Post #9 - Mexico, Here I Come!

Because I have no clue what exactly my “ideal” vacation would be, I am going to write about my upcoming vacation to Cancun, Mexico, which is probably the closest to fitting that criteria. Yay! The day after I graduate from high school, I, my mom, dad, and my friend Allison Gowan will be flying out to Mexico to spend a week in a country where, fortunately, my dad and I speak the native language. This will make the trip run much smoother if we get lost and need to ask for directions or simply want to find the best restaurant in town as decided by the townspeople and not the hotel concierge.  I am very excited for this trip because I have never been to another country besides Canada and also because we are planning to do very fun, adventurous things.

Other than exploring Cancun, we are going to take trips to see the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations. I have only seen these areas in pictures and documentaries in Spanish class, but they look highly fascinating. As I have never visited anything close to ruins and pyramids, I am really looking forward to this. We are also visiting a place where you can snorkel in a reef and swim with sharks, sea turtles, and sting rays! One can also swim with dolphins for about $120 per person, and I was prepared to save up for this except Allison cannot afford it, and I didn’t want to exclude her. Shucks.

Very recently, Allison and I decided that it would be awesome to spear fish. I’m not talking about throwing a spear into the water and hope that you get a fish. Oh no. I mean being underwater and literally hunting, primitive style, except using a snorkel to breathe. My dad thinks that this is an excellent idea as well, so we will have to somehow find a company in Cancun that offers native spear fishing lessons and supervision so that we don’t kill ourselves.

Because we are doing so many fun activities in Mexico, I am very excited for this vacation. I have also heard that Cancun is a beautiful city, which makes me even more ecstatic to go.  The night that I graduate, I won’t even be thinking about how I’m officially done with high school because I’ll be so preoccupied with the anticipation of leaving for Mexico in the morning.

Post #8 - Don't Copy Me!

Once again we have been asked to blog about a topic of our choice, and it takes me a half an hour to think about what to write. Again, nothing inspires me. However, today I thought about how people, including myself, mimic others when they are around them often.

For instance, I have discovered that I occasionally talk and laugh like my good friend, Claire Dudley. She moved to Idaho to go to college a couple of months ago, but for some reason I have made it a habit to speak (especially laugh) like she does, and I just can’t seem to get rid of the speech patterns that I have picked up from her. I also sometimes find myself mimicking Matt Burger’s speech patterns while in his presence, and I have no idea why. Everything that comes out of that kid’s mouth sounds important and ingenious, so maybe I subconsciously want to sound that way as well.

Other than mimicking different speaking habits, individuals will copy movement as well. This is obvious when observing young children. When one starts bouncing or jumping, other children will follow until they are told to do otherwise or become bored with this mindless act. This mimicking behavior can even go as far as a child asking to use the restroom during class, and multiple children decide that they, too, suddenly need to go to the bathroom. Obviously, not ALL of them need to relieve themselves, but nevertheless they feel the need to go to the bathroom because other children have asked to do this as well.

In older individuals (children as well), we see movement copying in minor actions, such as scratching an itch. The next time you watch somebody else scratch his or her nose, take note of what happens after that. You will most likely instantly feel an itch somewhere on your body that you must scratch, and there’s a very good chance that it will be in the same exact spot, if not multiple other places. You may even feel itches as you read this.

Again, I have no idea why this occurs, but it really is fascinating. For those of you that have taken a psychology class or know anything about this phenomenon, I would greatly appreciate an explanation because I and many other people subconsciously mimic things such as speaking and simple movements all the time. I want to know WHY!

Post #7 - Research Findings

As several of you already know, I did my research paper on the effects of oral contraceptives and the importance of pharmacists advising their patients about these negativities. Because these blogs are supposed to be relatively short, I will only briefly discuss the side effects that I researched.

One consequence of taking oral contraceptives is the development of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks due to women that are smokers taking the kind of pills that are meant for non-smokers. This typically occurs in underage teenage cases because some of these girls will lie about smoking habits if their mothers are present during the appointment to receive birth control.

A less serious side effect is weight gain, which is caused by an increase in estrogen. Estrogen is considered a lipid because it is a hormonal steroid, and the energy that is stored in lipid molecules may be converted to body fat if unused. Ultimately, more lipid molecules equal more fat storage.

While doing my research, I also stumbled upon an effect that I was not aware of. Apparently, women who use oral contraceptives may experience continuous sexual, metabolic, and health consequences from low levels of “unbound” testosterone. This can lead to various stages of depression, so women may need to carefully track their behavioral patterns while on birth control.

The rest of the negative aspects of birth control that I discussed were centered around the 7 day period that women take placebo pills, also known as the “hormone free interval” (HFI). Obviously, an effect that occurs during this time is hormonal withdrawals. However, there are serious issues that may occur during this time, including catamenial seizures, endometriosis pain, and pneumothorax development (build-up of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest).

Although oral contraceptives pose many dangers to women, it is the best form of preventing pregnancy, so women continue to use them. For all of these potential side effects, pharmacists can help protect women from these problems by communicating with physicians to monitor their health patterns and make necessary adjustments if needed. Physicians help make decisions about patients’ prescriptions, but pharmacists ultimately choose which brand fits each patient best. A pharmacist’s role in medical treatment is crucial because they have extensive knowledge about the medications themselves and are responsible for the safety and health of their patients.

Post #6 - Hola!

This week’s blog topic was rather difficult to decide. I had barely any ideas, and nothing seemed to inspire me. However, at my high school we have started a new trimester, and this trimester brings back a subject that is very dear to my heart: Spanish. Spanish, Spanish, and more Spanish! Currently I am in Spanish IV as an independent study student, so I have been studying the language for quite some time. I cannot seem to get enough of it. I love Spanish so much that during my break from class, I looked up advanced grammar lessons that a professor provides on YouTube just so that I wouldn’t forget anything. There are several reasons why I love this foreign language so much, and I will discuss them in this post.

My interest in Spanish began when I was very young. My dad, who has a minor in Spanish, would occasionally speak the language in the house when he would talk to himself. We also used to live in a town that had a very large Hispanic community, so he had many friends that came from this community. I would hear my dad have conversations with them in Spanish and admired him for knowing a different, trill-like language. I thought it was the “coolest thing ever” that my dad was bilingual, and I decided that I wanted to be just like him! Now, 10 years later, I am on my way to being considered a fluent Spanish speaker.

Although I am not as fluent in Spanish as I am in English, I am still able to hold conversations decently with others who speak Spanish, and I mostly speak with my friend and her family, who moved to the United States from Mexico when my friend was 8 years old. I immensely enjoy speaking in Spanish with her, and she tells me how much she loves it as well. Anabel often says that “speaking English for too long is like eating the same food for a couple of days.”

Later in life, I plan to utilize my Spanish-speaking abilities in my career as a pharmacist. This would make me highly marketable when I begin to apply for positions. I would love to work in a Hispanic community. Even if I don’t end up being a pharmacist, I still want to speak Spanish for the rest of my life.

Basic Spanish lesson:

Post #5- Avada Kadavra!

Tomorrow (November 18^th) millions of people will be lining up at movie theaters around the world for arguably the biggest film event of the year: the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I also plan on seeing the movie tomorrow at midnight (thank you Professor Brooks for cancelling class), and I am extremely excited to see it. The other day when I was thinking about WHY I am so obsessed with the books and movies, I also thought about the reasons that millions of other people love J.K. Rowling’s fantastical masterpiece.

The main reason that people could be so fascinated with Harry Potter is that it deals with the concept of magic in a detailed manner. Not only does J.K. Rowling go in depth about how her idea of magic operates and its uses, but she also creates an entire wizarding world that is placed within the mundane world. For thousands of years, mankind has perceived magic and supernatural powers as both dangerous and exciting. The latter is what draws Rowling’s audience in as she created an adventurous, elaborate story about a young wizard who must face a malevolent, adult sorcerer.

Another reason that Harry Potter is the object of admiration of many individuals around the world is J.K. Rowling’s writing style and talent. As stated earlier, Rowling put enormous amounts of effort into creating a universe where not only magic and wizards exist, but a world that actually makes sense if it was not fictitious. She includes the daily lives of wizards, their mannerisms, traditions, education systems, and even their form of government. Furthermore, her writing capabilities are superb. She writes in a simplistic yet mesmerizing way that always causes readers to read until they find themselves unable to stay awake. I myself have stayed awake until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning at one point or another when I read a Harry Potter novel. I just can’t put those books down once I begin to read, and the same is true for many others as well.

If you have not read any of the Harry Potter books or watched the movies, I highly recommend both. Of course, the books are better than the movies, but I will still be standing in line tomorrow overflowing with anticipation at 6 o’clock waiting to watch the seventh installment of the series.

Post #4: Effects of Birth Control on Women

Even though I do not have an actual job with pay at the moment, in the future I plan on becoming a pharmacist. As many of you in my English 102 class know, we must write about a topic that deals with our career field or future career. Because a pharmacist’s main task is to handle medicine, I am deciding to write about the physical effects of oral contraceptives on teenagers. This topic is familiar to me because I use oral contraceptives, and I also wish to further investigate some of the effects of “the pill.”

If any men are reading this, I apologize and am truly sorry for causing any discomfort (I seem to be doing a lot of that with my blogs these days). This topic and blog are strongly geared towards women, so any men that don’t wish to read detailed information should stop reading now and perhaps try a different blog.

Although the long term effects of oral contraceptives among women (all ages) have not been determined, a few short term effects include blood clotting, increased risk of stroke, and hormonal withdrawals during the 7 day period that patients receive the placebo pills that replace the hormonal ones. Regimens like these are referred to as “21/7 regimens” because the patient takes 21 days’ worth of estrogen plus progestin pills and then 7 days of inactive pills. The “21/7 regimen” will be utilized throughout my paper as the majority of oral contraceptives use this method.

One major side effect that I plan on investigating is the alleged decrease in menstrual-induced pain, more commonly known as “cramping.” I have been using an oral contraceptive called “Microgestin + Fe” since April of this year, and the cramping that I experience about every other cycle returns to the previous level of torturous pain before I began using the medicine. Other months I experience a dull pain that “feels like Heaven” compared to my previous symptoms; however, I want to know why this occurs because I should experience that dull pain every month instead of alternating months.

Because I am choosing to write about a topic that directly affects me and many other teenage girls, I look forward to researching the effects of oral contraceptives. Even though my focus of the paper will encircle teenagers, many of the effects are similar to those that women experience as well. I hope that the final product is a success!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3149043

Post #3- Lady Gaga: Insane, or Genius?

As I was sitting in the library, I decided to watch the music video for Lady Gaga's single "Alejandro." After it was finished, I thought that the symbolism was phenomenal and demonstrated an interesting theme, which is the reason that I chose to discuss it in my blog.

I am going to include the video for Alejandro; however, I warn you that the content is highly sexual and may cause discomfort. If you choose to watch the video, please read the blog before viewing.

When the video begins, we are introduced to half naked soldiers lounging around the outside of a fortress. Other soldiers intricately march into various patterns, creating a precisely choreographed rhythm. Gaga herself appears, wearing an outfit that suits her craziness. The scene shifts to a funeral procession with Gaga in front of the casket, carrying her own heart. We go back to the fortress; it is evident that she is some sort of ruler.

Finally, the music starts and Gaga sings while men dance outside. They continue to dance until we see Gaga lying down in a nun outfit with a rosary clutched in her hand (note this). Again the scene changes, this time with Gaga pulling on a man from behind on a bed while other men are dancing on beds in the room. She dances with them. More sexual activities continue.

Now, she is in a “holy” outfit being lifted by the men. The nun version of Gaga swallows the rosary, which symbolizes the ingestion of holiness after the immoral acts that she had just committed. Men continue to pull at her and the scenes bounce back and forth between the immoral and moral sides of Gaga, representing her internal struggles. The video eventually ends with the nun Gaga incinerating, and I have read that this depicts her rebirth into a new, more pure woman.

Because Lady Gaga utilizes certain aspects of Christianity (specifically Catholicism) next to sexual acts, many religious individuals strongly oppose this video. However, they fail to look at the story that Lady Gaga portrays. She is actually trying to send a positive message, perhaps not with the disturbing sexual scenes, but rather with the outcome of the tale.

The director of the video, Steven Klein, discussed this exact theme in his interview with Rolling Stone magazine, so my interpretations were similar to the intended message. However, many people view Alejandro in very contrasting ways as this is not a set-in-stone analysis of the video. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/111856

Regardless of opposing viewpoints, I believe that this is Lady Gaga’s best creation to date. I hope that everyone who views the video can see the artistry that presents itself the same way that I did.

Post #2- Atonement

When one hears the word “romance movie,” he or she typically thinks about a passionate story where two lovebirds end up together. However, some romances endure these strives in vain; such passionate stories result in the inevitable separation of the lovers, through death, a forced removal, or other means of an undesirable event. Romance movies like these are perhaps the best and most memorable flicks offered within the genre.

One movie that resembles this type of a dramatic romance is Atonement. Based off of the novel by Ian McEwan, Atonement takes place in the United Kingdom during World War II and provides viewers with mystery, suspense, and the plights of a young couple. The narrator is Briony Tallis (Vanessa Redgrave), an aged author who is being interviewed about her latest and last novel/semi-autobiography called Atonement. The elder Briony begins her story when she was 13 years old.

Immediately the characters in the story are shaped by their social standing. One can clearly see that the majority of them live privileged, wealthy lives and govern themselves with high standards of society.  These high standards will later act as one of the main factors that contribute to the film’s affairs.

The opening scene depicts a colossal mansion where the Tallis family resides, a massive piece of property with a lake, expensive cars, numerous housekeepers, and women of the household wearing designer clothing. We are introduced to the younger Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) who aspires to be a professional author or playwright. She creates and organizes a play for the guests in her house to demonstrate her talents. While the festivities are unfolding, Briony witnesses a series of misunderstood sexual events between her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), and her lover Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). Due to her naivety, Briony views these occurrences as maniacal acts committed by Robbie instead of a normal developing relationship between him and her sister. This opinion plays a crucial role in future events.

During the day, Briony and Cecilia’s little cousins go missing. The entire family goes on a search for the two boys; Cecilia goes with her mother, Robbie by himself, and Briony by herself. As Briony searches for the boys, she stumbles across a disturbing scene: her cousin Lola getting molested by a mystery man. Briony immediately assumes that this must be Robbie because he is a “sexual maniac.” She then tells her family about what she “saw,” and the family calls the police. Because Robbie was by himself searching for the boys, he has no alibi and is charged with rape without an investigation. The actual culprit is not revealed until later in the film. Robbie is then sent to prison, changing the lives of him, Cecilia, and Briony forever.

Previously discussed in the introduction to this movie, Atonement reveals a twisted ending that is not typical of a romance. Aside from the unexpected conclusion, the film measures up to the general aspects of this genre. Like other dramatic romance films, Atonement begins with a blossoming relationship and develops the plot with many hindrances that keep the couple from achieving happiness. Spoiler alert: Atonement DOES NOT have a joyful ending. It is actually quite the opposite. Ian McEwan chose to incorporate a tragic closing in his novel because he wanted to show the damaging effects that naïve perceptions can have on people’s lives.

Although the movie does not contain the normal, satisfactory, perfect ending of a romance, Atonement makes a lasting impression on anyone who sees the film. The reason that the movie has received immense amounts of praise is because the story achieves common characteristics of a romance, but it possesses an unexpected, profound finish.  If anyone is looking for a unique love story that lacks the predictably blissful conclusion, Atonement is most certainly the perfect film to select. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783233/

Post #1- Ants Can Be Shy, Too

     It is undeniable that every human has a unique personality; some are adventurous, bold, and out-going, while others are quiet, reserved, and timid. However, as humans, we rarely consider the possibility that the tiniest of organisms may share these characteristics as well. While smaller organisms such as insects do not have the brain capacity to develop complex behavioral traits, they still exhibit qualities that reflect basic mental characteristics.

A recent study on Hungarian fire bugs provides evidence towards this concept as the insects underwent a variety of experiments that tested behavior patterns. Information that was analyzed included individual fire bugs’ exploration habits, how fast each bug reached certain points in the testing area, and the time that it took for a bug to venture out of its container. The results revealed that each bug possessed distinctive mannerisms such as bashfulness, courageousness, and aggressiveness.

Although the fire bug study does not prove that every living creature on Earth contains unique attributes, the findings do corroborate the theory. Scientists around the world are conducting similar experiments on different beings in order to present supportive data as well. If you would like to learn more about the Hungarian fire bug study, go to http://news.discovery.com/animals/bugs-personality-insects.html.

     As the aforementioned experiment shows that even insects can have different behaviors, I feel that there is truth to a theory regarding such a phenomenon with all living things. Before hearing about the firebug study, I never pondered the idea that individual organisms may sway from the general characteristics of their species.

For instance, it is widely known that crocodiles are highly aggressive and attack many creatures, but what if certain crocodiles do not share this trait? Some may harm other animals solely based on need instead of an insatiable hunger for violence. This example can possibly apply to other species that bear analogous qualities as well as those with opposite traits.

If more evidence surfaces to authenticate the behavioral uniqueness of all organisms, then it will bring researchers one step closer towards discovering the unanswered questions that lie within every specie’s most complex organ: the brain. Reasons like further understanding of the brain exemplifies why investigations similar to those of the Hungarian fire bugs play key roles in important aspects of society. Though such studies do not solve life’s riddles by themselves, they are undeniably a vital component of the science world.

Related video: