May 12, 2010

This is my final blog, so that means semester is almost over, gosh I am so excited you have no idea!!! But I just wanted to make this blog short and sweet, and let anyone know who is reading this that is going to graduate...Congrats!! I just received my e-mail yesterday with my clearance to graduate in the fall, so I am very excited about that, but for those graduating this semester, that is soo exciting and good luck!! Also I wanted to mention that I enjoyed this class very much and learned so many new things. K I am done... ;)

May 9th...recap of Cinco De Mayo!!!

I know it is a few days later, but thought I would write about my amazing Wednesday night which was Cinco De Mayo. For some reason even though I am not Mexican this has to be one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, I know it may sound different but for some reason I enjoy this day. Not only was my night filled with great fun, during the day was a blast as well. It started off a great morning with outfit shopping for the night and coffee with the best friend then off to our friends house to BBQ and hang out. After that we went to the bar to watch a band and enjoy our time. It was a very fun night with great people, I would have to say. My Cinco De Mayo this year was for sure a memorable one. This day was a very good day, and lately with how crazy and busy my life has been, this was much needed, and I had a great time. I hope everyone else did to who reads this that celebrated as well. Okay, that's all for now ;)

So busy I forgot to blog last week....

Wow I just looked at the date and realized that I totally forgot to blog last week :( I was doing so good being on top and blogging every week, but it totally slipped my mind last week, I guess you can say its because I am so busy with trying to finish this semester up, with good grades. I got the chance to go this past weekend to attend many family events, therefore homework was the last thing on my mind. Getting the chance to go home often is very hard considering work and school, so when I do go visit my family I try to get everything completed so I can spend as much time with them as possible. Going home is always crazy with my family, as I live with my two sisters, mom, dad, grandpa, and baby niece, its a full house, which is always so very fun! We are adding on to our house to make it bigger then it already is, so that was very hectic to as there were so many workers coming in and out! I would have to say the best part of my weekend was going out with my sister and mom, we all went out for drinks, dinner, and dancing it was very fun, besides not having the little sister be able to go out because she was not old enough, but it was okay she was our ride :) Well I am going to get back to homework, I just noticed I totally forgot to blog last week so I wanted to!!!!

almost done!!

As the semester is ending I am counting down the days till it's finally over with!! I am very much so feeling over this semester right now, as I am getting piled down with so much work, but doesn't this happen at the end of every semester? Well for me I know it does, and right now it seems like I have a paper due every time I turn around or I am studying for something coming up, but I guess that's part of being a college student. Taking five classes this semester, and working part time has been so hard and left me with little time to even have a life. I am getting ready to graduate in the fall, so I keep telling myself its almost done, only three more classes and I am off to greater and better things in life. Although I would like to consider this summer a break from school, my summer is actually going to be filled with doing my capstone and getting prepared to take cap in the fall. I am pretty nervous to actually end this semester because in the fall I know its going to be the hardest semester of my college career, but it will be all worth it, once I am done and graduated!!! Well that's all...just had to vent about all the work I have due in the next month,it seems like its way to much!!!!!

Amazing Day....

So I decided I am going to write this blog about the wedding I was in on Saturday. Words cant explain how great and how much fun it was being apart of the wedding party. I have to say all the hard work definitely paid off, and it was an enjoyable day not only for myself but everyone else as well. All I know is I am looking forward to the day I get married because it was such an special day for my girlfriend and her new husband! The music was great, the crowd was great, everyone got along and it was just amazing! It was great to see my girlfriend so happy. The pictures took a long time, as there were so many taken, but I cant wait to see how they turned out!! Overall it turned out to be a success, and it was one of the most memorable days I will remember forever!!

Birthdays and Celebrations....

I guess you can say April is the month for birthdays and celebrations for my family, friends and I. I feel so far this month has been a great month and with many birthdays and my first wedding I am going to be in I am so excited. This weekend coming up for me is going to be a very busy weekend. Its my mom and sisters birthday both on April 10th and one of my best friends is getting married on April 10th as well. I am one of her brides maids, and it is my first time being a brides maid in a wedding so I am really looking forward to Saturday! After many months of planning and getting everything together for her big day, its finally happening, and the stress will all go away soon. Besides the wedding taking place on Saturday, both my mom and little sister are celebrating their birthdays in San Jose, so after I finish at the wedding I am going to go celebrate more with the family. My little sister is turning 18, so its a big birthday for her, which is hard to get over knowing she is now an adult, not the little girl I once knew. April has so far been a good month, and with all these celebrations this weekend its going to make it even a better month, and for sure a month to remember, since its my first girlfriend getting married, but I just cant wait to be all done with everything and be able to enjoy the fun times with all my great friends and family!!!

Week After Spring Break....

After a whole week off, with no school, you would think you would not get much homework, and get some free time to rest and not worry about school, but what can I say my whole spring break pretty much consisted of doing homework or studying!! This week has already been so crazy for me, and its only Tuesday!! Tests, papers, reading, presentations, it feels like there is so much to do in so little time!! All i know is I cant wait till tomorrow a day off of school to sleep in and enjoy my day a little without doing so much homework. As the semester is ending the work load is increasing so I need to stay on top of my work and just finish. Okay that's enough for now, hope everyone has a good day off tomorrow ;)

When you think everything is going great... it hits you..

There comes a time in life when you think everything is going great, things are looking up and then it hits you. This is what happened to me this morning as I entered my door this morning coming back home for spring break. As I open the door, all I hear is, "Allison I need to talk to you, come here please." All I can think at this moment in time is oh gosh what does my mom need to talk to me about. This had to be the worse news I have heard in a long time. My papa has cancer. There is no words to describe how I am feeling today. This news hit me pretty hard as well as my family, and we are going to take every step possible in beating it. Such a beautiful day here in Campbell, sun shining, all my family home to enjoy the day, and we are hit with this awful news. I know that he has the strength to beat it, and he will. Spring break has suddenly ended for me now after hearing this horrible news, but I there are things in life you cant control, and all you have to do is be strong. I am now looking up in positive thoughts for my papa!!!!

Beautiful day....

Early Sunday morning and the sun is shinning, what more can you ask for. Today is a beautiful day and I cant wait to be out in the sunshine. A fun filled day with great friends is what my day is going to consist of. I cant even remember when I actually had a Sunday off from work to enjoy, all I know is I am going to take full advantage of it! I am going to pick up some coffee and head to the beach to enjoy this weather while I study. A day without plans after plans seems so different to me, but I know this is a break that is much needed. Going non stop with no days off has defiantly gotten to me and it feels so great to relax. Well I know this is short and simple and not that entertaining, but I am off to enjoy this beautiful weather!! Hope everyone can do the same! :)

A day of Protest...

Thursday March 7th was a day of protest for the students and faculty here at CSUMB. Loud music, many students, professors,and signs raised in the air, all filled in front of the student service student. As I entered the area of protest, I was so shocked to see all the students who attended, and were involved with the protest. I was only able to stay for a hour or so, but within the short amount of time I was there I was able to get the chance to listen to some of the speeches from other fellow CSUMB students. Although I was not involved with the whole protest, I am still in support of the budget cuts for us students, as well as the professors. When it comes to my education I feel very strong for it, and with these budget cuts they are effecting my education, and I don't feel strong about it! Although I was not able to continue on with the protest that was taking place in downtown Monterey, my roommate did, and she was able to tell me all about her experience being down there with all of the other schools that joined. She mentioned that, " It was crazier then the one at CSUMB, there were so many people there to protest, and it was great to see all the support." I have to say in times like this which we are experiencing with these budget cuts it is great to see all the support and know I was part of this event, trying to improve this issue! I am glad I was able to join the experience, and enjoyed it at the same time!!

What a week....

All I can say is what a week this has been for me!!!! I have had the most stressful week, and I am so glad to say I have had a great support system behind me. The week started off very busy and chaotic with piles of school work and actual work on top of that. I feel like there was no break in between my hours in the day what so ever. My days consisted off work in the morning/early-afternoon and school in the afternoon/early night. Then home for homework and studying. It was a non-stop cycle that lasted these last four days!!! During these times I thought to myself, WOW where is my social life? It seems like the older I get the more responsibilities I have, there is no time to go out with the girls and have a good time! Not only was I busy with school and work this week, there were numerous things that just didn’t go right for me. First off, my credit card was stolen, so I had to deal with all of the issues that were resulted because of this. Second, my service engine light went off in my car, so I took my car to get fixed and to my surprise to fix it the total cost would be 1,000 dollars all because it was a BMW. That was so frustrating, because being a college student I defiantly don’t have an extra 1,000 dollars to spend on my car. Therefore I had to make a call to the parents telling them what happened to have them send me the money. Doing this made me feel very irresponsible, because I hate relying on my parents for everything, but I knew it had to get fixed since I rely on my car everyday so it was worth it. And to top it all off my cell phone was turned off for a day, not because I didn’t pay my bill, but because the check got lost in the mail. I could not believe this happened, as I was without my phone for a day, it killed me!! There was not one thing that went right for me in the last four days, but I guess the saying, “When it rains it pours” is defiantly true. So to make my week better my amazing supportive roommates planned a girl’s night out tonight that I am awaiting anxiously! Tonight calls for a fun time, with no stress, to put all my problems behind me. I really didn’t think I could have the worst four days in a row, but to my surprise I did. I could not be happier to have such supportive friends and family in hard times like these!! I just hope that this weekend is better than the week and nothing else goes wrong!!

Family Time

Getting away taking a little vacation back home for a couple days always puts a smile on my face. Last night I left Monterey and ventured back to my hometown in Campbell to spend a couple days with the family! About seven months we welcomed Mia Nichole into our family. This was the best blessing we have shared as a family in some time. Not being able to see her all the time, its amazing how fast she is growing up. Sitting up,making little words up, smiling, cutting teeth, she is not the new born baby she once was. Today is my day to babysit, therefore I decided to blog while I actually had some free time, while she naps!! I am blown away by how much work it takes to care for a baby. Don't get me wrong its such a joy to do this, but it is defiantly a lot of work. Mia is the first grand baby, and boy is she spoiled, but then again how could you not spoil the first baby in the family. I am very proud of my older sister, who takes on the responsibility of being a single mom and caring for her daughter. I have seen her struggle throughout this journey of mother hood, being on her own, but with the great support she has from her family, she is doing a great job! Spending time with my family and Mia is one of my favorite things to do, and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with them ;)

When life throws you in differnt directions....

There are crazy things in life that happen that are sometimes out of your own control. Thinking back two years ago, I am so happy and privileged to know I am a survivor of a horrible drunk driving accident. Fractured pelvis, metal plate, 15 screws, wheel chair, crutches, bed rest are just a few words to explain the pain and suffering I went through all because someone decided to drink and drive. On December 27, 2008 my life was completely changed forever. A fun planed night out with the girls turned into a nightmare I relive in my dreams from time to time. Flashing red lights, screaming voices, sounds of cry's, and paramedics working on me was all I remembered, as I woke up on the side of the freeway after being ejected from a moving vehicle. Right at this moment all I could say or do was ask, "Where is my mom?" All I wanted at this time was the comfort and sound of my moms voice telling me it was going to be okay. Laying in the hospital bed, with IV's in both hands distributing the pain medicine, I had no idea what to think or even knew what was wrong with my body. The first words that came out of my mouth were, I hope my face looks okay,I hope nothing happened to it, all I wanted was the reassurance from the nurse that I was going to be okay. The first night in the hospital consisted of numerous tests to figure out what was wrong with my body. Results showed that I had fractured my pelvis, very severely. Not only was it broken in the back side but I had hair line fractures in the front part of the pelvis as well. Basically I broke my whole pelvis ring. All I could think at this time was WOW, a broken pelvis, am I going to be able to have babies, this can not be happening to me. I have never really heard of people breaking their pelvis. I knew I was in for some major recovering and an intensive surgery to put my pelvis back together. I went through a six and a half hour surgery where the doctors put my pelvis back together with a metal plate and screws, and an hour pre-op surgery where the doctors drilled my knee to put weights on it, to release my leg that had been shoved up into my pelvis, causing much of the pain I was experiencing. I spent a total of nine days in the hospital, where I was on bed rest. I was not even able to site up, I had to sit at a 60 degree angle, or stay laying down. I knew this was the start of a long road to recovery. After spending nine days in the hospital, I was sent on my way home to start the recovery process. Two months in a wheel chair, and two months on crutches was the result of breaking my pelvis. It wasn't until four months later, when I was able to put both feet on the ground and start my baby steps to walking again. The day I put both feet down on the ground and started walking was the best day of my life.I could not express the happiness I felt at this time.
So still to this day I ask the question, "Can you trust anyone?" I put full trust in the driver that night, making sure he didn't have anything to drink before we left, and it wasn't until I was laying in the hospital bed not being able to move when I found out he was drunk driving. I am lucky to say I survived being ejected from the vehicle, and have learned a lesson in trusting others. Like I said when life throws you in different directions, you learn to take it, as I did in this life changing situation.

Blog One

Today is the first day for me to write my first blog. It's pretty exciting, but at the same time I have many ideas I want to write about, narrowing it down is going to be a challenge for me. Therefore, today I decided to focus on the topic of this course, "Free Speech and Responsibility." Considering, I have never taken a class on Free Speech before; I am thrilled to start going down the path and learning about Free Speech ad its elements throughout this course. Before this class started, I had many ideas as well as questions inside my head as to what free speech means.
In my opinion, free speech is the freedom to speak without any limitations, but also to think about what you say so that you don't harm or hurt other people. Although, you can speak how you feel or express what you have to say on certain issues, there is a line that should not be crossed with certain things that should not be said. For example, certain aspects of disrespecting anyone is ways that are crucial to race, sexuality, gender, etc. Although you may have different views and opinion on a issue and have the right to express how you feel, I believe there are certain limitations that should not be passed when expressing how you feel. This can lead to many different negative outcomes amongst people. I know from personal experience, there have been many times where I wanted to say something so badly and express how I felt to another individual, but I knew it may have offended them in one way or another. Therefore in situations like this, I held back my freedom to speak what I wanted and approached what I wanted to tell the other individual in a different way, in which didn't cross the limitations that would offended them in any way. Speaking the way you feel is not a bad thing at all, it's just the way you go about doing it. This needs to be done in a respectful manner no matter how much you hate a certain thing or disagree with certain issues.

As broad as the word "Free Speech" is I know there is going to be a lot learned on what "Free Speech" actually is. After doing a couple readings and a few group discussions on free speech, I am gaining new knowledge and information from hearing others opinions and ideas on how they feel about this topic. I may not know much considering this is my first class on Free Speech; but I am excited to continue on and learn more of what this course is all about!!!