Avoiding Pain..

Recently in Philosophy class, we have looked through many quotes from philosophers & thinkers. One quote i really like, that brought my attention was the following:

"Most people elect not to continue with their life journeys, but instead to stop short by some distance to avoid the pain of giving up parts of themselves. What they dont understand, however, is that giving up on the journey itself is the most painful human experience of all" -Stoicism

Basically, what it means is that some people say they have to end their pain in life by terminating it. It seems like a relief, yet it is more painful to end one's life than to deal with the rest of the problems. I personally believe this, and it supports my opinion on suicide. Some people may agree with this as well, probably due to religion beliefs. As a Catholic Christian, God tells his people that the road is not pretty. There are many obstacles in life that help people become stronger. We just need to resist to temptations and ask God to help us over come them.
There is also a very famous saying that says "What doesnt kill you, makes you stronger", and I believ its true. Sometimes we just focus on the pain we feel, and we dont look at the good things we learn from falling. Experiences make us stronger, whether they are good or bad. If we terminate our lives before we learn how to deal with them, we cant say it defeated us, because we were cowards and didnt fight against it.

Other people may think that by ending one's life to avoid pain is the best way to deal with it. People obviously dont like to suffer. Perhaps the notion of " What doesnt kill you, makes you stronger" has infinite pain, and after all the pain, its hard to see the light. In a world where technology has made life easier to people, its very hard for them to enjoy pain. In the colonial times, people had to suffer every day working hours farming, with no electricity, tedious house chores, and sometimes the lack of food. It was impossible to give up back then, because if they did, the children would suffer and it was a basis of survival. Now, children can have government care and services for diseased parents. No one likes to work as hard for survival like people before.

In my opinion, we take too many things for granted. we dont appreciate the help we get from many new technological machines. We just use them to make our lives easier, yet we need to take care of them, not just for luxury. Once in a while we should go back to our roots and remember the hard ways it took to survive. Probably no one wants to live like an indiginous person, but we should appreciate what we have, dont give up when times are hard. Sometimes, we give up too easily, and dont see the shortcuts that can lessen our pain. If we are optismist, and enjoy life to the fullest, we might as well not experience much pain.
=)

FRESNO TRIP!

Last Friday, i went on a road trip to Fresno with the cross country team. Both the men's and women's teams qualified for the State Championships, which took place in Fresno. I, as the alternate 8th woman, went along with the team, "just in case" one of my teammates couldnt run the race.

It was a wonderful trip!i really enjoyed it!
On Friday morning, we met here at the college. Coach took us to the iHop for our breakfast. At about 1030 am, we headed north to our championship!

Coach had warned us that it was going to be cold, and there was 20% chance of rain. When we got there, first thing we did was run the course. It was mostly flat, with a few small hills. The weather was great! even though at night it got a bit chilly.
We went for dinner at a really good vegetarian buffet. The team had a great time, laughing, talking, eating, and enjoying our trip. After dinner, we went to the hotel we stayed at, and went to sleep at 10pm.

The day of the race was here. everyone was up by 600am, eating a small breakfast, since the races were at 10 and 11 am. We left the hotel at 830 and got to the park where the race was going to take place. As we got there, the women's team began warming up and by 10am sharp, the race began. The women raced 5k (3.1 miles).

The ladies finished 25th as a team in the final meet.

The men, started warming up after the ladies took off. They ran 4 miles, in a fast race. The first man in our team finished 16th, and the team finished 17th place.

After the race, we all took off to Sizzler, and then went our way back home.

We got home like around 630pm. I really enjoyed teh trip even though i didnt race.
But just like coach said, in 365 days, i will be back, and this time, racing for the State Championships =]

Cross Country season is over, Track conditioning began yesterday. Wow.
You gotta love running!

christmas countdown.. 37 days, 12 hours, ...

Christmas has always been one of my best holidays (Thanksgiving being the first!). But if you really thing about it, everyone forgets about Thanksgiving! Stores from all over the country begin putting things in stock for Christmas holiday right after Halloween.

I work in a party store where, as you can guess, sell everything for parties. From the look in our supplies, we only have a 3 ft block of Thanksgiving decoration and supplies. Last year, i believe, we had less than that. For Christmas, we had about 8 ft block of party supplies!(and it did not include the gift bags, boxes, or greeting cards!) So i guess Christmas is a really good season to invest in, yet not less important as Thanksgiving.



I am a Catholic, therefore maybe i should have Christmas as my favorite holiday, but somehow i see that Christmas has become materialistic. All Christmas is about is giving presents, eating like the world is going to end, and there's not a lot of family sharing the moments. Perhaps there is still families that get together on Christmas Eve, or Day just to get together. But in my family, we are more closer together in Thanksgiving day.

We usually have a potluck dinner, which makes it very special for the fact that we share meals. This year, my sisters and I plan to cook something delicious (that we've never done before) for Thanksgiving. We are most likely to go to my cousin's house, like we always do, and have some family time. i really cant wait for Thanksgiving day. Should be fun and very special.

But i know we are all eager for Christmas too (mostly because we get a break for school), so here is the countdown...

quote, unquote..

I am a fanatic of movie quotes!
every time i hear a good quote, i always write it down on my planner/agenda. The reason why i do this is because somehow these quotes relate to a situation Ive been in or simply make me laugh. Some of my favorite are:

1) "I hate the way you talk to me and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare. I hate your big, dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme. I hate it... I hate the way you're always right, I hate when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh - even worst when you make me cry. I hate when you're not around and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you - not even close... not even a little bit.... not even at all. " - 10 Things I Hate About You

2) "I'm not the person that I used to be. I don't even know that person. And if you knew that. If in your heart you really really knew that, you wouldn't be getting ready to marry somebody right now unless that someone were me."...

Jenna-"I love you Matt. An- you're my best friend." Matt-"Jenna I, I have always loved you."
- 13 Going On 30

3)Jamie: "How can you see places like this. And have moments like this and not believe?" Landon: "You're lucky to be so sure." Jamie: "It's like the wind. I can't.. see it, but I feel it." Landon: "What do you feel?" Jamie: "I feel.. wonder... beauty... joy... love. I mean, it's the center of everything." Landon: "I might kiss you." Jamie: "I might be bad at it." Landon: "That's not possible."- A Walk to Remember

4) "A whole new world. A dazzling place I never knew. But now from way up here, it's crystal clear that now I'm in a whole new world with you"- Aladdin

5) "Miss Elizabeth, I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you...I had to see you. I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance. All these things I am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony. "...
"You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you"- Pride & Prejudice

6)"He could be anywhere in the world but he chooses to be with her because life is better with her by his side"
...

"whats more important than a perfect man? oh yea...perfect shoes!"- The Perfect man

7) "Half the night I waste in sighs, Half in dreams I sorrow after The delight of early skies; In a wakeful doze I sorrow For the hand, the lips, the eyes, For the meeting of tomorrow"
...

"No, you listen. You turned out to be exactly who I thought you were. I never pretended to be somebody else. It's been me all along. And it was me who was hurt in front of everybody. Look, I didn't come here to yell at you, okay? I know what it feels like to be afraid to show who you are. I was. But not anymore. And the thing is, I don't care what people think about me...because I believe in myself. And I know that things are gonna be okay. But even though I have no family, and no job, and no money for college...It's you that I feel sorry for. I know that guy that sent those e-mails is somewhere inside of you, but I can't wait for him, because waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought, useless and disappointing "
...

Sam: "what are you doing?" Austin: "something i should have done along time ago," [kiss](a drop of rain falls)"sorry i waited for the rain to fall" Sam: "that's okay"
- A Cinderella Story

ill just leave these top 7 movie lines I really enjoy. I have plenty of more!

I know movies are not real! Although this, I can relate certain feelings, emotions, experiences, and doubts the characters have. That's one reason why I want to be an actress. I feel that i can get into a character's shoes and experience they thoughts and way of thinking. in movies, I could become anyone else I wanted to be (not that i don't like my life). Its very interesting how real things could be in a movie [[if you really thing about it!]]

So far what I've learned...

I am writing my research paper on health issues, comparing Blue Zones' diet and the American diet. The Blue Zones are the scientifically known places in the world where people have been living more than 100 years. There are four zones in the world: Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy.
These places have shown that there are secrets to living longer and healthier that many people don't do. America, in the other hand, seems to be going the opposite way. I want to compare the diets on the Blue Zones with the American diet so that we can see what exactly is minimizing the life expectancy in many Americans,in particular.

I became interested in this topic because i recently started a diet where i eat "healthy". I know that's a broad word, since everyone has different meanings to it. For me, eating healthy is eating the right portions of fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and milk, while exercising every day.

My family has been found to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. I don't want to go through this in my life, therefore i want to live longer and better.

Diseases may come genetically, but there's other ways to minimize the chances of living with diseases.There are nine recommendations that can help you live longer called the "Power 9":

1.)Move [mindlessly, making moving unavoidable]...
2.)Plan de Vida [have a life plan, or a purpose in life]...
3.)Down Shift [working less]...
4.)80% Rule [stop eating when you are 80% full]...
5.)Plant Power [more veggies, less protein]...
6.)Red Wine [consistency & moderation]...
7.)Belonging [a helathy social network]...
8.)Beliefs [spiritual & religious participation]
9.)Your Tribe [family = priority] :)

< www.bluezones.com >

Seems easy, doesn't it? well apparently, Americans are tempted everyday and somehow cant achieve everything in this list!

Well as part of my research, i took the "vitality Test" in that same website. There are 35 questions about how you live your life. The results tell you how long you will live, how much can you improve, and how long you will be disease-free with your current way of life.

According to my results, I am living as if i was 17.2 years old [im 17.6 yrs old], i will live till the age 65 disease-free, and my life expectancy is 80.2 years.

I think i can improve it much better, though, but we'll see about that!

Want to take the Vitality Test? go to this link to find out how long your way of life expects you to live:

http://www.bluezones.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=6


- ana

U-C-L-A =) !

University of California Los Angeles has always been my dream school. I always found this school as one top schools in California. I was actually accepted to UCLA for this year, but I resigned my acceptance, due to financial problems. Although I'm going to stay in Oxnard College for two years, I know someday I will be a UCLA BRUIN!

Some people say UCLA sucks, or whatever, mostly because of their football, basketball, or whatever sport. I do love sports, but the main reason why I want to come to this school is to become a medical doctor.

Since I was little, I used to say I wanted to be a doctor. I changed careers over time (teacher, chemical engineer, chef, designer, artist, professional dancer, architect..), but today I'm sure I want to be a Research Medical Doctor.

Why? you might ask... I mostly want to work with looking for cures to diseases, such as cancers. Its been about a year since my cousin Lupita died due to a leukemia cancer. Her struggle made an impact in my life because I don't think it was fair for her to die like that at a very young age (she died two days after turning 15).
I know life is not fair sometimes but when children, in particular, die of diseases, life IS NOT being fair! Kids have so much more to enjoy, live, and to love, its not reasonable why these innocent children have to suffer like this.
For this reason, I want to go into medical school, work in research, and maybe someday work for the CDC (Center for Disease Control).

Whether it takes me six, eight, ten, twelve, or how many years... I will make my effort to find cures to these diseases that have taken our loved ones.

smile.. you're on camera!

One of the things I really enjoy doing is being on camera. I like dancing, singing, acting, and doing lip syncs on my camera. There's always stuff to record, and its really fun making a fool of myself for others to see (of course, with moderation! ). I am random, fun, and crazy sometimes, and in my videos, you can totally tell!

I recently posted a new video on youtube, about a remake of another video.
I can say i am a fan of Jonas Brothers. They are just as crazy as me, because they like to make random, hillarious videos. Last friday ( oct. 16), they posted a video of a song they just randomly did, called "BOUNCE".
I LOOOVED it so much that me and some of my nephews decided to remake it. It was awesome and super funny!!!

OUR VERSION IS THIS ONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NblLIoP7wa8

well hope you guys like it! =)

- sorry i couldn't put the embed code on the blog -