...Composition 1 December 10, 2015 My Addiction, My Recovery "It can never happen to me" I thought, as I watched my father drink himself into oblivion and smoke his drugs, from sunrise, to sunset, and sometimes, for days, even weeks with no break in between. When he left, I remember feeling relieved, even at the early age of two. He was in and out of my life, just as often as he was in and out of rehabiliation centers for the chemically addicted. I didn't mind, I didn't have to watch him slowly kill himself, and hurt my mother, brother and I in the process. I never wanted to be like either one of my parents, both addicts with two different choices of poisons, I told myself every single day that would never be me. Me risk losing it all, my family, my friends, my health, everything in the world that means anything to me at all? "Never" is what I told myself, every time I thought of my father, or looked at my mother. That wasn't what I wanted for my life, I wanted a good life, full of happiness and ambition, surrounded by those I love, and I would never settle for less. My parent's and their lifestyle were things I looked to for motivation to stay focused, and on the right track. Boy, did that ever backfire! My brother and I are three years apart in age, he is older, but not by much when it comes to mentality. One night, after a long night of work, I was 15 and already had dropped out of school, I walked into my brothers room and found him at...
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...Adam Davis My Favorite Person Ever “Beep! Beep!” As I woke up to the loud sound of an alarm, I knew today was going to be a big day. My little sister would be born today: October 27th, 2005. I crept over to my big brother’s room, and I woke him up with the great news. He jumped up out of his bed. I told him that Mom was at the hospital and that we needed to get there. He replied that he had a test that day at his high school. I told him that Mya would be more important than some dumb test. As we began to fight, my brother pushed me down the steps like he was an offensive lineman protecting his quarterback. As the pain shot up my arm, I began to sob. I just could not stop. My brother Andrew left me like LeBron left Cleveland in 2010. I was at home all by myself, and nobody was answering the phone. Finally my Dad called me on the house phone. He told me to go to school and that he would come pick me up. I wiped the tears off my face, jumped in the shower, and frantically washed my body, As the water began to touch my skin I began to think about all the times I sat on my mom’s soft bed and read stories to Mya with my mouth touching my mom’s stomach. I wondered which parent Mya would look like, if we were going to have a good relationship, and most importantly if I was going to be a great big brother. I got out of the shower, and I dried off as quickly as I could. I went to my closet and looked for an outfit like I was going to meet the President of The United States. I decided...
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...2015 Narrative Essay Loss I have this fear. My heart starts beating fast. Sometimes it’s like all things start spinning out of control around me. Then it comes as a shock and quickly becomes disbelief. It’s like the whole world is working against me. Soon after, I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that just doesn’t go away when I want it to. When it’s sudden and unexpected, the shock turns out to be so overwhelming. My biggest fear is losing someone close to me. I certainly don’t do well with losing people. It’s really hard for me, and even though I’m a strong person in front of others, I become miserable when I’m alone. One struggle I have when I experience loss is keeping my own faith. I trust that God knows of all things, and I know if that’s what He wants, than I have to accept it, but I question why and it angers me a little. Throughout high school in Danbury, CT, I had a best friend who had my back through everything. His name was Luan Henrique Pitol and I can honestly say I trusted him with pretty much anything. I told him things I had trouble telling my girlfriends and he lectured me when I dated the wrong guys. The funny thing is, he was a player himself, but I’m proud to say I was his only “girl” friend who never became his girlfriend. Our friendship was too strong and there was no way we would risk it. We would always laugh when people told us to be together and I think it’s because I always had this “big brother” kind of description in mind when I talked...
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...think that first day after the summer vacation is very exciting for their kids. They buy clothes all summer long searching for that right outfit for the first day. You could hear the many conversations between the adults, who is wearing what and how cute their little one are. I came to realize quickly that this event caused more excitement for them than for the kids. I remember my first day like it was yesterday and I can’t relate to the excitement that many parents have today. It was a normal day in Barbados. Sunrise was very beautiful, as it rides just beyond the cliff of the sea. A bright orange just five minutes away. It seems you can just reach out and touch the fullness of the sun. As I gazed outside my window, the trees were still and bubbles of dew slowly flow down the side of the leaves. In a nearby yard I heard a rooster singing to the top of his lungs. Everything seems in place with a soft carpet of dew covering our lawn like a freshly carpeted house untouched and perfect to the eye. No matter how long I lived on the island, the smell of that fresh breath taking ocean spray is unforgettable. The rich greens, reds, oranges and even the trunks of the trees, made it picture perfect just like the clothes my mom laid out on my bed. My khaki shorts, shirt and socks. Yes, not too flattering but it was my uniform, and it was easy for me to get ready. No scanning through clothes trying to decide what to wear everyday. As I was getting ready, I heard my mom yelling out in...
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...have not yet heard of him or his stupid bad ass accomplishments. Let me take you back. TATIANA AND LISA ARE SITTING IN TATIANA’S LOUNGE ROOM. TATIANA | My brother is so annoying. Every time a guy even looks at me, he scares them away. It was so good before he came home, I got any guy I wanted! (Tatiana starts getting teary) He’s such a knob; I wish he would run away again. | LISA | There’s nothing wrong with your brother, he’s sooo hot, what’s his number? What is he doing tonight? | | LISA LAUGHS, TATIANA STARES AT HER. | TATIANA | LISA!! You’re supposed to be my best friend, yuck! | LISA | Sorry, Tatty. He can’t be that annoying, can he? | | TATIANA STARTS BRUSHING HER HAIR AND GETS COMFORTABLE. | TATIANA | You can’t tell anyone about what I’m about to tell you, okay? | LISA | Yeah, alright. | TATIANA | Swear on your really nice hair that’s not as nice as mine? | LISA | I swear. | TATIANA | Alright, well… you know how he ran away from home when he was like younger? | LISA | Yeah, so? | TATIANA | Yeah, well… where he went, like got him into drugs and alcohol really bad, and he is not a happy person when he is drunk, he gets all agro and stuff, it’s not pretty. When I was little he broke a few of my nails, and pulled my hair, it was terrible. Mum said I cried for days. | LISA | Oh my god, that is terrible. Doesn’t he scare you? | TATIANA | Yep. Just a little bit. Do you want to start...
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...while the crowd signals to people around them and tape what is going on. My husband and I were vacationing in a foreign country when we witnessed a physical altercation between two people. When two men began to fight in public, bystanders were immediately responsive to the situation. The first act of many was to call the police and report the details of what was going on. Others, possibly seeing that the incident had already been reported or possibly not caring, rushed to get closer the men. Many were armed with video recording devices which they used to capture the details of the match. A crowd gathered around as the police arrived and the paramedics attempted to reach the injured and treat their wounds after one of the person involved in the fight shot the other one. My husband and I ran away when we heard the gun shot but we could still see how the crowd reacted to the event in the distance. The police officers and the paramedics tried to keep the people away from the scene but a lot of people remained close to the site and tried to tape the events with their electronic devices. We felt very worried and scared after this event and even tried to change the dates of our trip to return earlier. 2- Founding out that my grandfather had passed away. Discovering that my Grandfather had passed away was a tragic and heartbreaking realization. It brought sad emotions to me and a large number of people in my family. These emotions prevailed for several months. The way in which I...
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...developments. In my life, I have experienced several memorable events, lived through the good, and survived unpleasant times. Everyone has experienced both expected and unforeseen events that have made profound impacts on them. On April 19, 2013, I underwent the most profound imprint of my life, giving birth to my daughter, Sydney Lillian Diggs. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant. It was one of the happiest and scariest days of my life due to a previous miscarriage just a few months before. I took two home pregnancy tests, then another at my doctor’s office to make sure I was not dreaming. The doctor confirmed I was pregnant! My fiancé and I listened to the baby's heart beating. It was the most absolutely amazing experience. My emotions went from laughter to crying tears of joy. A few weeks later we went for the ultrasound. We were on our wonderful journey to become parents. I had my delivery plan all mapped out. Since my fiancé works two hours away, I had contingency hospital plan. My sister who lives a mile from me, was my back up plan. In addition, I have a close friend Akilah that lives two blocks away has a flexible schedule during the day. All of Sydney's clothes and bedding were washed and organized. My bags were packed. I anxiously waited for the big day anticipating everything was under control. On April 18 2013, my fiancé was at work. I started having contractions, but they were not close, they were about 20 minutes apart. I called my fiancé,...
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...Comm 101 Scrubs Many people seem to think that many television shows destroy the brain, but as for numerous amounts of television shows actually depict a lesson to lure in an audience. Take the television show Scrubs. Written and directed by Ryan Levin, this comical series about a well-renowned hospital and its staff depict the everyday lives of four different characters. In this comical show that allows four friends to comment on their everyday lives about being a doctor, resident intern, and surgeon. A story line based on the comical genius of the producers of both South Park and Weeds. Follow me as I analyze both the good and bad aspects of all four of the characters tell their sides of the story through each others lines. The storyline of many different television shows normally have exactly the same sequence of events. First, the scene is set in a hospital. But as many people do not know, Sacred Heart Hospital is no ordinary hospital. Here, everyone hates everyone in a sarcastic manner. All the employees hate the boss, the chief of medicine; Dr. Bob Kelso because he is some hypocritical, crazed maniac that cannot even once admit that he really needs friends or loves his wife. As for the maintenance staff is concerned, the only person who actually is involved inside the lives of all four friends, the crazed Janitor, known as Janitor, takes all matters into his own hands when he begins his need for chaos with J.D. As for everyone else, they sort of just...
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...The Market / Customer Situation * customer description: The main target market for big day out is people aged 18 to late 20’s, who have an interest in mainstream, contemporary rock and electronic music (such as kanye West, Soundgarden, Muse and Foo Fighters). Most of the people targeted will live in the major cities where big day out is held (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and Auckland new Zealand) however people from country locations who have access to social media sites such as facebook and twitter are also targeted. Big Day Out also has a large amount of loyal fans that attend yearly. There is a different type of festival on offer with 3 or more main stages which allows different genres to play at once meaning there is always something happening to cater for all clientele. As a result of the more diverse product range different markets can be targeted allowing Big Day Out to target a much larger market than other festivals. * The size of your market and growth trends: The festival has grown significantly since it began with 700 musicians and crew travelling with the festival in 2010 compared with 70 in 1993 (e-tainment news, 2012) however in the last year there has been a massive decline in ticket sales, taking the Adelaide festival as a sample only 1200 ticked holders attended the show this year being 2012 this is less than half the amount of ticket holders from last year’s show 2011 which had a turnout of 30000 ticket holders this...
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...Xrace adventure competition There are 5 stages – Jelgava, Mazsalaca, Ventspils, Rīga, Jūrmala. Competition | Description | Chats and forums | August 17, the action takes place at Riga, during Riga Festival. Competition is based on orienteering, cycling, rowing, and other fascinating mind and little extreme special tasks that require team cooperation. Also in teams need to be at least one female. | Sports course time spent is 5-8h, 15 km on foot, by bicycle 50 km, 3 km by boat. Distance more suitable for professional athletes, but it can be done and at the same time a challenge to those who regularly do sports every day 500 Triatel xRace adventure racers | Andris“We needed to wait for boats and also find spot for bike. That was frustrating”Pi“It would be a great step if you had brown bread at the boat point as white bread definitely did not help. Now it is just almost perfect :)”rukiitis„What about car parking? Is there a special place for free, or place along the streets or under the park for a fee?” | 6-7. July Ventspils was hosting another such competition. This was the night phase, which is exciting in that the participants take the race in the dark. | Although the distance at night requires more physical strength, sharpen the mind and ability to hold the attention in spite of sleep, the participants, in particular, waiting and assess those steps. more than 100 teams | AndrisAnsabergs, team captain Ebike"The stage was exciting from start to finish line. The need to...
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...Ethnocentrism is a major reason for divisions amongst members of different ethnicities, races, and religious groups in society. Ethnocentrism is the belief of superiority is one's personal ethnic group, but it can also develop from racial or religious differences. Ethnocentric individuals believe that they are better than other individuals for reasons based solely on their heritage. Clearly, this practice is related to problems of both racism and prejudice. While many people may recognize the problems, they may not realize that ethnocentrism occurs everywhere and everyday at both the local and political levels. Ethnocentrism in History Present Day Politics To solidify the definition of ethnocentrism, looking at the present day politics of the United States is helpful. With instances occuring since its conception, the United States has often thought of itself as more powerful, more economically sound, and just generally "better" than other nations. This has been shown by the country's tendency to dabble in situations occuring in other nations, such as the country's current involvement with affairs in the Middle East. Although the idea of every citizen in the United States belonging to one ethnicity is certainly debatable, since the country has citizens who originally came from all over the world, the feeling of national pride can stand in for a pure ethnicity in this case. European Imperialism Imperialism, the practice of taking over other lands, was heavily...
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...clothes that they wear every day, are still characteristics that define a person. I have given this topic a great deal of thought and the most important things that define me are my adoption, heritage, and passion for the game of softball. It is not just one aspect that defines me. It is through my past experiences, and future ones that shape who I am as an individual person. My adoption would have to be what defines me the most because being adopted shows a person that they can’t take their family for granted. Building and keeping the strong relationship with my family is very important to me. These relationships continue to grow every day. Without my family I don’t know where I would be right now. The basically saved my life and that’s what family is for. Another thing that adoption has taught me about is inclusion. My family took me in when I needed it the most and they didn’t treat me like I was an outsider even though they didn’t know anything about me or where I came from. Including someone is something me and my friends are doing could change someone’s life for the better. I was taught that I shouldn’t exclude anyone and if they are shy go over to them and ask if they want to join. Continuing with the family idea and the adoption, my heritage is also another thing that defines me. With being adopted I was only introduced to my adopted family’s heritage which is Irish, German, and Scottish. However, this summer I decided to ask my mom what my true heritage was and she told...
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...Movie Review Movie Review COMS 4100 Summer2013 Andrea Holmes COMS 4100 Summer2013 Andrea Holmes The movie I chose to analyze is “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett and other bigger than life stars. This movie is about a young Greek woman, Toula Portokalos, who struggles with her identity and does not feel like she fits in. She desires more in life and is confused as to how she will fill the role her parents require of her. Toula’s family migrated from Greece to give her and her siblings, Athena and Nick a better life. Their father, Gus, is sure to remind them of this every chance he gets. He believes the Greek way is the only way and is very intolerant of pushback from his children. Toula’s mother, Maria, is a strong woman who believes in working hard, loving hard, and cooking huge meals at any given moment. Toula fights the fact that she is nothing like her family. She is quirky and finds that she is a square peg in a round hole. The Portokalos family is very big and exceptionally close. Every occasion calls for a party and every party calls for the most food any person could ever imagine. This rambunctious lifestyle has always been a thorn in Toula’s side and no matter how hard she tries, she is unable to find her niche in life. As a Greek woman, she is expected to marry young, have many children and work in the family business, a diner called the Dancing Zorbas. Not only is she to marry a nice man, he is to be a nice, GREEK...
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...Film Techniques of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ * At the beginning of the film, she is very upset because she was different and of different culture to the kids in her school, but then the movie gradually shows that it is actually a positive because that is what Ian liked about her. * In the opening segment, there is the use of voiceover, which is a reflective technique. * What she said when in the first scene, she said she wanted to be blond girls, that later Ian likes her because she is different and not blond. She didn’t want to go to Greek school but that was what Ian liked. During the scene with her in Greek school, there was Greek music playing in the background which emphasises how distinctly Greek she is. * When it shows their house, it pans across the street and there is a medium shot of the house. Their family is mono-culture. Gus has very set beliefs and he is so convinced that all of the human accomplishments have been because of the Greeks, that’s why he wants her to marry a Greek. * The main thing is humour. It conveys the message of this film in an interesting way. * The film introduces the usage of repeated motifs with the Greek language, Windex and the idea that you have to get married, have babies and feed everyone. * We are showed that when she was young, she was embarrassed by her parents. The irony that when she was young, she didn’t want to be Greek but in the later years, this is what was made her special. They brought her...
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...“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is a charming romantic comedy that explores cultural differences in a combination of adorable romance and cute humor. The story revolves around Toula, a thirty-year-old Greek American single woman, who lives with her family in the suburb of Chicago. Like many obedient Greek daughters, she works in her family’s business, a restaurant called “Dancing Zorba’s.” Toula belongs to a traditional collective upbringing where all good daughters are expected to marry from their ethnic background. However, she struggles with her father’s limited ambitions for her and she longs for something else in life. She enrolls in college and takes computer classes. With the computer diploma under her belt, a rebellious Toula emerges. She manages her aunt’s travel agency and starts dating Ian Miller, a white high school English teacher. They date secretly for a while, before she has the courage to introduce him to her family. Her father is livid over her dating a non-Greek. The climax of the story occurs when both sides try to adjust to each other. While Ian has to let go of his rigid white individualistic upbringing and learn to accept her collective big family and Greek traditions, Toula has to come to terms with her own identity. My Big Fat Greek Wedding not only exposes the cultural difference between the individualism of Ian and his family and the collectivism of Toula and her family, it also offers a wide array of misconceptions in interpersonal communication. Collectivism...
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