Expressing My Gratitude

Dear Bethany,

        I feel the need, after watching a video on gratitude, to let you know how much you and your influence mean to me. I know we haven't spoken for a while, but for a long time I was happy to have you in my life even though I may have rarely expressed it. The thing is, I feel open with you, like I can tell you things that I don't normally tell people in my life. You are easy to talk to and always there. I'll never forget the time when you told me that if I ever just needed someone you'd be there to get me, no matter where I was or what time it was. I may not have taken you up on your offer yet, but at the time (and even now) that meant so much to me. When I was having a hard time you could tell and you knew how to make it better. I love how you can make any situation fun, and you know how to make a game or craft out of anything.You are always the life of the party and your presence fills rooms. You can make friends with anyone. You showed me how to be honest, but not condescending.  I have always viewed you as an older sister. You taught me the many ways to put my bangs up when I was trying to grow them out. I hope that we can continue our friendship as I am very grateful for how it has been so far. You mean so much to me.

Sincerely, Isabela

Censorship on Writing

I have recently been made aware of a young high school student who was arrested for a piece that he wrote for a school project. In the Facebook post that he wrote as apart of a creative writing assignment he talks about shooting his neighbour's dinosaur with a gun. This brings up the topic of censorship of writing, and what is acceptable.

In my opinion there should have been no reason to arrest a kid on such a silly topic, first of all it was a creative project, and secondly it was about a dinosaur. Imagine if things like that were occurring all the time? How would that impact creativity of writing, or even the courage to write?

In this last week I have also been made aware that lots of books have been, and are still being banned. In a video that I watched called "Banned Books Week: 13 Authors Speak Out" the authors all stated their opinions regarding book banning, and all of them disagreed with it. A quote that I took away from that short video is said by author Bill Garfield, "If you don't want to read it, don't read it." I agree completely with the what he says. In the end it is always up to you whether you choose to read a book or piece of writing or not. Books and the freedom of expression should not be banned or censored on a persons choice or opinion.

The Key to Success

The key to success is something that many individuals search for at different points in their lives. In a Ted Talk by Angela Lee Duckworth, Angela presents the notion that grit is the key to success in any given situation. She states that success is found in people who are willing to put in the effort for the long run.

I agree with her that grit is the key to success. In my experience, sticking through and putting in the effort has made me stronger and more able to complete the task at hand. Choosing a plan and sticking with it will get anyone further in life. Recognizing challenges in your plan is an important thing, because it then helps you realize what you need to do to work around them or get through them. Children should be taught at a young age to push through and stick with their plans even when faced with challenges; this will help create strong character, one that does not quit or give up.

The World According to Me

In the past, when faced with having to talk about myself, I always became insecure and unsure of what to say. In the last few years, however, I have changed a lot, and have become more confident in myself and who I am. 

So who am I? Well, my full name is Isabela Jimenez (I don't have a middle name and never have). I am the second oldest of six children, and I am very protective over all of my siblings but mostly over my two youngest siblings who are ages three and one. Coming from a big family, I have never really had too much attention, and I'm often uncomfortable when attention falls upon me. I was the only one in my family to be home schooled pretty much until high school, which has always made me like a bit of an outsider, and not fully secure in my work. I'm not shy for the most part, and I am very opinionated, but I often keep my opinions to myself due to bad experiences. This is my first time writing a blog, and really putting my writing out there, which hopefully will be a good experience as I am typically insecure about my writing. 

I am really into fashion and journalism, and I would like to combine the two and go into fashion journalism someday. Some of my long term goals include working for a big name fashion magazine and traveling the world. I'm not the best writer or the most confident, but I'm hoping that this class will help me to improve that.