Online Classes are cool beans.

Oh man, how I love online classes. Before, I used to think of them as classes that only geniuses take because it's hard to learn online without a teacher. But now after a couple of online classes, my mind changed. Drastically.
The teachers are always really nice to me and are just a phone call away. I know that some teachers are kind of hard to reach and some do not even answer their phone, but mine always seem to have been very easy to contact. Which is a plus for me! Haha. The first class I took online was Chemistry Honors. The reason I did that was because I was scared when I saw everybody struggling with chemistry in school and having a boatload of homework and tests. So, I decided to give virtual school a shot. I knew I had a month to quit if I didn't like it, but the truth is that I loved it. 
At first, it seemed kind of confusing but once I got the hang of how to submit assignments, check grades, and go back to lesson pages when I take a test, I started to like it. You can cheat on any test really by having different tabs open of google and the lessons! However, you can't cheat on the assignments unless you find something online or someone else does the work for you. The truth is, I tried to cheat on the assignments for the first couple of chapters but then realized it was useless since YahooAnswers gave me the WRONG answers. Pretty ironic.
But anyway, I find it easy to learn because there are no distractions from the lesson like in a school classroom and you can work at your own pace since there are no due dates. Also, I like how you can re-submit assignments if you didn't like your grade in the first place.
ONE major CON is the DBA's. God, do I hate those. Sometimes, when I don't fully understand a chapter but somehow manage to get all the assignments done, I feel very insecure about the discussion based assessment. And what makes it worse is that the teacher always asks the things that I don't know. So I end up stalling by saying "Umm.." or  "wait, I know this, haha...." as I hyperventilate and click on every lesson to find the answer to a topic that I don't even remember ever reading about in the course!! 
But anyway, online courses are good. The end. :)
Have an awesome day, everyone!

Romney won! Yay???

So, I'm not much of a politics person and I don't follow it much except when it becomes very important and Obama has to do with it, but I decided to look up our state's republican primary.

LOL at the lady in the back

To catch you up, the other in the running were Newt  Gingrich,  Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul in the order with the most votes. Of course, we all know (from the internet, news, or my blog title) that Mitt Romney won the election. He actually had 47 percent of the vote. But do we actually know him? Was he the right choice afterall? Well, let's find out. First, he attacked Barack Obama's policies and ways of running the country claiming he could do it better. Yep, it's all true folks. He said and I quote, 

"Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time to get out of the way."

Quite confident, isn't he? Not to mention those harsh advertisements and commercials.

Also, right after winning, he got a lot of criticism (as he rightfully should) when he seemed he didn't care for America's lower class. Romney, part of the wealthy upper-class, was interviewed on CNN about his win over voters struggling with the economic downturn and high unemployment. His answers were primarily on the focus of the middle class and he seemed not the least bit concerned about the poor Americans.

Florida, did we pick the right choice?

Give me your opinion on the matter in the comment section below. Thanks and tune in for next week's blog! :D

TECHNOLOGY. GET WIT IT.

Hello there! The rest of you who read my blog :)

I hope you've had a GREAT winter vacation and you're not dying with the second semester of homework and new classes. I am doing just great, thank you for asking.

But what I'm here to point out is that technology is HAPPENING in every school. Or at least it should be. Whether we like it or not, the world is becoming more technology based. But is it good for our education? Is it bad that we're no longer using pen and paper? Are we just machines? The answer is NO! We are not just machines. We are not robots. We created this technology to make life easier for us and improve the quality of life. This is true. We can still use pen and paper, but it might become less needed. Why draw a graph with data on a sheet of paper with a pencil when you can open up Excel and do it all using a couple of easy steps? You can't deny it; technology has become a big part of modern life and has made quite a huge impact on education. Before all this fancy shmancy stuff came around in schools such as iPads, each school had a set of computers (for a computer lab for example) and calculators. Computers were used for research and online tests while calculators were used because some people cannot add numbers in their head. And that is understandable; that is how the application of technology in education came about.
Now we moved up a couple of levels. We use Permethian boards in the classrooms and tablets, in our case. Step UP uses iPads for home and class work. In order to keep track of what the homework is and for our teachers to contact us, we have created a Google Group to keep track of that, as well as a group on the social networking site that we're all familiar with--Facebook. 

Technology has seriously impacted education's lives in a completely positive way as I explained above. Now it's your turn to give your opinion. Do you agree or disagree? Put it in the comment section below! Thank you!

Have a great day guys and STAY AWESOME! :D

Oh, ALL the things I can do for my COMMUNITY!

Hello, my fellow bloggers, my good sirs and fair ladies! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a FANTASTIC Christmas and an even better New Year's! It is officially 2012. It sounds a bit frightening and futuristic considering the fact that it seems like it was yesterday when they were making the movie "2012". Yes, that one. With John Cusack. Ugh so dramatic, wasn't it?

But anyway, let's not get sidetracked, shall we? :D This week's blog is about what every one of you should have as their New Year's Resolution: giving back to your community! Yes, that means actually getting up and helping your peers, animals, the city, your neighborhood, the environment, and all sorts of other things! :D It'll be good for your overall well being and it's something impressive to put on your resume for college :)

For example, I've given back to my community through cleaning the environment, helping animals in need, and under-privileged people. I was once a part of the Environment Club at FLHS (Freshman year, I believe) where we cleaned the school campuses from trash as well as empty the recycle bins. I count the first part as both cleaning the environment from pollutants and making the school a better and cleaner place for the students and teachers. Also, I attend beach clean ups and a couple of waterway/canal clean ups whenever I usually can. I am also Vice President of the Animal Rights Club at FLHS. The club is doing an supply drive for animal shelters who are desperately in need of all sorts of supplies and food. So, I am donating cans of kitty food, towels, and big sweaters to the pets and animals who are freezing to death sleeping on the cold concrete. :( Yes, 'tis sad.

BUT... on a more positive note, I have also helped under-privileged  families by participating in a food drive for families who couldn't afford to eat on Thanksgiving. It ended up being successful. I am planning on going to a pet shelter this weekend, as well as another beach clean up (for National Honor Society). Other ways I am planning to help the community are by donating more clothes, volunteering at a soup kitchen, giving money to charity, and volunteering at a senior home. I am planning to do that last one during the summer hopefully. :)

Well that is pretty much it! Thank you for reading this week's blog and stay tuned for next week's! I hope you're all doing your part and giving back to the community! You can get so many benefits from it! By doing good for others and the community, it provides you with a natural sense of accomplishment and a healthy BOOST of LIFE satisfaction. :D 

So, volunteer and do good, young grasshoppers. 

I'm out. Stay AWESOME.

Presenting the One and Only, Lady GAGA: From Rags to Riches

Hello all people of the world! Christmas is near and what better way to bring holiday cheer than discuss the awesomeness that is Lady Gaga? I know. She's amazing. What else can I say? Well actually, I could also say how she came from a low class family and in under four years (thanks to her brilliant music, creativity, originality, fashion sense, really the list goes on and on) she moved up to the Upper Class! 

Tis true. Lady Gaga, or should I say Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (I bet nobody knew that), did not come from a wealthy background considering her parents both came from lower-class families. When you have less money, you usually lose social class status. Stefani was made fun of at school when she was 11 for being too eccentric and was often called a freak. It's pretty ironic considering that this is now one of the many reasons why millions of people across the globe love her. But moving on, her road to fame and wealth first began with her passion for musical theatre. She took part in many school plays and even a television series, which in turn led to the interest of songwriting. On a quick side note, have you ever noticed how long and amazing her musical videos are?! It's all because of her passion for theatre. She's a great actress!

Her small NY apartment to the left; her stunning
$5 million Bel Air mansion to the right

She settled in a humble NY small apartment in 2005, and began recording songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel. She tried several attempts to get her career going by working with music producers and such.

FUN FACT: Stefani worked with a music producer, Rob Fusari, who kept comparing some of her vocal harmonies to that of Freddi Mercury, the lead singer of QUEEN. He referred to Queen's song "Radio Ga Ga" every time Stefani walked in the studio. It was said that in a text message he sent her with that song name, the word "Radio" got auto corrected to "Lady". And Stefani was convinced. She responded, "That's it. Don't ever call me Stefani again."

And there you have it. The only time someone should refer to her as Stefani would be if she was in court. :D

But to continue, Lady Gaga was hired to write songs for Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and the Pussycat Dolls. Their songs were always so catchy! Who knew Lady Gaga was the mastermind behind it all?
As 2007 came to a close, her former management company introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne. It was in that recording studio where she recorded her CHART-TOPPING singles "Just Dance", "Poker Face", and "LoveGame". And that is how, my friends, Lady Gaga went from rags to riches. All you gotta do is work hard and keep trying even if all else fails. Cheesy, I know, but true.

Then, you all know what happened. The Fame and the Fame Monster. She relocated to Los Angeles, set up a team to perform with her, and came out with the next #1 hit--"Bad Romance". Then led "Telephone", "Alejandro", and the rest I assume you know. She won a boatload of well-deserved performance awards, video awards, best artist awards, etc ladygagaisamazing etc etc. 

And there you have it folks! I honestly thought this would be a quick blog because I know all there is to know about Lady Gaga but there is just so much I wanted to say and talk about, that it turned out to be fairly long. I hope you all had fun reading and enjoyed those fun Lady Gaga facts! :D Have a nice day and come back here next week for my next upcoming blog post! :D <3

BTW: The Born This Way album came out recently! And to just catch you up on the most recent video, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cggNqDAtJYU&ob=av3e

Only true talented artists can compose a 13 minute music video and actually have it be interesting. ENJOY. BASK IN THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS OF LADY GAGA.

Inequality in our Society!

Welcome back, awesome fellow bloggers! :D I hope you had a great and FAT Thanksgiving... I know I did. Rule to live by: There's no such thing as too much turkey. The same rule applies to gravy, mashed potatoes, and cake.

Well, to get on with the topic! So what IS social stratification? Great question. It basically has to do with the differences of people due to age, class, race, and gender. It explains why inequality exists in our country. So let's start with one of the factors--class. We all know that 3 social classes differ greatly and they are basically the reason why there is inequality. It's all because of the economy and money. It's simple. If you're wealthy, you'll live in the high class and have more education and opportunities as opposed to those who are poor and even beyond the point of poverty-- the lower class. 

Although some may not agree, I think that more important jobs such as a police officer should be paid more money and should receive a higher status than someone un-important to the country and its people. For example, should a doctor (one who cures diseases and makes the people healthier) be paid less than Paris Hilton? What does she do that helps contribute to the wellness of society? What is fair and equal about that?

Also, another factor is race. Statistics show that Caucasian people (especially males) have more of an advantage than anybody else. A white male is more likely to be paid more than an African American in the United States. They have always had the higher status than any other race and receive more social rewards. 

The same applies to males over females. It's sad and unfair, but true. A man gets paid more money than a woman doing the exact same job.

Well, that's social stratification for ya. Please tell me your opinion on this topic and on any of these factors discussed in the comment section below. THANK YOU! 

Stay tuned for next week's blog, you guys! Have an AWESOME day and start putting up those CHRISTMAS lights :D Happy December First. :)

Under Pressureeee...

Wow what an awesome song. This has to be song that most frequently comes to my head. There's a reason for it but I just can't seem to think of it right now.

SO! To start talking about what you all came to this blog for, let's begin! :D

Teens go under all sorts of pressure. I already discussed some of that pressure in my last blog post about drinking. Many middle and high school students (teens basically) are being pressured to do all types of things by their friends and even family members. Some of those things are drinking alcoholic beverages and doing drugs.

I'd really love to share my personal experiences with that but I just can't think of a time I was pressured into doing drugs or trying alcohol. 

But what I can share is that I was pressured by society many times to change my appearance and voice/accent. When I first came to America when I was 8 years old, I had to start learning English. It wasn't easy and not everyone knew that. Kids in elementary school teased me about my accent and the way I dressed. Yes, I had a pretty thick accent. Who doesn't? When you first come into a country without knowing the language, your first couple of months of speaking that language wouldn't be the best. It's already a given that you'd stand out and look like and sound like a foreigner. But moving on. My point is that society pressured me to change the way I look. I began to learn the students' American slang and adopt the American norms. Then I changed from wearing Bulgaria's trends to America's fashion trends. 

Another type of pressure is school pressure. Sometimes a teacher throws loads of homework at you disregarding the fact that you have three other classes in which you have the same type of teachers throw homework at you, not to mention that you also have online classes and extra curricular activities such as clubs or sports after-school. AND it seems like all of your teachers give quizzes and tests on the exact same day that you have other tests for all your other classes. It's almost as if...now bear with me....as if all the teachers meet up at this underground secret cave where they pick a day (usually Friday) and schedule all their quizzes/tests on that day just to purposefully stress the students! I'm not crazy! I know all about it!

Well anyway, moving past the point that I just revealed the teachers' secret meetings, parents also put pressure on the students. Most of them just don't understand what it's like to have so much school work, do extra curricular activities, do service hours, have a social life, and get a full night's sleep. It's just too much and most parents freak out over having a B or a C on your report card. "You can always do better; you're not trying your hardest; I bet that if I ground you, you'd do better! Yeah, that's what I'll do! That'll show you!" Yeah, that sounds familiar to me. It pressures students even more. And that is my perfect example because it describes my life. Parents will be parents.

Please leave your comments if you agree or disagree with what I said about pressure and feel free to share your experiences or if you've ever been pressured by school work or parents. Thanks guys for reading this week's blog! Have an AWESOME DAY!

BUT FIRST, hear this awesome song that I was talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^