Friday, December 6, 2013

End of the semester

I really enjoyed the semester. I have lots of experience in journalism, but I wanted to take magazine class I talked to Cindy about it before I signed up. I liked working with my photographer even though sometimes it was a challenge and miscommunication. I wrote 2 articles, but my favorite was the one I wrote about DJ Lenny. He is a very interesting fun person and it was nice getting to know him, he even taught me how to dye your hair rainbow colors!

What I didn't like about the class was that crazy student who cussed out the teacher. I thought he was very rude and disrespectful and I stood up for my teacher. This is college, and yet some adults behave like 5 year olds. How sad.

There was a lot of homework and hard work, but its okay because I learned a little something new. It gives me discipline which I need.

I liked talking to some of the girls in the class about the TLC movie, and glad I met other TLC fans. (TLC the 90's R&B hip-hop group). I liked interacting with other students and learning.

I would have to say my favorite part of the class was when we watched Back To The Future! I love that movie, and I love Back To The Future part 2 even better. It was fun eating cookies and watching the movie, it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves.

Friday, November 29, 2013

What I'm thankful for

I'm thankful that I have food and I can go out to eat whenever I want. I'm grateful I'm not pregnant and don't have to take care of a baby that would be too much for me. Im thankful I have an iPod, iPhone, DVD player, laptop, cds, and DVDs. I'm grateful my friend makes DVDs for me. I'm grateful I have a few friends who care about me. I'm thankful I graduated high school and now going to college. I'm thankful my grandma is still alive. I'm thankful I have a beautiful cat at home and that I'm going to get another Chihuahua on Christmas.

I'm thankful for being bullied, it made me a stronger person today. I'm grateful I live in a house, not an apartment. I'm thankful I have a shower that works good, even though it isn't the best shower in the world. I'm thankful I'm healthy and don't have cancer. I'm thankful I'm not blind. I'm grateful I get rides wherever I go and don't need to get a bus pass.

I try to help out my homeless buddies as much as I can. I donate food to them once a week. I try to be nice to people if they respect me back. I try to buy presents for my friends.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Free-for-all: Ms Krazie

I thought I'd do a blog on Ms Krazie since i am going to her concert this saturday.
Bio:America Ochoa also known as Ms Krazie was born in Michoacan, Mexico and later brought into the U.S. (year unknown). Her eyes are natural light blue. Her dad was the number one influence in wanting to be apart of the music scene. At age 13, she started rapping. She would rap at partys and talent shows in the beginning or even rap with her gal pals.

Ms. Krazie was a teen mom and her life got even better. She began doing legit shows and even featured on a couple albums. Ms Krazie got ahold of a rapper named Don Abusivo who was signed to a major label Universal. He set her up to the label Urban Kings automagically which she is still apart of.

Ms Krazie has 2 daughters. Her favorite food is mariscos, chongos, and pastel de tres leches. She doesn't really party and just kicks back at home or focuses on her career. Her favorite video games are Xbox live and Guitar hero.

Ms. Krazie listens to a variety of music. Genres include rock en espanol, oldies, and cumbias. She considers herself a sweet and nice person and very chillax and raps with all her heart.

Her first album is called "Brown is beautiful" which was released in 2006. Her second cd "Firme homegirl oldies" was released 2007. "Smile now cry never" was released 2008. Her latest album "Forgive not Forget" was released in 2012.

She is grateful for her friends and the love on her social media sites such as myspace, facebook, and twitter. She tweets her fans often.\

 "My main reason for doing 'meet and greets' is because I personally wish that artists I look up to would do that for me. Unfortunately, I don't really see anybody doing it. I hope that by me doing these types of events it shows other artists that people appreciate them. First of all, it's free. It's not like a show where somebody has to pay for their ticket or there's an age restriction. They don't even have to buy any merchandise. They can just simply go and take a picture with you and that means a lot. When I do these events, people are appreciative. I always get to hear why they like my music. They tell me what their favorite songs are. In Southern California, there was huge turnouts. I had people traveling all the way to Sacramento. It's just amazing!," said Ms Krazie.

She doesn't care what haters think. she tours Mexico and the Flyover states, like Texas. She is doing her first California show this saturday. She does webisodes on her YouTube channel.

sources:
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2013/06/ms_krazie_meet_and_greet_interview.php

Friday, November 15, 2013

Diary entry style blog

First of all I wanted to talk about friendship. People who claim they have 3 jobs and are so busy that they can't even text me or call me or come visit me. No, I never had a job in my life don't bash yet. I suffer from depression and its nice to have a friend around. Nobody barely visits me and the lonliness hurts me a lot emotionally. Some people are selfish, if I had a job I would take time to text all of my friends. A lot of my so-called friends are always online, yet can't take the time to text. Okay.

Second of all, I want to talk about No-shave November and why so many men, even women, are bashing women with body hair. It's not cool. Why should a man force a women to shave, or women feel pressured to shave.
No-shave November is an awareness for cancer. So think about when you bully a women about shaving in reality you are making fun of the cancer patients for No Shave November. It completely digusts me.
                                             people making fun of No-Shave November.

I am getting a new Chihuahua in a few weeks. I'm so excited to have her. My old Chihuahua died 2 years ago, so I'm excited for this new addition to the family. I have a orange kitty cat named Patty, he's my baby, my Prince Charming, my honey, the love of my life, my everything. I'm grateful to have a pet in the house.

I remember the children's book "Anastacia Krupnik" and how I looked like her when I was a preteen. I had dark brown hair, glasses, and was a little bit skinnier back then. I loved reading Anastacia Krupnik because it talked about the life of a nerd girl. I adore everything nerdy. I know the cover of the book is just a cartoon, but it holds a special place in my heart. I read the book to my mom before she died.
                                              the cover of the book Anastasia Krupnik.
                                              I looked like her when I was 11 years old.

I really love Mackelmore's new song. He's a rapper from Seattle. I love Seattle hip-hop especiall latin hip-hop. I love most music from Seattle because that's where all the good music is at. A lot of rock festivals are happening over there I wish I could go, but I'm too poor.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Profile on inspirational person: Kathleen Hanna

Kathleen Hanna is a musician who began her career in the early 90's with the grunge riotgrrl band Bikini Kill. Her music focused on subjects such as feminism, girl power, abusive relationships, and female empowerment. She is an inspiration because she is so talented and voices her opinions and doesn't care what people think. Her courage to battle Lyme disease and continue pursuing her music.

                                                                Kathleen Hanna

Hanna's treatments proved harder than the illness. She was fitted with a PICC line, an internal IV that laces through a vein in the arm to deliver medicine closer to the heart, and she wore it for nine months in her right arm. "I wasn't allowed to take showers, I had to take baths with plastic over my arm! I'd be taking baths with my right arm out and trying to shave my legs with my left arm." It was difficult for her to walk up and down stairs, so she and husband Adam Horovitz left their house in New Jersey and moved into an apartment in Manhattan.

"Because of my illness, I was like screw it. This was my last chance to represent myself before I knew what was going to happen to me," Hanna said. "I’ve always been nervous about being a leader, but you know you get sick and then you realize this is bullshit. I have a voice,” she added.

And yes Kathleen Hanna has a voice. The voice inspired millions of teenage girls to start their own rock bands, pick up a guitar, sing, and write their own lyrics.

Huffingpost site says "Since fighting her way to the forefront, and demanding that other women to do the same with her well-known crowd-call, "All the girls to the front!" Hanna has become one of the most vocal champions of the feminist movement. While her critics and bitter male audiences wished she would have just shut-up, her fans pleaded that she never would."

Hanna made a documentary about her career with 20 years footage with her bands Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and Julie Ruin. She also talks a lot about her battle with Lyme's disease in the documentary.
I saw the Long Beach, California world premiere of this event on 4th street. I met the director Sini Anderson and got her autograph. I didn't meet Kathleen Hanna because she was on tour with her new band Julie Ruin.



me with Sini at the Long Beach, Ca premiere of the Punk Singer
 
I believe Hanna paved the way for other girl rock singers. I believe she is an inspiration to the indie musician who wants to have a band to inspire people not just for fame.
Today, there is a riotgrrl revival movement not just online. Here in Long Beach there are riotgrrl conventions (LB Riotgrrl) and other events and organizations in Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Olympia, Washington, Germany, England and basically worldwide. Yes women in rock is important in 2013 even though they are not mainstream and don't get played on the radio much the indie scene is massive on its own.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Personal Essay: Tormented by 3rd grade bully

It was 1994, and I was bullied by a girl named Emily. She had orange hair and freckles on her nose. She made my life a living hell!
I would sit in Mrs. Grimsly's class and we would get together in a group for a group project. Emily always told me to shut up. She raised her hand in class and said I was bothering her. Mrs. Grimsly didn't believe that because I was one of the quietest students in the classroom.
I was a nerd; I had big round pink glasses, disheveled hair and bangs and wore my ugly school uniform and weird cheap Payless shoes. I was eccentric and I laughed at jokes that weren't funny and I was really goofy. But that's when I would talk. I was really shy most of the time.
I overheard Emily talking about the O.J. Simpson trial she said O.J. stands for Orange Juice.  I asked her "what's a trial" and she said "you don't know what a trial is? your stupid!". Hello! I was only a 3rd grader I don't think most 3rd graders knew what a trial was. 
That was just some of the conversations I had with her. I kept a diary and wrote down everything that happened in elementary school all the details, but I think I've lost that diary. It was so juicy and had every details of my time at Carver Elementary, including all my childhood school boy crushes.
Another memory I had of Emily was that I was enrolled in Girl Scouts back then and I found out my Emily was in my troop! Oh shit! I was so scared I told my family there was no way I wanted to go back to Girl Scouts! Whenever we had Girl Scout meetings I would sit far away from her as possible. Emily seemed inescapable.
Emily kind of looked like Pippi Longstocking.
 
I would always come home crying from school from the end of 3rd grade. I begged my family
to tell the Principal that Emily wouldn't stop. Finally the teacher sat down with my family and what happened was that Emily's grandmother died and she was acting out.
I was tired of excuses. I didn't want to hear all that crap. I know Emily's family didn't teach her good behavior skills but that gives her no right to be mean to me.
 
Emily wasn't the only bully. In the 4th grade, there were 2 boys named Sean and Chad.
Sean and Chad would throw mud at me when it was raining outside. They would chase me down  the playground they even tried to chase me in the girls bathroom to beat me up. Now that was traumatizing!!! I have so many horror stories of Sean and Chad.
Sean kind of looked very similar to Dexter from the rock band the Offspring.

                               Chad looked like the Albino version of Billy Idol.

I had survived the horror of school bullies, but what about the children that never did, and even end up committing suicide? Bullycide is an epidemic that is sweeping the nation. The documentary Bully talks about the horrors of being bullied and the kids that never survived it. I was never like that I just had to be tough and live my life to the fullest and never look back at the past.
I have always thought to write a memoir about my bully days but never really thought about making my dreams a reality. I've never met a book publisher in my life.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Feminist Gloria Steinem defends Miley Cyrus: A Rant

I have lost all respect for Gloria Steinem.
I have been a Gloria Steinem fan and supporter since 2006. I own all her books including "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellion" "Revolutions from Within", and "Moving Beyond Words". I admired her ability to bring awareness to womens' rights all around the world. In 2011, out of a million people, Gloria Steinem responded to my question from the HBO Gloria Steinem chat room. Yes, I was a really big fan.
An E!Online site article headlines "Even Gloria Steinem comes out to defend Miley Cyrus"


 
Miley Cyrus                                                                                Feminist Gloria Steinem
 
 
 
Gloria Steinem defended Miley saying "If a contest based only on appearance was the single greatest source of scholarship money for men, we would be saying, ‘This is why China wins.’ You know? It’s ridiculous. But that’s the way the culture is. I think that we need to change the culture, not blame the people that are playing the only game that exists."

In easier terms, Gloria Steinem doesn't blame Miley Cyrus for getting naked a lot these days. She
blames society.

Really Gloria? Steinem has helped victims of domestic violence, fought for womens right to pro-choice and Planned Parenthood rights for all women, and tried to reach out and help women in need. I think Steinem is trying too hard to stay relevant in todays pop culture, even though I don't think she need to because she is already so famous.

Reasons why Miley doesn't attribute good feminism values to society:
1. Posting provocative photos underage on Myspace. com
2. At the MTV Music awards, danced explicitly with Robin Thicke, who followed her around stage and pressing himself against her while singing a song that is somewhat “rapey” in its tone.
3. Took pictures of herself eating a cake that was shaped like male reproductive organs.

Is Miley really hurting feminism?
Yes.

I think so because Miley is a teen idol and many children look up to her since Hannah Montana. She promotes self harm (drug use), takes pictures of herself with older men (40-50 years old) in a suggestive manner, and behaves like a stripper instead of a serious musician. I can't take her seriously.

Annie Lennox thinks so as well. On her facebook page, she has stated "You know the ones I'm talking about. It seems obvious that certain record companies are peddling highly styled pornography with musical accompaniment.  As if the tidal wave of sexualised imagery wasn't already bombarding impressionable young girls enough. I believe in freedom of speech and expression, but the market forces don't give a toss about the notion of boundaries."
Sirius DJ Dr Laura responded as well saying "“Miley Cyrus is a piece of scum. Unlike Madonna who plays to adults, Miley positions herself with kids and any parent who takes their kid to a Cyrus concert should lose custody of their children."
Sources
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2446475/Annie-Lennox-takes-aim-Miley-Cyrus-Rihanna-launches-attack-pornographic-music-videos.html