WHAT IF?

Life can either be one  of two ways. It can be full of regrets or a bunch of "what if" thoughts. What ever way it swings, it always leaves the mind to wonder.

People often wonder what certain events would be like if they had only done it a different way or made a different choice.This is usually the positive state of the matter. This is the "what if" stage. The part that kind or has regrets but is mainly curious about what would have happened differently if they had only made a small change in their routine. 

The other group of people, are the ones that have the regretful feeling. Kind of like me. The regret or the "if only" and the "should have", "could have", "would have" mindset. This concept is not fun to experience. It's the one thing that most adults carry with them throughout their entire lives.

Personally speaking, I am a regretful person. It's not much that I regret what I've cone, but more i regret what I did not do, the risks that I did not take. Having strict , over protective parents, made me fear losing their trust and respect if I was to ever do something that would cross their lines. Not trying to say I'm a "mommy's girl" or a "daddy's girl" but more that I don't want to disappoint my parents. Having the feeling of being disappointed, is almost as painful as being heart broken.

As I grew older and hit the end of my sophomore year in high school, I began to realize that I won't have the privilege to re-live my high school life once it's gone. Unlike most high school students who go out to drink or party or smoke or cause mischief, I was one of those kids who would sneak out of the house just to talk stories and bump to some music in the parking lot with a few close friends and talk about life and our problems. For me, it was my safe place. I was never one to really party or get caught up in places where illegal activity was in action, but I was always one to look for a good time. My good time was just being around people with good vibes, good music, and some food. Get me in that, and I'm bound for one hell of a time. But to my parents, because I wasn't "old enough to make good judgement", I had to sneak out of the house at night, just to go to the park that was right across the street from my house, only to talk stories with a few friends and have a good time. No drinking, no drugs, no sex, no violence. Just a bunch of teenagers looking for good company. I know it's hard to believe, but there are still a lot of teenagers out there who enjoy simple things like this. 

Going back to the regrets and the "what if" thoughts, it haunts me to think about the things that could have been if i only disobeyed my parents and hung out with my friends. What would have happened the night my cousin passed away if I was only there to stop him from walking out in the streets? What would have happened if I was that one person to stop him from walking out? Would he still be alive today? Would he have lived to see his little brothers and sisters grow up? What would have happened if I was there to calm him down? Considering I was the only one who could really bring him off of his rage, brought me sick to my stomach once I heard the news that he was gone. This situation is the heaviest on my heart and mind just to think that I could have possibly been there to save his life. 

Just like my recant post, this one is all over the place with the thoughts and logic, but I really hope the message gets across. Mainly, I just want you to think about the risks that you could be taking. Don't get me wrong, my point in this post is not to convince high school children to go against their parent's will, but it's to do things within reason.

I just want to apologize for being all over the place with my previous posts, but like I've mentioned before, my mind never stops running from the thoughts and ideas that I have floating around in my mind. 

BRANDED

Do you have something from your past that you're just TIED to? Something that you can't get rid of; something that has such a big hold on you, it won't let you go; it holds you hostage. Some people call it "extra baggage" or a "heavy load". To brand something, means to give it a label or a trade mark. So to "brand yourself" means to give your self a reason to stand for something or someone. It's like how cattle have that stamp on their butts; the thing known to us as being "branded".  I guess what I'm trying to say, is we all have something that holds us back from living our lives to the fullest, and that "thing" is what brands us.

The way we do things have something to do with the way we learned to do other things. For some people, they learned how to cook because their parents taught them how to use a stove. Others learned how to cook because no one else was home to make it for them. With that said, you can already tell a lot by just looking at the way each parties learned how to cook. You could probably draw multiple conclusions about each side and come out with many things as to why they learned to cook the way they did. But in the end, the moral of this story, is to make it clear that we brand ourselves at a certain age.

Grace, how did I brand myself? Well the answer is simple. You branded yourself when you started making decisions on your own. Sometimes life throws us tough, evil choices and situations we don't wish to be in, but that's what it takes for us to really succeed in life. The decisions we make and the trials that we go through in life, is what makes us the individuals we are. You might think I sound a little crazy, but I can assure you I am 100% sane. As I mentioned before, branding is meant to mean something, it's meant to give someone/something a meaning or a label. We as individuals, give ourselves a branding almost every time we make a choice and it all starts at a young age. 

Going back to the two children who learned how to cook. Just by looking at the situations given, you can tell that one of the children had a better seat in life than the other. For what ever reason, one of them had to learn to cook the hard way because his/her parents were not home to feed them. For all we know, that child probably had to learn to do a lot of things on their own because their parents were not around; how to cook, wash the dishes, take out the trash, how to read, how to do laundry, clean the yard, how to look out after themselves. Chances are, this child had a rough childhood because he/she was forces to grow up faster than they should have. As they get older, they get names such as "boring" or "lame" and "no fun", when in reality, they are the ones who are the "go-getters" and the "husband/wife material".

It's funny how one lesson can serve multiple purposes. Like, who would have thought that the learning how to cook would make such a huge opening to create different characteristics for someone. I guess that's what I'm trying to get at. The things we learn and the things we do, leave a mark on us for later. Those marks BRAND us and effect us when we make future decisions because it's almost similar to the things we went through in the past. I know my article is all over the place, but it's because there is so much that I want to say about this subject, but I don't have enough time to say it all. I'll catch more detail on the different topics that I went through for a brief moment, in another blog post, Until then, I leave you with this question; how have you been branded?

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

I have a quick question for all of you today. It can be very vague or very broad; depending on how you look at it. The question I want you to ponder on, is "WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?" 

Many people reply to this question with "What do you mean?". As did I. I was sitting in my british literature class a few weeks ago, staring off into space and found myself gazing at a poster that read "What do you stand for?". After reading that poster, I thought about what it was that I stand for. Nothing came to mind. I'm not too sure if I was overthinking or if that is a question that is rather very hard to answer off the top of my head. 

As I sat in class, clueless and answerless, I began to look around and ask my class mates the same question. Many of them stared at me with blank faces and others just pushed it aside. So now, I leave this question with you. Hopefully you can ask someone the same question and get an answer. As for me, I'm still thinking about what it is that I stand for. Now, it's your turn. What do you stand for?

What Do You Stand For?

SAFE?

Unbelievable. A stabbing here on Maui? It's such a small place, such a small island and people are out here stabbing people?! Makes me think a lot. Again, not to take life for granted. Tomorrow is never promised. It's sad to say that you can't even walk outside in your front yard without worrying that someone is sniping you. Man, what is this world coming to? Is it bad enough where you feel unsafe when you leave the house without any means of self defense? Is it going to get bad up to a point where everyone is going to have to get guns; illegally or not, just to feel safe? Why should the world have to come to a point where we can't even trust the brother next to us. Why is the world coming to a point where we can't even walk outside without fearing for our life? 

BEST FRIEND

Best friends, homies, brodies, A1's, ride or dies, etc. All of these words are what someone could refer to another person, when calling them "best friend". Today's blog is about friendship or a brother/sisterhood, if you will. Just recently, I lost a friend who was close enough to be my blood brother, and in all honesty, I'm not doing so well. I guess this showed me that life is too precious to be taken for granted. Life is too short to be going to sleep while you mad at someone. You never know when you'll see someone for the last time, and you'll never know when you'll take your last breath.

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IS AMERICA REALLY THE DEFINITION OF GREAT?

Have you ever really taken a good look at our nation? Have you ever thought about our health care system, or our educational system, or even other countries that are supposed to be our enemies? Like why don't we have universal health care like the other neighboring countries? Why does it cost us so much to go to college? Why is it that we hate other countries? All these questions are very vague indeed, but the answers may shock you. It may even make you question the people we elect into office.

Today I finished watching a documentary called "Sicko" that was produced by Michael Moore. This documentary covered things like the cost of living in America and the cost of health care in the U. S. verses every place else. Michael Moore basically dug up evidence that goes to prove that America, is no longer as great as we are told to believe. His main focus was on health care. Moore wanted to find out why it was, that we Americans are without health coverage in our elderly ages. Moore became interested in this topic when he had become aware of several tragic cases of ordinary citizens whose lives have been drastically changed by refusal of health payments and treatments. He goes on to find that the health care systems in America are the worst. Moore proceeds to go to places such as Canada, France, and the United Kingdom to find out how their health care programs are ran. I won't give away the whole story but the moral of it, is that we Americans are being cheated of things that are supposed to be the most important. Our health, and our will to live.

Watching that documentary made me realize that the cost of living in America is overpriced. We pay so much for health care but sometimes get so little. I can't be the only one who has gone to the hospital because something is wrong, only to come out without a diagnosis. I can't be the only one who has showed up 10 to 15 minutes early for an appointment and ended up having to wait almost half an hour to 45 minutes just to go in. Further more, having to wait an additional 15 to 20 minutes just for the doctor to come and see me. I can't be the only one to have gone to the hospital and have had a doctor not know what is wrong with me only to go back to the hospital in an even worst condition only for the doctors to finally find out what's wrong. If that doesn't sound like carelessness, then I don't know what it is. My parents pay good money for complete medical coverage. So why is it, that the service sucks? Why is it that I, along with many other paying individuals, get treated so terribly when it comes to health care? Do you ever just think about why doctors get paid so much for doing so little?

Don't get me wrong, being a doctor is a very difficult job. But sometimes, they abuse their power. In the documentary "Sicko" Michael Moore travels to France and speaks with multiple doctors in different hospitals. In France, they have universal health care. That means the people there, pay higher taxes to get free medical. It doesn't matter if you're rich, poor, homeless, upper, lower, or even middle class. Every working person in France, pays higher taxes, so the next guy doesn't have to pay for a thing when it comes to medical. Doesn't that sound amazing? The idea of going to the hospital and not having to look forward to a huge bill in the mail a few weeks after you've been discharged? Let's say you don't have medical coverage for what ever reason it may be, and you get into an accident that requires you to be transported by the ambulance. How do you pay for the ride to the hospital? How do you pay the doctors that had to see you and diagnose you? What about a surgery? How do you pay for the medical procedures? Or the medication? With a surgery, calls for pain killers? How do you pay for them? Now, because you don't have medical coverage, you're left with a $7,000 bill. And how do you pay for it? You're a middle class person and you already have a hard time paying for the basic things in life, now you have to worry about your health. Why should you have to worry about something so important such as health care? And why is it so expensive if it's a must have?

I guess my point is, America is no longer America. America stopped being great, the minute money became the center of attention. America stoped being "the land of the free" when the politicians couldn't be trusted. America stopped being great the minute it started being more about saving money and trying to get rich rather than being about the people and keeping the people happy. America stopped being a superior when education costed more than the cost of living. America stopped being America when the morals stopped being instilled in the youth. America stopped being worth it when the people started to put wealth as their first priority. America stopped being a superior when the people stopped being the center of attention. America stopped being worth living in when the politicians stopped caring for the people who got them into office. America, just isn't America anymore. Which means America is no longer great. 

POLITICS

Election, election!

Everybody’s looking for perfection but they just can’t seem to see that this nation is out of connection.

With the people in office the ones we’ve given power to, they don’t seem to be helping now tell me does it bother you?

To see rich people with power and the poor left on the street,

While the certain ones with money never fail to eat.

And yet the people with these families living on the street never get a three course meal, they hardly get to eat.

What happened to the man who said he’d make the poverty go away? The one that’s currently in office going about his merry way?

Or what about the female who said she cared about the people and yet she up and split the minute she got paid?

It all seems like a coincidence but I’m telling you it’s not, those people in the office lied to get in their spot.

They pulled some strings and paid for votes and they can’t even see how it’s wrong,

They’re just looking out for their self and the money so for that reason, I made this song.

False words earn a suit and tie. Fresh kicks and a limousine on standby.

A clean heart and a baggy sweater earn a kick to the curb no matter what the weather.

Politics is all about the green. They pay you to keep your mouth shut despite what you’ve seen.

Nobody in the office can be trusted, rich people get away with their lies and that’s why they love it.

Does it ever occur to you that the country is so corrupt? Like does anyone listen to the lies of our leaders and just start to give up?

Give up the hope that someone will never tell the truth? That no ones ever gonna rise to the challenge or ever follow through?

They talk sweet and have good ideas but for what if they never use them? Why even bring up the issues if you don’t ever cater to em’?

For a nation that was brought upon biblical laws, the people sure get persuaded right into the devil’s claws.

What happened to the people who really valued honesty of the people who go out of their way to better their community?

Tell me where are the morals and the teachings of our elders?

Land of the free became the nation of rebels.

PICK AT BRAIN OF MOTHER NATURE

Have you ever caught yourself thinking about random situations that put you in a terrible mood? Or a mindset that you just didn't want to be in, but never really knew how you got to that "thinking stage" in the first place? I guess that's where I am right now. I've been sitting here for a while just trying to pick at the brain of life. I know it sounds silly, but that's the only thought in my head that makes sense right now. I guess being a senior in high school with less than a month to go, is just about as stressful as everyone said it was going to be; if not, even worst than they all said. Senioritis is real!! And it's killing me with the passing of every school day. 

On another note, I have to worry about college acceptance! Talk about emails every day from all the colleges you've applied to, all talking about basically the same things. "Don't forget to apply", "Your application is missing a few things", "Are you still considering applying to this school" it's all the same old stuff all on a different day. 

Then, if that's not already bad enough, being a girl, I struggle with GUY PROBLEMS! Why does it always come down to guy problems? Seriously. If it wasn't already hard enough being the only girl to play on my high school football team, now I have to worry about the guys who want to try and date me, the guys who try and talk to me, the guys who try to get my number, the guys that are really just trying to look for a girl for one thing and one thing only. It's bad enough that I hardly have time for myself, why is it that these other people think that I have time for them? Not to sound like I'm all that, but come on! Why now, of all times, does this happen? Everything is coming at an instant and I really don't know where my head is supposed to be. Like, shouldn't it already be on vacation!?

I guess my problem is that nothing seems relevant to the goals I've set for my life. My main goal is to make money and provide for myself and for my family. Although higher education is involved, I see no relevance in these high school classes that assign pointless assignments. Like math class that makes you find the radius of a circle and imaginary numbers. for one, I'm not going to be a carpenter and I'm most definitely not going to build a circle house, so why am i being forced to learn that nonsense? Secondly, why do we have British Literature in America? All we do is read stories that never took place in real life and learn about how old English is different from modern day English. We all know the difference. We can see it in the way we write now verses how they wrote back then. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

 High school educations have gotten so far from what they were back in the day. All you had to know was reading, writing, and the basics of math! And some science and American history. That's honestly perfect. Back in the days, people learned manners and morals in school. They learned basic skills and what made America the greatest country. These days, you'll be lucky if you graduate high school learning how to design a website. Other than that, pretty much everything you learn is a bunch of Bologna.

I guess that's one of the main things wrong with America today. The higher authorities think we need the most complex educational training in order to excel in life. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, but why is it so outrageous?! Things have gone too far as far as education goes. Like what's the point of going to college these days if you're just going to come out in a million dollars of dept? What's the point of going to college and getting a degree or multiple degrees at that, and then when you graduate, you can't even get a job in your field of major? I know that's not just a problem for people who live in Hawai'i but for people all over the nation. Colleges have gone way to far with the cost of education. I understand that people have to get paid but in this day in age, the cost of a college education, isn't worth going bankrupt. 

My mind was running around way too much just now. And believe it or not, it's still going! I have a lot of things to say but not enough time to say it all. Thank you for letting me pick at your brain while I speak a little about what was on my mind. It's always good to think about the things that are happening in the world around you. Remember, "the more you know, the better you grow,"

Thank you for allowing me to pick at your brain while I say what's on my mind. Good night all the way from Hawai'i. Aloha and A hui Hou, until we meet again.