak it. Even though Tagalog was my primary language growing up, I now consider English to be my primary because I speak more of it than I do Tagalog.
The English language has been a part of me for as long as I can remember.
Many people including myself speak different kinds of English. For example, during school hours I would speak proper English, and with my friends, or when it came to talking on AIM I would speak improper English. For example instead of spelling words correctly I would say “Wut’s happenin?” or “wut’s crackin?” This is what we would call “slang.” This goes the same for Tagalog. When I speak to my elders I say “opo” meaning yes but in the formal sense. When I say “opo” it’s a sign of respect for my elders, but when I talk to my cousins I say “oh-oh which is an informal yes.” For me speaking English varies with where I am. If I go to a store with my mom and my sister, and we see a Filipino salesperson who speaks both English and Tagalog, we usually approach him or her in English and then my mom asks are you Filipino? or in Tagalog it would be Filipino ka ba? Then she talks to him or her in Tagalog.
In today’s culture most Filipinos I see don’t really know how to speak Tagalog because they were never taught it or they didn’t want to learn it. I think to myself “Wow that kind of sucks because it’s the language that your parents were brought up with and I think it would make them proud to hear you speaking it.” As for me, I’m glad that I learned to speak both Tagalog and English. The way I see it is that if I see someone who is of the same nationality as I am, and they are having trouble speaking English I could help them out by just telling them to speak Tagalog because I understand. In some situations it’s better to be bilingual than to just speak one language. For example, it’s better if you know both Tagalog and English because then you help out those people you only speak Tagalog and translate for them in English.
Learning to speak English has helped me in more ways than one because it is the official language in this country. I think that English is an interesting language to learn because there are many rules that you have to apply to it in order to speak it properly. For example if you want to speak in past tense you have to add an –ed ending. Or another example would be if you want to talk about time that is in progress you would say “is working” using the present progressive tense. Learning to speak both English and Tagalog in the formal and informal way has helped me because I know the difference of how I speak to adults and my friends.
The English language has been a part of me for as long as I can remember.
Many people including myself speak different kinds of English. For example, during school hours I would speak proper English, and with my friends, or when it came to talking on AIM I would speak improper English. For example instead of spelling words correctly I would say “Wut’s happenin?” or “wut’s crackin?” This is what we would call “slang.” This goes the same for Tagalog. When I speak to my elders I say “opo” meaning yes but in the formal sense. When I say “opo” it’s a sign of respect for my elders, but when I talk to my cousins I say “oh-oh which is an informal yes.” For me speaking English varies with where I am. If I go to a store with my mom and my sister, and we see a Filipino salesperson who speaks both English and Tagalog, we usually approach him or her in English and then my mom asks are you Filipino? or in Tagalog it would be Filipino ka ba? Then she talks to him or her in Tagalog.
In today’s culture most Filipinos I see don’t really know how to speak Tagalog because they were never taught it or they didn’t want to learn it. I think to myself “Wow that kind of sucks because it’s the language that your parents were brought up with and I think it would make them proud to hear you speaking it.” As for me, I’m glad that I learned to speak both Tagalog and English. The way I see it is that if I see someone who is of the same nationality as I am, and they are having trouble speaking English I could help them out by just telling them to speak Tagalog because I understand. In some situations it’s better to be bilingual than to just speak one language. For example, it’s better if you know both Tagalog and English because then you help out those people you only speak Tagalog and translate for them in English.
Learning to speak English has helped me in more ways than one because it is the official language in this country. I think that English is an interesting language to learn because there are many rules that you have to apply to it in order to speak it properly. For example if you want to speak in past tense you have to add an –ed ending. Or another example would be if you want to talk about time that is in progress you would say “is working” using the present progressive tense. Learning to speak both English and Tagalog in the formal and informal way has helped me because I know the difference of how I speak to adults and my friends.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Adversaries
In the book "The Mee Street Chronicles" by Frankie Lennon there is a story "Adversaries" which present many growing up themes, but two of the most important ones are facing death and religion. At the beginning of the story Frankie doesn't quite understand why grandmama is lying in a box. She asks "Why is Grandmama sleeping in the box, Mama?" In response to her question Mama said "She's not sleeping, honey. Grandmama has gone away." Frankie shared a deep relationship with her grandmama so it was difficult for her to understand, she kept thinking of ways to try and bring her back. Because she was really hurt by the death of grandmama she pushed all the memories away and began to tink of magic spells. She said "If I could make the right one, I would swoosh my magic wand, make Grandmama come back right now and Auntie disappear." Shortly after she remembered Evelyne telling her that she overheard her mother saying that grandmama has passed away and that you couldn't come back. This is when Frankie realized that magic spells won't work and that her grandmama is gone for good.
Another growing up theme apparent in this story is religion. Auntie didn't believe in games she said it was a "sinful idleness and a waste of time." She told Frankie "Lemme see what's in yo hand." When she saw that Frankie had been playing with marbles she was angry. On the contrary Frankie said that her dad let her play with marbles and Auntie said that she wasn't her daddy and that was the wrong answer. Auntie said "the Lord don't like a sassy-mouth child."
Personally, I don't think that there is anything wrong with playing games, it is part of the process that a child goes through as she grows up. When you are a child all you do is play and I didn't think it was fair of Auntie to not allow Frankie to play with marbles or with the other children.
Another growing up theme apparent in this story is religion. Auntie didn't believe in games she said it was a "sinful idleness and a waste of time." She told Frankie "Lemme see what's in yo hand." When she saw that Frankie had been playing with marbles she was angry. On the contrary Frankie said that her dad let her play with marbles and Auntie said that she wasn't her daddy and that was the wrong answer. Auntie said "the Lord don't like a sassy-mouth child."
Personally, I don't think that there is anything wrong with playing games, it is part of the process that a child goes through as she grows up. When you are a child all you do is play and I didn't think it was fair of Auntie to not allow Frankie to play with marbles or with the other children.
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