A Must See Film!

It was two weeks ago, on one of the coldest winter nights in New York City; I stumbled upon this small movie theater called The Sunshine. The name of the theater appealed to me (because of course it was so cold) and I entered. I had no idea that the movie I was about to watch would become one of my favorite movies of all time. The experience of the feature proved to me that sometimes when you do things that are spontaneous, the outcome is much sweeter.

The movie was called Pan’s Labyrinth, created by Guillermo del Toro. The emotions I experienced throughout the film were unlike anything I had felt before. For the first time, I truly felt for the characters in the film as if they were real. Despite the language barrier (the film was in Spanish with English subtitles) and the little knowledge I had of the time period (1944, Spanish Civil War) the main character, Ophelia’s eyes became mine and her journey, my own.

Pan’s Labyrinth encapsulated the life of Ophelia, whose imagination took precedence over the reality she was faced with. Despite the loss of a mother and abuse of an evil stepfather, she was faced with the decision of a lifetime, the decision between the life of a mortal and immortal.

I don’t want to ruin the ending, so I will only say this much. Think of an Alice in Wonderland made for adults, except this time what the audience expects to happen, I promise will not. The film itself can be at times disturbing but the message it sends out to its viewers is one you best not miss.

Secrets Secrets Are No Fun!

I rarely like to snoop, but for the purpose of this assignment, I gave in and “overheard” in my opinion, a very juicy conversation.

As I was standing outside the Manhattanville College library on Tuesday, I listened in on a conversation between two women, who shall be referred to as Jane and Sue in this entry, discussing what they had done this past weekend.

The conversation began with Jane exclaiming, “ Sue, get your cute butt over here now! I have so much to tell you.” What seemed to be a millisecond later, the two women were discussing some very exciting information…or at least by their large, accentuated hand gestures that’s what it seemed like. Jane revealed, “It was only for a second”. “ Well then why are you blushing?” Sue giggled. “ Uhhh…I don’t know, it seems like I waited forever for him to ask me out and tomorrow’s Valentines Day and” Jane paused “ it’s just all too much to handle… I am excited though” Jane chuckled.

“Listen to me, you are the luckiest person right now! He has so many girls chasing after him and he likes you. Keep your cool,” asserted Sue. Jane took a second before responding, “ I know” she sighed. “ So, where is he taking you?” Sue questioned. “ This Italian restaurant, I’m not sure of the name… listen babe, I have to run to class” explained Jane, “ I’ll call you later with more of the details”.

That my friends, was the end of the conversation and the end of this blog entry. I hope you enjoyed it!

Celebrity+ Gossip = A good time

The first thing I will admit is…yes I LOVE reading celebrity gossip magazines! For me it’s a great way to relax at the end of the day. It may sound funny but I believe that the reason people really read these celebrity magazines is to put their own life on hold and enter into this “dream world” that Hollywood has created for us.

Many times, audiences see their idols on television or in the movies and wish that they could look the same way, act the same way and certainly get paid the same way these celebrities do. The image of the celebrity is that of superiority.

When reading these gossip magazines, with the cover page blasting the latest news of a celebrity breakup or scandal, it sort of relieves that added pressure of personal perfection and instead focuses on the imperfections in Hollywood, reminding audiences that they are just as human as we are.

The quirky thing about celebrity gossip magazines is that they take a complete unprofessional and turn him or her into this huge star. Take for example, the infamous Paris Hilton. Paris got her publicity from the magazines that posted her picture all over the place. What exactly did she do to get all this publicity? Nothing!
In most gossip magazines, candid shots of celebrities are shown. Viewing these photos allows readers to learn what celebrities do with their free time, where they shop, where they eat, etc. Although it sounds a bit stalkerish, people like to feel connected with their idols and seeing photos allows for the illusion that they themselves were right there too.

Grrrrr.....

Anger, a word commonly defined as, “a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire” (dictionary.com). The word to me, strikes up something a bit more personal. When I think of anger, instead of thinking of the word itself, I think of how the words meaning directly applies to me. In other words, what makes me angry.

I view anger as a very strong emotion, something that I try my very hardest to avoid. However, I am only human and there have been many times where I have become enraged.

Deceit is one thing that really enrages me. Most of the time, I would consider myself to be an honest, trustworthy person who does what she can for others. There have been many times, where I have been in a relationship, friendly or dating and the other party had purposely deceived me. As a result of this, it has become very hard for me to trust others, especially with personal emotions.

Something else, in a similar field as deceit, that angers me is when I feel taken advantage of. Ever since I was little, my mother warned me that if you were too nice to someone, they would take advantage of you. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn throughout my life. However, when it happens, the anger that arises within me is forceful enough to cut that person out of my life for good.

I don’t like to be angry, because for me, being angry is just a cover up for the real emotion I have, hurt. Sometimes, I feel it is much easier to be angry then hurt or depressed. When you are hurt or depressed the assumption is that I am weak. If I am angry, I am strong. Whether this is right or wrong, it is me and will always be part of who I am.

Is Grammar Overrated?

This summer, I had an internship with a marketing firm that specialized in pharmaceutical products. It was the first time I had taken on a job of this kind and I was very nervous. During my first few days spent there, I made sure to check my work a million times over to insure that I had not made any grammatical errors. The company also communicated with each other using an online system similar to that of AOL instant messenger. When a message box would pop up on my screen, I would reply with more attention paid to my grammar then I might if talking to a buddy on AIM.

The language I used in my basic verbal communication with others was structured differently as well. From the hours of 8am to 6pm, Monday’s trough Friday’s my word choices were considerably different then the language I used after that time. I couldn't help but ask myself why this was.

It was then that I realized; the extent to which people pay attention to their grammatical errors is based upon the environment they are surrounded by. Many times following this trend can get you into trouble. If you are not consistently practicing the usage of proper grammar, you might forget many of the simple but important rules.

For instance, you are composing a resume to use on a job interview that is filled with grammatical errors; the likelihood of you attaining that job is not strong. If you are involved in a heated debate with a co-worker and your use of grammar isn’t up to par, the chances of your argument being heard and respected is less likely. These are only some examples where the misuse of grammar can get you into trouble.

I Weave My Own Web

The frequency of how often people visit websites is determined by how useful they can be to ones personal needs. In general, society as a whole has become self-centered. I enjoy visiting websites that relate to my interests and rarely search for sites out of pure curiosity. The web is a great way for individuals to explain who they are, both to themselves and to others.

For example, I regularly visit a website entitled "facebook". This site was designed to connect and reconnect individuals in college who have either lost touch with each other or as just another form of communication. Also available on this site, is the chance to customize you page and include personal aspects of your life on screen.

Another website that I often visit is “ebay”. This site is nice because it allows you to search for anything…and I mean anything! There was once a time when I needed a small plug for my thirteen-year-old lamp. I was about to throw the lamp out, when I found someone on “ebay” selling the exact model that I needed! Crazy huh?

For research, both educational and personal, I really enjoy using the web. It’s efficient and allows viewers more access to and options with making that decision, whatever it may be.I can’t wait to see what new developments come about in this high-powered, technologically advanced world of ours!

The Beginning

It is amazing to me how fast time flies. I try every day to just stop, slow down and put my life in perspective. It feels like just yesterday I was at my eighth grade graduation, walking down the aisle in my blue and red sequined dress, crying because I didn't want to face, "the big one", otherwise known as high school. As quick as high school came it went, allowing me little time to soak up all the memories which have brought me to my final educational destination, Manhattanville College and more specifically into this course, Writing for the Media.

Elementary and Middle school started off strong for me. I was always on the high honor roll and was acknowledged several times for outstanding academics. As soon as High school came around, my academics started falling.

I can honestly say, that coming to Manhattanville was the best academic decision I could have made for myself. I was accepted into the Undergraduate program only under provisional circumstances. As it turns out, I exceeded the 2.5 GPA requirements by a large deal and from then on, I only kept excelling!

During the second semester of my sophomore year, I decided I was going to major in Communications. To be sure that this was the right direction for me I took an internship with a marketing firm for pharmaceutical products over the summer. The experience was amazing and opened my eyes to the various perks and flaws in one area of the business world.

Another recent academic and personal adventure was my semester abroad in Rome, Italy. The experience of living in another country and being able to immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture for five months really opened my eyes to many things. It is now my hope that when I am done with my Undergraduate program here at Manhattanville, I will be able to return abroad to work in the international business world. I feel that this course in particular will greatly improve my communication skills through writing and hopefully help me attain my dream job abroad!