Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch is a New York Times best seller written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Both authors were former models. Barnouin holds a Masters of Science degree in Holistic Nutrition. The authors of the book are vegans. A vegan diet restricts eating meat and dairy products. To most people, the vegan diet seems absolutely crazy and impossible. Following a vegan diet has many positive effects on an individual’s health, animals, and the environment. The authors writing style is witty and sarcastic as it educates the reader. The book is targeted towards women readers, but men can also learn a lot of information from it.

The book addresses many of the misconceptions people have about food and health. The misconceptions we have are mainly driven by advertisements. We can also point our fingers at money-hungry organizations.

Most people believe it is important to have a diet consisting of protein and calcium. This belief is created through advertising. Protein and calcium are good for the human body. Advertising tries to sell specific products for people to consume these nutrients. Milk is not the only to receive calcium, but it is probably the first thing that comes to mind.

A frequently asked question for a vegetarian is, “How do you get protein in you diet if you do not eat meat?” Meat is not the only way to receive protein. Beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, and dairy are all good sources for protein.

Before reading this book I believed in many food myths. I had heard most of them from word of mouth. This book has taught me how to eat a healthy diet. I have also realized the importance of discovering information for yourself rather than listening to what you hear.

The End

“People fear death even more than pain. It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over.”

Jim Morrison

Feelings of fear and sadness are typically associated with death. People fear for the loss of their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. Morrison makes a good point. Every day people experience bad things. If people are able to rise above challenges and pain caused by them, people should feel confident for the next one.

The death of a person is always a sad occasion. Wakes and funerals are ceremonies where people come together to pay their respects and mourn over the loss of the deceased. People tend to dress in black to attend the occasion.

I understand this ritual is a product of the American culture. Different cultures have different ceremonies depending on their beliefs. I think American culture treats death in a respectful yet depressing way. Instead of moping around after the death of a loved one, we should celebrate the life of that person. People tend to focus on the absence of the deceased person in their life. This approach is similar to the idea of a glass being half empty instead of half full. We should be grateful to have had that person in our lives.

To live is to die. It is expected that at some point we will all die. Regardless of this knowledge, death still surprises us every time. A girl I grew up playing soccer with died the other day. She was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago. Although I was aware of her health condition, I was shocked when I received the news.

When I think about my friend, I think of Morrison's quote, “At the point of death, the pain is over.” She will be missed greatly, but I feel relived that she no longer has to suffer.

Red Red Wine

As I sit at this computer, I take a sip of red wine. My favorite kind of red wine is Merlot. Merlot is the first type of wine I ordered at a restaurant. I ordered it because someone told me to. I had little knowledge about wine before I turned 21. For a while, I stuck to Merlot because I was familiar with the name. People around me convinced me to try other types. I followed their advice because I wanted to be a little more daring in my wine tasting.

I was sitting here thinking about a topic for my blog. The glass of Merlot in my hand triggered an idea. I have heard that a glass of wine is good for you. I never knew why though. I decided to do some research. This idea was developed by the French diet. This diet often shows how wine can improve heart health.

Some websites argued that a glass or two of wine is good for you because it can decrease the chance of heart decease. Red wine helps prevent clots and reduces blood vessel inflammation. Overall, moderate intake of red wine can improve cardiovascular health. Heart disease is reduced by the antioxidants in red wine. The antioxidants work to reduce heart disease by reducing production of bad cholesterol. They also boost good cholesterol.

Aside from the heart benefits, drinking wine with a meal slows the stomach’s emptying time and can decrease the amount of food consumed during a meal. Studies have also showed that one glass of red wine can improve brainpower.

Around The World

With graduation just around the corner, I have begun to take my future plans more seriously. I have applied to a variety of jobs to keep my options open. I am interested in living in a new location. First, I need a job to support myself. At this point, I have applied to jobs in fitness, management, communications, and education. Deep down, I know I would be happiest teaching people how to live a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise. I am also interested in doing something creative on the side, whether it is with film or photography.

A friend of mine recently informed me of his future plans. He applied to teach English for a year in South Korea. He is leaving in July. As I spoke with him, I became interested in the opportunity. I am eager to travel and live in another country after studying abroad in Australia.

Yesterday, I went on the website and read information about the program. I decided to apply to see if they would accept me. I have already heard back from the director of the agency. The agency’s job is to help match candidates with schools. The agency creates a profile with a picture and resume for administrative staff to evaluate. The schools decide on which candidates they want to hire. This increases the success for teacher placement.

South Korea is the highest paying country for this program. Another benefit is that the program pays for the candidate’s flight and housing. I would only have to pay for food, extra travel, and recreation.

Our Lives Are So Fabulous

It was April 5th. The night before the trip, my friend and I drove to Long Island to spend the night at our friend’s house. The next morning, her father surprised us with a stretch limo as our ride to the airport.

As we boarded a plane from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, my friend looked at me and said. “Our lives are so fabulous.” This was also the moment when she jinxed us. We should have seen this coming. Especially after spending 3 hours on the phone trying to book the trip.

We ended up sitting on the propeller plane for an hour past the scheduled departure time. The flight from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic is about an hour. We anxiously waited for departure since we had not eaten since the night before.

We faced problem number 2 when we arrived at the Occidental Resort in the Dominican Republic. When we went to the front desk to check in, they told us that we did not have a reservation and that they were booked. They told us that there was nothing they could do. We were advised to call Travelocity since we had booked reservations on their website.

After 3 hours of arguing with the resort employees, they were able to find us a room at a different resort. We were still upset with this outcome because there were 5 of us in total on the spring break trip. Two of our friends had checked in the day before at the original resort. The remaining 3 had to stay at a different restore.

We can look back at the situation now and laugh. I am an optimistic person so I tried to make the best out of the situation. I was grateful to have had the opportunity to go on a tropical vacation with my friends.

Here is a video from the trip:

Front Lobby

Merge Ahead

A friend of mine heard about a non-denomination church called Church of the Living God. It is located in the town of Manchester, CT. Since I attend school in New York, I do not make the trip often. I try to attend service every time I visit home. On Sunday nights, there is a group service called Merge Ahead. Young people, ranging from 12 to 24 get together and worship.

The worship starts off with a live band. The music they play is modern. It is not music I ever expected to hear at a church. The band plays a lot of Hillsong music that originated in Australia. After the band plays a few songs, everyone grabs a seat as they anxiously wait to hear the message for the evening. I enjoy attending services because it is a good way to start off the week. My spirit always feels lifted after attending a service. When I am not home, I am able to listen to services through pod casts. I take notes as I listen so I can remember important parts that I want to look back on.

There is a podcast from January 25, 2009. The podcast is titled, “Your Cap Gun Authority.” The speaker discusses that true authority is a process that takes time. He defines authority as physical/mental power, exercise, liberty, strength, and right. Three ways to increase the level of authority in an individual is in time, by tribulation, and testing.

Now Not Yet

I recently listened to a podcast called "Now Not Yet." The message I received was to focus on the present, instead of the future. In order to have progress in your life we must not fear to dream. People tend to look at where they are at in the moment and compare it to where they want to be. When we look at situations in this perspective our dreams seem impossible to reach. People get caught up in “the next” that they miss “the now.” This is why it is important to take action one day at a time. The speaker describes vision with no action to be as bad action without vision. This is a message that anyone can apply to their life. This is not necessarily tied to religion.

For the past month I have been worrying about my plans for after graduation. I catch myself getting distracted from school work to apply for jobs. We congratulate our peers when they receive news of a job offering after graduation. There is comfort when you know you have a job waiting for you once you finish school. I realize that there is no need to worry about the future. Worrying does not change or help a situation. Instead of worrying, I must take steps that are in my control.

In the course of a day, we should be prepared for challenging encounters. These encounters that we face prepare us for the ones we will face in the future.

Funny The Way It Is

Dave Matthews Band has a new album available to purchase June 2, 2009. The name of the album is Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King. The band has been together since 1991. Dave Matthews Band is also known as DMB. The band consists of 4 musicians. DMB used to be a 5 person band until saxophone player, LeRoi Moore died in August 2008. The remaining members of the band are Boyd Tinsley (violinist), Carter Beauford (drummer), Dave Matthews (singer, guitarist), and Stefan Lessard (base guitarist).

DMB is currently on the road for their Spring tour. They recently played in Madison Square Garden in New York City. At the concert, the band performed a mix of songs. They played some songs from their early and recent albums. DMB also promoted music from their new album. One of the songs off the new album is called “Funny The Way It Is.” Below is the chorus to the song:

Funny the way it is
And if you think about it
Somebody’s goin’ hungry
And someone else is eatin’ out
Funny the way it is
Whether right or wrong
Somebody’s heart is broken
And it becomes your favorite song

This song brings attention to the irony that exists in the world. It also makes the listener realize that there are more things going on in the world than the events that take place in one individual’s life.

The Lotus Flower

Two years ago I did not follow a particular religion. One night I decided to make a list of characteristics to construct my own religion. I am not sure where the list is located today, but I recall my religion as having a peaceful and positive outlook towards self, society, and life. I did research to find a religion similar to the one I created on my own. The most similar religion I found was Buddhism.

I have never spoken with a practicing Buddhist and I have never visited a Buddhist temple. My knowledge of the religion came from the books I have read and websites I have visited. At one point I became passionate about the religion and wanted to learn as much as I could. Manhattanville College offers a variety of religion courses. I decided to enroll in the Religions of India course.

I would not define myself as a Buddhist any longer, but I do have a lot of respect for the religion. I look at it as a lifestyle. Many religions center faith on God. Buddhists on the other hand do not believe in God. Buddhists find strength, peace, and wisdom through self-mediation.

There are many well-known symbols of Buddhism. My favorite symbol is the lotus flower. I have a tattoo of the words lotus flower written in Sanskrit on the inside of my wrist. The lotus flower symbolizes the struggle of life, rising above bad situations, personal growth, and beauty.

A Complaint Free World

One of my favorite books is A Complaint Free World. It is a great book and I believe everyone should read it. The book challenges the reader to go twenty one days without complaining or gossiping. If you break the challenge you start back at day one. It further discusses the ways in which complaining or not complaining changes your way of thinking, speaking, mood, and relationships. The book urges the reader to take action and change unsatisfying situations instead of complaining to someone that most likely does not care or cannot help. One of the interesting points I found in the book is the amount of relationships that are based on complaining and gossiping with one another.

In the book there were stories from previous people that completed the challenge. Many of the people that completed the challenge lost a few friends. This is because their conversations were based on complaining and/or gossiping.

There were stories of how being complaint free changed lives for the better. In order to become consciously aware of the things we say, we must first change the way we think. If we train ourselves to think positively, then there will be positive effects in all areas of our lives. Basically, once the bad habit of complaining is dropped our lives will be great!

This book caught my attention because of the different types of people I spend time with. When I think of this book I think of two of my friends in particular. Almost every sentence out of one of their mouths is a complaint or the latest gossip. The other friend is the complete opposite. I enjoy talking to my friend that does not complain a lot. The conversation is much richer and meaningful for both of us.

No Modifers.. I think

VH1 Save The Music Foundation

I take the train twice a week. I take the train to go to a city. In the city there are buildings. People work in some of the buildings. I have an internship at one of them. My internship does not pay me. I arrive at the office at 10:00 am. There is work for me to do when I arrive in the office. I complete the tasks given to me. I take a break for one hour. When the break is over, I get back to work. I have seen two performances while I was in the office. The artists created sound that I heard while I sat at my desk. I have gone to the city twice for my internship. One day I put letters in envelopes, put stickers on the envelopes, and created a spreadsheet in excel. On my second day, I attended a meeting, created a spreadsheet, and ran errands.

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Blog#2: "Good writing is good writing."

The author says, “Good writing is good writing,” no matter what form it’s in. I believe the author is making a statement that there are universal rules, styles, and ideas when it comes to writing well. If a writer follows the guidelines then it is considered good writing. Of course there are certain guidelines when it comes to grammar and spelling. I believe good writing does require the ability to spell well and complete sentences with correct grammar. But I do believe there are more components that cannot be universally defined. I believe there are multiple definitions of good writing. Two people may look at the same piece of writing and have two different opinions.

I do not agree with the statement, “Good writing is good writing,” no matter what form it’s in. First of all, I think the statement is too general to agree with. The statement does not distinguish a specific type of writing. If the focus is on media writing, I would agree good writing is good writing, no matter what form it is in. There are three important concepts of media writing. The concepts are accuracy, brevity, and clarity. There are different stylebooks all firms in the media follow. Stylebooks promote consistency, usage, and precision. Therefore, in media writing, if stylebook concepts are applied to writing and followed consistently, the statement good writing is good writing, no matter what form it is in is true.

Good writing is not necessarily good reading because everyone has a different concept of good reading. Depending on the topic, good writing is not always good reading if it the topic does not captivate the reader’s interest.

Blog #1: Describe your academic background, future plans, and how this course fits into those things.

I graduated from Wethersfield High School in 2005. I am currently a senior entering my last semester at Mahattanville College. I plan to graduate with a major in Communications and a minor in Management. Over the past four years I have enrolled in a range of different courses. I have taken courses in areas such as art, communications, business, history, philosophy, psychology, religion and writing.

During my junior year I studied abroad in Australia. Living, working, and attending school in a different country was a great learning experience. It allowed me to view myself and the world in a new perspective. My study abroad experience and the previous courses I have taken at Manhattanville College have helped me discover the things I am passionate about.

Currently, I am interested in a career in film, music, or photography. My ideal job would be to work for a company that pays me to travel the world and take photos or create videos. I would also like to continue my education and earn a masters degree at some point.

The Writing for the Media course offered at Manhattanville fits into my academic background and future plans because I am a communications major. I have previous experience with press releases because I took a Public Relations course last semester. I will most likely look for a job in the media after graduation, therefore, it will be helpful to learn different formats of writing. Print, electronic and broadcasting media all consist of a combination of visuals and writing.