[ESSAY] What Does it Mean to be "Human"?

Biologically human beings are all the same, unless of course you have a disability. But what qualifies something to be called a human being? What does it mean to be “human”? There’s no right answer, but instead an opinion. I believe the definitive characteristic of a human being is emotion.

There can definitely be some controversy about my theory that even I can see. Obviously human beings aren’t the only species that have emotion, pet owners know this. You can tell when a dog bares his teeth and growls he’s mad. And when a cat’s hair stands on end they’re scared. Humans on the other hand tend to be more secretive with their emotions, and we can control them. For example if someone is angry they can choose when and where to release their anger. One could use yelling, ignoring, blackmail, and violence as an outlet to escape their anger. Another example is if you like/love a person. You can choose when and if to tell them. For one you could hide your feeling from the person, which seems to be one of the most popular ways people deal with their crushes. Or you can muster up the courage to ask them out. And even when we’re sad we can decide to cry or force our tears away. This is part of what is called Emotional Intelligence. 

The four main branches of EI are perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding emotions, and mangaing emotions. Humans are capable in all four of these categories which help set us apart from other species. With perceiving emotions we can look at one's face expressions and interpret how we think they are feeling at the moment. Like if someone is smiling we can assume from our knowledge of body language that they are happy. Reasoning with emotions means we only react to the things that interest us. Say you're watching one of your friend's favorite soap operas and suddenly someone dies. You won't act the same way your friend would because your not as commited to the show as they are. When we try to understand emotions, we pull out possible reasons for a person to be having the emotions they are showing. Like if you see someone who is crying, you automatically wonder "why?". Did they have a bad day? Did they get in an arguement? Did they get hurt? Did one of their family members get hurt? Etc. Mangaing emotions is key in everyday life, with ourselves and with others. Lets use the example of someone crying again. So if your friend was crying, you wouldn't go up and start yelling at them. You would try to manage their emotions by comforting them. Managing the emotions around us takes common sense and knowing what actions will get us positive reactions.

As far as I can see, the three main emotions of animals are mad, sad, and happy. That’s a really small range of emotions. But humans have multiple, complex emotions: envy, hatred, anxiety, confidence, compassion, determination, etc. The list can go on and on. Our list could be longer because humans have emotional sensitivity. Some are easily offended from people’s actions or words, while others could be too calm. Humans also vary in emotions in different situations. Take eating meat for example. Some people like vegetarian and vegans find it repulsive to eat animals or anything produced from them. But others seem to think nothing of it and embrace it as a part of life. Those are two opposite emotions people are getting from the same topic, and neither of those groups are feeling something wrong. That’s just how their brain interprets the idea.

Humans can also care for one others’ emotions opposed to where everyone is on their own. We constantly help others get through hard times that deal with sadness and anger. Some people even have to go to Emotional Therapy to deal with their overwhelming emotions. It’s a powerful thing when a group of people are all sharing the same emotion. I’ve experienced this one on a few occasions. Once it was at my dad’s and he was leaving to go to war at the end of summer. My dad, stepmom, and I were deciding what we would do if he died while there. We chose who got what after he passed and how we would go about the funeral. The stress of him leaving seemed to build up in all of us and my stepmom began to cry. Immediately as I saw this I began to cry as well, and my dad soon after. It was hard not to cry when you see someone else release their feelings in that way. It’s like you have a bond with those around you and you don’t feel so alone. Another time when this can happen is when people are arguing. Once you’re with two or more people who are arguing you can’t help but get mad and frustrated yourself. In other words our emotions are vulnerable.

Another unique thing about human emotions is certain objects, people, or smells can trigger memories from out past, and emotions along with them. I have experience this one as well. Every once in a while I'll randomly catch a whiff of a perfume that reminds me of my grandma Shirley’s. It makes me happy to thing about all the fun times I’ve had on her farm in New York, but at the same time it makes me sad to know how much I miss my family there. It’s amazing how I can feel two different emotions from something I smelled.

There are endless ways you can answer the question: What does it mean to be “human”? And any answer you choose is “right” as long as you can back it up. For me, emotion is one of the main definitive characteristics of a human being. But then again, who can really tell what’s going on in an animal’s mind? So much is still unknown and it’s our job to put the pieces together.

[RE] So Called "Friends"

"Being friends with someone doesn't mean you have to treat them like toys. Toys as in you play with them only when you're bored, not because you love that toy."

                                                    This quote is from Bridget Kim's blog.

Practically every kid will have to go through this one time or another. I’ve gone through it before and I know what it feels like firsthand. Friends that I have had in the past have wanted to hangout only because they had no one else to do so with. Or some pretended to be my friend to get something out of me. And I’m over it; you should never call those types of people your “friends”. Real friends will hangout with you because they want to and they enjoy it. Maybe one day they’ll grow up and realize that they can get way more out of life with a few real friends than making a lot of fake ones.

Kids can be mean, but the way they come off “mean” differs from elementary school to high school. In elementary school it was a childish mean. Sticking your tongue out, not playing with them at recess, hogging the crayons, etc. In middle school it gets a little more intense. From public fist fights, to unending arguments, to being the odd one out while picking teams in PE. Its three years jam-packed with drama. Now high school takes a different approach. We like to be mean in almost a silent manner. For example, if we’re mad at someone we tend to ignore them. We also love to gossip. Everyone does it, and honestly it’s hard not to. And now with access to websites like Facebook, we are now able to cyber bully other people. This is one of the most popular forms of bullying because you’re not face to face with the person you’re trash talking. But guess what? Words hurt; said in person or written.

[FREE] L.O.V.E.

She was in love. The type of love where you can barely stand being away from them for more than a day. Where the thought of them sends chills down your spine and heat to your cheeks. He was beautiful, even his flaws. The way his deep blue eyes seemed to look inside her soul, making her feel safe. And his dark features added that sense of mystery no girl could resist.

                One would say he was the perfect package. When she was sad he could always find a way to make her laugh. Yet he wasn’t one of those guys that could never be serious.

                Yes, they were in love. It’s one of the hardest things to earn but easy to lose, and they were aware of this. But for them, their love was even harder to keep because no one thought they were right for each other. They were denied acceptance from their families over and over again. They were star-crossed lovers, and now they were at a point where they wouldn’t take no for an answer. Their decision was to run away.

                At a quarter to midnight at the train station is where they planned to meet. They would be reconnected as one, free of rejection. Penelope had been waiting for hours, for she was dying for this moment to come.

                And as if granting her wish, he appeared. Her breath felt caught in her throat and her luggage fell onto the pavement. Every single sense she had was locked on him.

                As soon as he was in arms reach they pulled in for an embrace, and she never wanted to let go.

[CE] Simply Heroes

Despite all the negative events happening in the world, we can occasionally find hope in the most unlikely situations. This video just warms my heart know what people are capable of. This group of strangers could have easily ignored the flames and looked ahead, leaving the man to burn into ashes. But instead they stopped what they were doing and huddled around the intense flames. They couldn’t pull him out with the car on top of him so they did the unthinkable. They lifted the 4000 pound car, just high enough to pull the man out from under.
If you were this man who was saved, how would you possibly give enough thanks to the ones who saved you? They gave him the gift of continuing to live life. We tend to forget how precious life is and how lucky we are to still be enjoying it. Some may look at this video and say they would have done that, without a second thought. But I doubt this to be the truth. When you’re faced with a situation like this one most would get flustered and begin to panic. Who wouldn’t want to be called a hero and muster up the courage to lift a car that is shooting flames in all directions? I know I would but I don’t do well under pressure so I’m not sure of how I would have reacted.
Every man and woman who helped save this man in some way is a hero. A hero I have amazed respect for.

[FREE] The Accident

The moonlight politely entered my room, casting an eerie shadow over my toys. I felt my eyes fall more and more closed and I even considered falling asleep. But Hunter wouldn’t like that. He only visited at night and it would be rude to doze off. His visits became longer since I started a lonely third grade year. I was an outcast and the girls made fun of my frizzy blond hair.
“Alexandria.” Hunter said in a frustrated tone,” Ain’t ya listenin’?”
I straightened my back and faced him. He sat curled up in my pink striped chair across the room. As every day, he wore the same blue overalls and torn red t-shirt. His head was bandaged, covering most of his curly black hair, and his feet were bare.
“Of course,” I smiled,” Can you tell me the story of how you got hurt again?”
He automatically gestured towards his bandages. His features were scrunched, pushing his freckles together. I could tell he was deciding whether or not to retell the story for the fifteenth time.
“Please?” I added.
That seemed to work for he let out a heavy sigh and adjusted his position in the chair. His eyes wandered steadily towards the window longing to breathe the crisp night air.
“I woke up at five in the mornin’ every day. It was my job to feed them animals. They woulda died without me!”
His pride for the job was obvious and I nodded in agreement, even if he didn’t see it.
“Takin’ care of them horses was my favorite part for sure. Brushin’ them. Feedin’ them.” He paused and beamed at the memories,”And ridin’ them.”
His voice died off with his eyes locked on the plains beyond the window. I stood and walked over, resting my small hands on the windowsill. My imagination flourished as it played with the shapes the shadows of the night had made. And there they appeared. Solid black horses racing in the wind, their thick manes whipping behind them like smoke.
“I wasn’t supposed to do it.” Hunter interrupted. His face was hard and his eyes began to water, “Pa didn’t like me ridin’ by my own. But I couldn’t help it. One of the horses needed to get out. She was tired of bein’ locked up all night.”
I already knew the events that followed but my heart still raced as though this was the first time I was hearing it.
“So, me and her headed out into the field. A snake musta scared her or somethin’ cause she wouldn’t stop runnin’. That's when I fell off.”
He quickly stole a glance at me to see my reaction, and I still looked as frightened as ever. Suddenly my door swung open and revealed my mom staring curiously at me. I put my back against the window as if to block her view from the horses that weren’t even there.
“Who were you talking to?” my mother asked.
I became aware that the pink striped chair was now empty. For Hunter only liked to talk to me and me alone.
“No one mom.” I answered as I crawled back under my covers.
She carefully tucked me into bed and kissed my forehead, “Get some rest honey. It’s late.”
With that she left and I laid wide awake fidgeting with my fingers. Outside the house where Hunter’s barn used to be I could hear him unlock one of the horse’s stalls and ride away with it into the never-ending darkness. But I wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t return because he was trapped here, along with the memories.

[BC] Finding Mary

Susan stood shaking in front of the basement door. She couldn’t tell if she was shaking from anger that her brother hid her most prized possession inside there or from being scared that she would have to go inside and retrieve it. She reached for the cold metal door handle which sent chills through her arm. She slowly pulled it open and her nostrils were immediately hit with thick smells of mold and dust that covered the walls and floor of the basement. The room was pitch black for she still wasn’t tall enough to reach the light switch. Step-by-step she made her way the top of the wooden stairs and regretfully heard the heavy door slam shut behind her. She also heard the faint laughter of her brother, proud of his achievement.
The heat of the basement was overwhelming. Sweat began to form on Susan’s forehead and trickled down around her eyes. And the darkness was almost tangible, covering her like a blanket. Faking bravery, Susan began to make her way down the stairs which were invisible to her except for the creak made with each step. The fact that the stairs were old and worn didn’t add to her confidence. She held her right arm out and reached for the railing. Its rough surface pricked her soft skin but she continued to use it for balance. The steps seemed to never end and the darkness grew with each step. But she wouldn’t give up and turn around. She had to prove to her brother she wasn’t scared of this place. Suddenly tiny sticky strings tickled her face. If she could see she would have screamed for she knew for where there is a spider web, a spider is always nearby. But she decided to ignore it by wiping it off her smooth face and onto the disposal of her skirt.
She continued to walk but stopped when her foot hit a hard surface. She bent down to feel it and it felt cold like the door handle but bumpy like pebbles. She confirmed it was the concrete floor of the basement. She had reached the bottom. But this would be the hardest part of her journey for she no longer had the aid of the hand rail to guide her. Her feet moved two more steps forward before a hard edge pierced her stomach. She began to rub the area which was hit and used her other hand to examine the source. It was a flat thin surface and if she reached along the corners, long metal poles would emerge from underneath. A table was the obvious culprit.
Guessing she was in a corner Susan turned to her right carefully made her way through the darkness. Her hearing sense became more aware of its surroundings and began to tune in. To her left came a continuous ticking noise. The noise seemed to be traveling from high up. The ticking reminded her of the tall grandfather clock her parents used to keep in the living room next to the fire place, although she couldn’t recall what ever happened to it. And to her right she heard an annoying buzz. Maybe it was the water-heater her daddy always came down to fix. Her mind began to wander trying to classify what other noises surrounded her but she quickly snapped out of her trance and continued to move ahead.
Without warning she bumped into another object, this time with her right elbow. It was fairly easy to move and took the shape of a cube. Her hands greedily ran up and down the slightly fuzz cube and Susan had an educated guess that it was a cardboard box. The boxes surrounded her, some stacked to the ceiling and others laid randomly around the room. Her hope slowly vanished from her as she sat on top of a nearby box.  But instead of sitting flat on the box’s surface, something formed against her butt. Her heart began to race as she jumped off and grabbed the item. She felt the hollow plastic details of hands, feet, and face. The nose was perfectly straight and the lips plump. Susan held the doll close to her chest, running her fingers though its short and wiry blond hair. She couldn’t wait to rub this in her brother’s face. She had found Mary.

[RE] ~Dancing~

                                                   

“I love watching all kinds of these cool dance movies, there just so entertaining. Every time I see one I get so inspired, that I want to get up to dance right along with them.”

This quote is from my friend Marialuisa’s blog and I feel exactly the same way every time I watch a movie that involves singing or dancing. I also saw Step Up 3D with some of my friends even though I never saw any of the other ones. I walked into the theater that day with low expectations but as it turned out, I loved it. Like Marialuisa, I love it when movies make you want to get up and dance even though you’re not the best. Step Up 3D is a great example. During the whole movie I just wanted to dance! They made it look so fun and easy.
I was a horrible dancer for a long time and hated the bare thought of it. That is until I signed up for a dance group. It was in 8^th grade at my afterschool club and we joined new classes four times a year. That year I decided to put down a pop dance group as one of my three choices, and I got in. At first I was beyond nervous because I had no moves whatsoever. But suddenly after the first week of that class I discovered a passion for dancing. I began to crave dancing in beat with the music and learning new moves. Towards the end of the class we learned and perfected a dance routine. I almost died when I learned we would have to perform it in front of all the afterschool club kids and their parents. And it didn’t help knowing that during most of the routine I was in the front. Exposed, where everyone could see me. To sum it up, I gained the courage to perform in front of them and had a fun time doing it. Plus, I discovered a new passion.
I still don’t consider myself a dancer from the lack of training but I do enjoy doing it. So I learned from that experience that even if you hate doing something or aren’t any good at it you can still get better at it with practice and maybe even eventually enjoy it.

[CE] Toyko Games Show

The technology in this video is amazing. I, for one, am fan of video games. I don’t play them daily but do enjoy them when I get the chance. The idea of having a phone that is also a gaming device will definitely be a success when they decide to put it on the market. A lot of kids who love playing video games don’t play them as often because it’s a drag to have to carry around the console. Yet kids always have their phones on them. So if you combined the two, kids would only have to carry one device around which is obviously more appealing. I would definitely buy one if they were sold at cellphone companies today. I have also noticed the increased popularity of social gaming as explained in the video. Many friends I have (mostly guys) use their x-box 360 to play with friends in a variety of different games or maybe even play against random opponents. Social gaming seems to increase the interest factor to most gamers. At the end of this video there is a man shown playing a driving video game. What amazes me about this game is that the man isn’t using a controller. I am still blind to how this is possible. At Disneyland this past summer, inside Innovations, I play Kinectimals on Kinect for x-box 360. In the game you interact with an animal by moving around (without a controller) in front of the Kinect, which is a camera that observes your movements. For example, if you went through the movement of throwing a stick, your character would actually throw one and you would watch your animal run and retrieve it. Well, you get the point. The technology today continues to push boundaries, so I can’t wait to see what surprises await us in the future.

[FREE] Don't Say Goodbye

There I stood at gate C, head down and arms crossed. It was the same process every year but it never seemed to get any easier. I turned to face the man at my right. His eyes watched the planes arrive and depart as if they put him in a trance. We never talked much until I was told it was time for me to board. I always chose to go last to achieve the maximum time possible. That’s all I wanted: time. The scratchy voice on the intercom startled me as it called my name. The part of my trip I dreaded the most had come.

                “It’s time to go honey,” my dad whispered.

I couldn’t even manage a reply as we stood up in unison and walked towards the large metal door. The ticket handler, as usual, gave me a cheesy underpaid smile and told me to say my goodbyes. My dad quickly embraced me in a hug that made my eyes fill with tears. Every time I promised I wouldn’t cry. That I would be strong because being weak didn’t help anyone. And every time I failed.

                “I love you brat,” my dad said.

                “I love you too,” I answered.

I stepped back from him and tried my best to breath steadily.

                “Text me when you’re safe at home.”

                “Okay,” I mumbled, “Bye Dad.”

He grabbed me and pulled me in for one last hug.

                “Don’t say goodbye. I’ll you see you again,” my dad said trying to comfort me,” As soon as possible.”

If you consider one year away soon then he was telling the truth. There was no need to say anything more so I began to make my way down the hall to plane where I was the last boarding. But before I turned the corner I made sure to take one last look. It hurt knowing how much I would miss him. Although, it’s hard to say you’ll miss what you never had.

[RE] The Tragedy of 9/11

 "I know that even though the caught and killed Bin Laden there will always be questions about what provoked him and why he organized such a terrible attack. Yet again he wasn't called a terrorist for nothing. Right?"

The quote above is pulled from Brianna Ramchandani’s blog. Click on her name to go to her post.

 This Sunday will be the 10^th anniversary of the devastating attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon.  It’s always an emotional event when it comes around, more for some than others. This quote explains what is likely on everyone’s mind at some time or another. Yes, we found and killed Bin Laden, but he was only one of the leaders that created the disaster we know as 9/11. They are still out there and who’s to say they won’t strike again? We’ve all seen the major changes in airports since the event and that was put there to reassure Americans that the government was and is making sure there won’t be another 9/11. We can try our hardest to make sure it will never happen again but is always still a chance we could slip up or they could beat our system. Hopefully we’ll never get to that point. My dad is over in Afghanistan at this very moment doing his duty as a 1^st sergeant. There’s always a fear in the back of my head that something could go wrong, but I try to stay positive. I just hope one day we can settle our differences and end this war, life wasn’t meant to spend worrying.   

[FREE] Maroon 5

The one band I just can’t seem to get enough of is, without a doubt, Maroon 5. There’s just something about Adam Levine’s voice that is so fresh and addicting. Some people might say he sounds girly since his voice is high pitched, but that’s what makes him unique. The same thing was said about Justin Bieber, and look how famous he got. My five top Maroon 5 songs would have to be: Makes Me Wonder, Misery, Sunday Morning, This Love, and Moves Like Jagger. Those are just some of the amazing songs Maroon 5 has created. The band consists of five people:
1. Adam Levine : lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist
2. James Valentine: guitarist
3. Jesse Carmichael: keyboardist
4. Michael Madden: bass guitarist
5. Matt Flynn: drummer
Adam Levine was also a judge on the show The Voice. I never watched it but heard it was very good. You should check out the band if you haven’t heard of them already. Another cool fact is that Adam Levine was born in LA, a place where most famous people today weren't born. He formed his band during highschool with some of his close friends. I posted one of their songs above so you can get a sense of their sound. The band is just overall amazing. They have a fun pop rock vibe and a catchy beat to every song they write. I’m proud to say they never cease to amaze me.

[CE] Rebuilding Afghanistan

In the first twenty seconds of this video the news reporter says something very interesting. "For the Taliban, the hope of a normal life was a dream." This is very saddening to hear in my opinion. We take many things for granted nowadays. The simple things we’re able to do daily are not the case for many foreign countries. For example, the variety of stores we’re exposed to. We can go buy fresh ingredients from places like Safeway and Trader Joes anytime we please. Or even our education system. Kids don’t seem to appreciate being able to go to school (for free) and having teachers available for tutoring after school, and even the ability to access to school clubs and sports. Other countries are fighting desperately for what we have. So I’m glad to hear that Afghanistan’s economy is thriving more and more for the past decade. It almost seems that Afghanistan was stuck in the past under the Taliban’s rule. What I’m referring to is how they treated women. If you think back to America’s history, back to the time where women were “only good” for cleaning, cooking, and producing offspring; it’s extremely similar to what the Afghanistan women were going through. They were refused the right to work or even get an education. Sound familiar? The last thing I would like to comment on is how American troops are in a way “stuck” in Afghanistan. If we pull out too quickly there is a chance the Taliban will retake the power of the country. This would ruin all the years America has spent fighting for the freedom and rights of the Afghanistan people. However, I have faith we will find a way to keep the Taliban powerless and the Afghanistan economy growing.

[FREE] A Little About Moi(:

                So, as it turns out, my first blog ever is going to be about me. I’m a pretty easy-going type person so I don’t know how fascinating this is going to turn out, but I’ll give it a shot.

                First I’ll talk about the job I’m interesting in pursuing. For a long time I was determined to be an animator at Pixar, but now I’m not too sure. I’ve seemed to take an interest in crime scene investigating. With the Pixar career I was nervous that I would get bored working at a desk all day, but I learned with being a crime scene investigator, that wouldn’t be a problem. CSIs are always moving, whether it’s at the scene, in the lab, preserving evidence, or even testifying in court. Also I’d be able to give justice and closure to the victims involved in homicides, suicides, rapes, robberies, and natural deaths. It sounds fun to me but not an ideal job for everyone, especially if you’re the squeamish type.

The main things that shape me as a person are my hobbies. My two favorite things to do are playing my guitar, and writing. Music is an amazing thing. It allows you to express yourself ways that’s relatable to other people. I love to find the chords to my favorite songs and learn to play them. And occasionally, I’ll write my own songs (lyrics and chords) to describe something that I went through. After writing a song I feel a sense of accomplishment and closure. Sometimes it helps me to write a song about a negative experience. It helps me move on.

My second favorite hobby is reading and writing. I consider those two to go together as a pair. My favorite genres of books are adventures, thrillers, and fantasies. The best series in the world, in my eye, is Harry Potter. I am a complete Harry Potter nerd and always will be. When a movie comes out based on the book, it’s never as good. Although it is fun to see the world that you read about, I still find it more intriguing to use your imagination as your read. The whole idea of getting lost in a good book is what I look forward too. Now writing is even better than reading. I’ve always found writing enjoyable. Not the kind you do in school with set topics and guidelines, but writing about whatever crosses your mind. You can create a whole world with your own characters and your own story plot, and no one can tell you you’re wrong! Besides, it’s just a bonus if people enjoy it.

 Since I’m on the topic of writing, I might as well talk about my writing goals for this year. For one, I would really love it if I was able to expand my vocabulary. Since I do enjoy writing, it would be nice to use different verbs and adjectives instead of the same ones that get overused.  Another skill I would like to work on is how to write dialogue. I’m not too familiar with writing conversations but would like to be. By the end of this school year I would like to be able to write a smooth, flowing dialogue with the correct punctuation.  

That’s about all you’ll need to know for now. I hope you enjoyed learning about me!