Entry #11: My Blogging Experience

As some of you know, this is not my first experience blogging. In Eng. 101, professor Chris introduced me to blogging. At the beginning of my blogging career, I didn't do so well. I had no idea how to express myself and how to present my writing either. My first blog post was nothing but words, BOOORRIINNGG! Well, that was a lesson learned. After that, I kept pushing myself. I began to use pictures and became more and more comfortable with blogging and how to express myself.

I feel like I have come a long way. I truly enjoy blogging. No, I never got to pimp out my blog but that's ok because I plan on starting my own personal blog in the near future. Not sure what it's going to be about but I am considering blogging about the modern lives of moms like me. Very rarely do moms stay home with their kids. Nowadays moms are growing their families while working, going to school, and maintaining their home.

Wow, I just thought of this right now! Gosh, I'm such a genius! At least I have the topic and name down, now it's just a matter of creating it. =] The Modern Mom...... That has a beautiful ring to it.

Blogging has taught me so much, especially when it comes to writing. I was stuck in the five paragraph essay formats since high school! English was never my favorite subject and I avoided it at all costs in college, until I had no choice but to take it. I am glad I waited. I was able to take my English courses with a great professor! Usually students never take the same professor twice but I made sure I did. I've heard of many horrific stories about English teachers and their crazy methods and I didn't not want that experience.

To my professor:

Chris, I want to thank you for pushing me outside my bubble. Your humor is amazing and you never fail to make the class laugh. Not many students have the pleasure of experiencing great teachers like you. Keep doing what you're doing! It's working. And thank you for a great year!


To my classmates... I hope you all have a great summer!

It's not goodbye it's a.............

Entry #10: Just Laugh

Are you having a rough day but there is no one to cheer you up! I have the perfect solution. MEMES! The funny ones of course.....

Lets laugh together.....

This is perfect and so me! I think I hit the jackpot.

I hope that everyone has had a successful semester. We are nearing the end and I am sure that many of you are just as excited as I am. I cannot wait. I am ready to put this difficult semester past me and start my bachelors in the fall. Good luck to you all! I hope I gave you a few laughs.... We all need it right now. 

Entry #9: Media

You know what grinds my gears?? Memes!!

Facebook memes just drive me bonkers. Not all of them but the ones that are politically based and completely false. It's amazing how many people fall for them. As the saying goes, "If it's on the internet, it must be true".

Here are a few political memes:

I will tell you why memes drive me nuts. It's not because they have false information but because so many people actually believe them. I mean, REALLY? Come on people. Do we just believe everything we hear? This meme doesn't just provide false information but it's screaming prejudice. I understand that 9/11 was a tragedy but do we hate an entire group of people because of one small group? I would hope not but these kind of memes enforce that way of thinking and sometimes even hate.

I have seen how some of my friends on Facebook have become so gullible and so not even question these memes that they proudly post on their walls. I had one friend who would constantly post memes against Obama and this meme right above drove me so crazy, I made it my mission to find out if it was true or not. So is president Obama behind a Muslim prayer flag or not?

So what did I find?

It is FALSE! He is not behind a Muslim flag and if we want to start questioning his actions why not as president Bush why he is behind one. Maybe president Bush is Muslim! What a crazy thought.

I know that the media can be such a strong influence but memes on Facebook have taken over. Every day I see memes that are politically and racially based and it's just sad to see that we continue to spread hate. What's even more shocking is that no one thinks to research this information. I had a friend of mine who is in the military and he posted a meme of the Benghazi attack, attacking Hilary Clinton for not doing anything. The pictures and the accusations were so shocking that I took time out to research it.

This is the infamous meme......

Which is so false. If you even look at the picture and the men that are involved they do not fit the physically appear of an Arab. Second of all when was this picture taken? It looks like it happened years ago in another war. This person looks like they're being tortured and whoever created this meme was smart enough to find such a shocking picture and fool so many.

It's not just the picture that is false but the information is pure hodgepodge. I read article after article and not one ever said that Ambassador Stevens was tortured, raped, cattle prodded and burned to death. The fact that my friend, who is in the military, posted this so proudly on his Facebook page shows that you can fool anyone. Even someone in the military who can get the right information but instead they believe such a silly meme.

So the next time you come across a meme with gruesome photos and accusations of a particular party, please so some research. As the saying goes, "When you assume, you make an ass out of me and you".

Entry #8: Science..... Has it gone to far?

 A giraffe named Marius...

  This 18 month old beautiful creature was "euthanized" by the Copenhagen zoo in Denmark just a couple of months ago. It was feared that he might cause inbreeding and to avoid that at all cost they blew his brains out. Yup, I'm going to say it how it is. They did not euthanize Marius they murdered him in front of a hundreds of people. Weeks in advance sanctuaries and other zoos had offered to take Marius and they even offered money but scientific director Bengt Holst refused. Marius was a part of a breeding program that is meant to create a healthy population of giraffes, so he belonged to the zoo and only the zoo. Holst said that he feared for Marius's being anywhere else and that he creates these animals and he ends their lives as well. He say's death is apart of life. 

 Death is a natural part of life. Death should never be forced and when it is, it than becomes murder. After Marius was dismembered in front of children he was than thrown to the lions. When have we decided to take life into our own hands and choose who lives and who dies? Sounds like we're playing God. Animals were not put on this earth for us to use and abuse. They deserve to live in their natural habitats, living with their families and having thousands of miles to roam and be free. 

 On March 25, 2014, just a month after poor Marius was murdered, the Copenhagen zoo put down four lions. You read that last line right, FOUR HEALTHY LIONS. The zoo supposedly tried to re-home the lion family but was not successful and because they could not find them homes they put them down to make room for the new lion male that was coming in a matter of days. They said that due to the pride that lions have, they could not risk putting in a new male into the zoo. Two 10 month old cubs and their father who was 16 and mother who was 14 were euthanized. The zoo also mentioned that the parents have almost reached their life expectancy in captivity......, so does that mean we just kill animals off that have reached old age? Would you put your grandpa down because he's old and is taking up space? I think not. 

 The Copenhagen zoo has no problem in displaying their methods of murder to the world and this makes me question other zoo's. Are they ethical, or are they just better at hiding their crimes. 

 Sea world has already been exposed of their cruel methods and this leads me to believe that not one single zoo out there is ethical. Think about it! These animals are either removed from their environment of bred in captivity. They don't live a natural life. They have little room to live and roam and they are constantly being watched by people. I would hate my life if I was trapped in a zoo. 

 If you would cage your dog for all of it's life then why should any animal be caged period. So before you go and support what zoo's and other companies like it are doing, as yourself, "Is this okay?". 

Entry #7: Capitalism

  Michael Moore did a great job sucking me right into this movie. After watching it, I wanted to scream " SCREW YOU CAPITALISM".

  Of course what's a blog post without some entertaining art to go along with it..... before I continue lets look at some more amusing art. READY......SET.....GO!!!

  Why he doesn't look so friendly! He might lose his balance. Those bags do not look very sturdy to me.

HA! I got a great laugh out of this one. Want to know why? Oh simply because IT'S TRUE!

 The last picture above is how I felt after watching Michael Moore's movie. How many of us are actually sure about the road ahead of us? It doesn't matter what each an everyone's worries might be but we're all concerned about the future and what is waiting for us. I will admit I might not know too much on capitalism and how it truly works but based off of the bad parts of capitalism, I can say I am not too fond of it.

 What are we supporting? Are we supporting cheap labor across seas? Are we watching children starve in other countries? Does the government really have true and honest people working or are they just being run by big business? This movie definitely leaves you wondering and asking a lot of questions.

 I, again admit that I do not have a strong background on what capitalism is but the last time I remembered anything from history/government class is that when BIG business fails.... it truly FAILS. There is no government BAILOUTS. There is not light at the end of the tunnel. The rich can do as they please as they get richer but the middle class has to pay for all of the mistakes. I watched my parents almost lose their home after the recession hit. My mom's hours we're cut in half as well as she lost some of her pay. My dad lost his job and fell into a state of depression. My mother had to get a second job just to maintain all of the unexpected bills. To this day my mom is still working two jobs. With her hard work she has managed to keep her house and she is doing it on her own. My dad is not longer able to work and at least he is receiving some help from his disability to help my mother out but even still she struggles paycheck to paycheck. So does capitalism work for the working class????? I'm not so sure!

Before I go I must send you of with one more piece of art!

Okay one more.....just for a great laugh.....



Entry #6: Was that due today?

   Who out there feels like this? If you've ever felt lost and like your mind is going to explode well then I know that I am not alone. By far this semester has been the biggest struggle for me. I have a 29 month old (2years 5months), a three month old at home on top of being a full time student and working between twenty five to thirty hours a week. My plates never been so full. I am constantly on the go and reminding myself of assignments and making sure I set my alarm on repeat so I get up on time so I don't miss class. I know I am not the only one. I run into a few if not many just like me this semester. We're all struggling
  I am using this blog to vent for myself and for the many others out there. I mean who honestly wants to write back to back essays? If it's not for English it's for another class. Can we get a break? I feel like when I am done studying or researching for one class another surprise assignment pops up. The school work this semester is endless. I wish I could multiply myself so that all my doubles can be where I need them to be so I can just catch up on sleep. How amazing would that be?
  I don't know that there is really much of a solution in my case. It's not like I can just stop working or taking care of my kids to stop and just focus on school. Not that that would be my choice anyways but it would definitely be easier to have to deal with less. Just like every other student out there, we cannot wait for the semester to be over. I am just praying that I can make it was all B's this semester. That's my lowest goal, of course I am going to strive for the best but just in case I slack a bit I don't want to feel guilty if I don't get A's or any A's for that fact. I am counting down the days before I can breath again and feel like myself and then we enter the gates of hell come the next semester.

Entry #5: Wall-E

   What is a plant? What is dirt? Those are the unfortunate questions we might face from our future children. I think technology is amazing and the endless possibilities that come with it but as we all know with every good thing there is always the bad that takes away from it. I remember when my mom bought the family our very first computer. It was a huge ugly box and she spent and arm and a leg for it. At the time I thought we had hit a jackpot and I felt so privileged to have a computer but looking back now with all the updates we have today, that thing was a piece of junk. It was slower than a snail. I mean who even uses dial up anymore? Now we have the need for speed.

  Technology has so many benefits. We don't even have time to name them all but a few of those are the abilities to be informed with the latest news, talk with family members anywhere in the world, have a phone on the go with us at all times and even join social networks that help us keep in touch. I rarely ever even watch TV anymore, especially the news so if I hear about something it's more than likely form the web. I am just so busy that I don't have time to sit down and watch the news. Now a days people like me are busy with school, work, and kids and we have little time to really sit down and see what's going on in todays world. The web makes that possible for us.
   Phones like the web give us a different form of communication. Instead of calling my brother, mom, or spouse I can just type up a quick text and send it to them. This way I am not disrupting what they're doing and it's a subtle way of speaking with one another. Families can Skype with each other from different parts of the world and not miss a thing. For example, my family and I Skype with my aunts and uncles in Bosnia, which I might add is pretty cool. We're able to stay close without being close in distance.
  These are all great benefits but they are many negatives as well. So many of us are dependent on technology that we've forgotten how to live without it. Really, who doesn't have a cell phone now a days? Cell phone are becoming more affordable as the months and years pass. Just the other day I took my girls to the park and I noticed a middle school student and her younger brother just taking selfies instead of playing. Really??? What kid owns an iPhone? I don't own an iPhone. I can imagine that these two have an Instagram as well. Personally, I would not be okay with my children have such social sites. I want my children to go outside and play and get dirty. Those were the most precious and best times of my childhood. No child should lose out on those experiences or miss out on those memories.
  Our children are forgetting how forever the web is and what they put out there is accessible for everyone to see. Kids are so fearless and they just want to explore but we need to limit there exposure to technology when it comes to bonding with family and friends face to face. Kids today are overweight because they rather stay instead and play games, watch TV, or be on the web. It's so important to educate our youth on what's really important, we can save their health and social skills in the log run. As we can see, even though technology can be amazing it can also be harmful.

    

Entry #4: So many options......

  I was going to write about the horrors of the meat industry but instead I am going to write about something a little less horrific and more tasty, my diet. People always ask me what I eat. Well here it is......

    These are just a few tasty options. Who needs to drink milk when you can have a tall glass of orange juice or kale chips for a snack. I know everyone is wondering what kale chips are!!! I know everyone is just as excited about kale chips as I am. They're super simple to make and cheaper than what you can find at the store. First you take some kale, wash it of course, chop it up into bit size pieces, tosh it in some olive oil and sea salt. Once you've done all of this then we can heat up our oven to 300 degrees and baked them for 20  minutes. I will say baking them doesn't always leave your house smelling lovely but the most important part is they're yummy.

  For more recipes like this you can check out eat-yourself-skinny.com.

 

  I should have given up meat and dairy years ago but the fact that it was an inconvenience was what was truly stopping me. Fast food or even frozen meals are just so easy to pop in a make within minutes but when you have to prep your meals in advance it can become a challenge. Luckily just like regular food, I can buy frozen vegan meals and no I cannot just go and get fast food but avoiding restaurants like Taco Bell, McDonald's, Jack in the Box and such places, I will not only stay healthy but cut down on their profits and hopefully cruelty.

   

 

    Here are a few yummy places to try:

        - The Green/Nami: A tasty vegan restaurant that anyone can enjoy. You can go to green and have a yummy meal and than if your up to it, walk over to nami for some yummy desert.

        - True Foods: Has the best tofu lettuce wraps! They're so delish. I am making myself hungry just thinking about it.

        - Kabuki at Westgate: No, Kabuki isn't a vegan restaurant but you can always find vegan options such as munching on some edamame, have a veggie role, avocado role, maybe a cucumber salad or even some tofu. They are now serving organic tofu as well. The options are endless.

 

    We all love to eat and trying new things is always fun, if I haven't convinced you to try one of these three, check out this website for more restaurant options: happycow.net.

 

Entry #3: Technology

      What is technology? Looking back ten years ago, I can remember my flip phone which seems like an old phone now. The first flip phone I had I remember they called it double O-7 because it had a button on the side and when you pushed it the phone would open up on it's own. It was pretty neat, at the time. Now I probably wouldn't give it a second look. I am sure many of us have experienced this. Back then I was just so excited to have a phone and having internet on it wasn't necessary at the time. Texting was in and everyone was doing it. Since then our phones have been updated with better looks and faster speeds. Now we can be on the web almost everywhere we go. We're able to stay current with the world and what's going on in it.

TO GO FROM THIS TO.............

 

       Technology has truly changed my life! I'm serious!! It's helped me become a vegan. I know that sounds silly but so true. Growing up I never really thought about or question how we came upon meat products and how we had so many choices. My mother had always assured me that eating meat was apart of life and an important part of our diet. We needed it to survive, so she said.

       Now I know otherwise. I don't even have to really search the web anymore, I can just go to Facebook. I follow Mercy for Animals. A group of vegans who give recipe tips and encourage those to give up meat but most importantly they expose the meat and dairy industry for what it really is. A sad and greedy industry full of abuse, disease and lies, lies, lies!!!!!! By using technology, I was able to learn about this cruel industry and change my diet. I may be only one person but I believe cutting meat out of my diet I can help save a cow, chicken, even a little fishy.

     Ten years ago I wouldn't have known that this was going on. With technology today I can stay up to date on what's going on in this industry and if any changes are being made. I can look all over the world and I can now research everything much faster than before. For me technology has benefited my health and my way of life but for other people technology might benefited them and their specific needs. For example, my brother loves Netflix and stays on top of all of his shows that he has missed. He is also a big YouTube fan. I've also used YouTube to watch videos of cruelty and even my daughter uses YouTube to watch educational videos from time to time. It's amazing what is out there now and how much we're able to know.

TECHNOLOGY IS LIFE CHANGING

 



Entry #2 Why Am I Still Here?

  For those of you who don't know I work at this miserable place called Starbucks. Whatever they told you about Starbucks was a lie!!! Especially if was a great comment like ," This place is so relaxing and great to work at"...... NOT! I haven't even been here more than a year and I want to rip my hair out. Now that I am writing this I am realizing how truly miserable I AM and how depressing this actually sounds. Ouch!

  Of course when you look at the picture about it looks so quiet and peaceful and the thought of great coffee just drags you in. But as an associate it makes me want to run in the opposite direction. The management at my location is a bad as spoiled milk. My manager has no communication skills what so ever and it seems like the only time he addresses any of us is always about something negative! He never ever compliments us on something we do well. I guess that's how it is when you work with a bitter thirty something year old manager like mine. I wish I could just go up to him and tell him, " Just because your home situation is miserable doesn't mean you have to bring it to work with you. Maybe put a smile on your face from time to time it'll make you look younger and not so bitter!". I can only wish!

  I am sure many of you are wondering why I am still working here! Well, while I am still attending school this is really the only places that's close and that really fits my schedule. Not to mention I do get great health benefits from this crap hole. This is that one job that you just have to deal with for a few more years and than you can kick it to the curb once your career is set in motion. God, I cannot wait to get my bachelors in education and actually enjoy my job for once! Until than I am stuck working for this tall (short) bitter COLD cup of coffee (manager)!

Entry #1: Learning About Blogs

 The first blog I visited was 101 cookbooks and let me tell you it's amazing. No, she doesn't make up these recipes on her own but she sure makes it seem like she does. I love how simple but elegant her page is. I love the pictures and how she places them next to each other. I don't know but something about her set up just leaves me wanting to read and look around more. I personally chose this page because I love to cook and try new recipes out and her page has so many yummy ones to choose from.

Doesn't this image make you want to know more?? By the way, she is making guacamole. 

This picture above with the dog and those weird brown shoes is call Maddie on Things. I love this blog. I think I love it more because it has dog pictures and I love animals in general. This author is so in love with his dog Maddie that he takes picture of her everywhere they go and especially when Maddie is on top of objects. I was really entertained by this blog. 

  Oh 20 Nothings how I have missed you and your humor. I remember looking at this blog last semester, it was funny back than and it still is now. I love how this author is just curious and open about everything. It's a total girl blog and honestly you cannot be shy or prude I guess if you're going to read this blog. I mean I guess you can be but don't get offended about certain posts. I love how honest she is and she posts about things we all think about. Her latest post about what she learned during their February late night sex talks was hilarious! Especially, the last comment. It had me rolling in laughter. I enjoyed this blog again as if it was my first time reading it. I think it's great that an author can make a reader feel like that. 

My World Right Now

   Hello Everyone! My name is Binasa and I am originally from Bosnia. We moved here when I was five as refugees to escape the war that was going on in my country! It's crazy to think that that was twenty years ago. I came here with my mom and step dad and my brother was born in the states. As far as family we are all we have, everyone else stayed back home.

(This is a picture or Odzak, Bosnia. My home town. It's actually ten minutes away from my aunts house)

      Now lets talk about what I would like to do if I had time. Well, in high school I play tennis as a sport and I loved it. I continued to play after high school but not on any teams just as a hobby. I taught my fiance how to play so that we could play together. Lets just say that he's talented when it comes to sports because he picked it up after one day and now he kicks my butt. I will say that he has a  6 "4" advantage! If I could I would play tennis everyday but fortunately I have better things to keep me busy. Like me two little girls. My Emma is two and a half years old and my Amelia is going to be eight weeks on the seventh of February. Emma, my first, kept me on my toes quite a bit and she still does but it's nothing like have two little crazy girls to keep you going. They are my life. I couldn't image my days without them. 

 On top: This is my little Amelia's photo shoot! She made us work for this shot!

Above is my crazy Emma! She took made us work for that smile. She wanted to play with the ducks instead.

  My plans at GCC are to get my associates in art/elementary education and transfer to the NAU program on campus for my bachelors in elementary education. I'm not just doing this for myself but for my girls and their future. I want to be able to give them all that I can. They are worth all the sacrifices in the world.