Wow. Time has really flown by. I can't believe I'm going to be a senior next year. Looking back I can definitely say that junior year was by far the best year of my high school life so far. I enjoyed all of my classes ...except one or two that I absolutely despised. Being a part of AP Lang this year has been incredible. I felt comfortable working with everyone in the class. In some ways, AP Lang sort of felt like a little family to me. Towards the end of my sophomore year and beginning of my junior year I was terrified of this class. It was mostly because I've never taken an AP class before. I'm glad that AP Lang was my very first AP class experience. If I took another AP class instead of AP Lang then I think I wouldn't have survived as well in this class. This class has taught me the creative and sometimes cynical ways rhetoric can be manipulated to convey someone's point. Sometimes it doesn't even have to involve rhetoric at all! I still catch myself pointing different advertising techniques whenever I watch T.V. Warning: This can be VERY annoying to your siblings/friends. My skepticism has also grown because of this class.(As if that was possible, considering how skeptic I already am about everything.) I don't even know if I can trust school textbooks at all. The endless useless facts that are being shoved down our throats can easily be all lies. (thanks AP Lang!) The things I've learned in room 76 will forever be engraved in my mind no matter how much I resist. I'm really going to miss room 76, with its cozy sub zero temperature room, lovable clutter of miscellaneous items, and of course the lively discussions/reenactments that I was able to partake in.
I hope AP Lit can match or even better exceed my expectations of an English class now that I'm an official AP Langsta grad.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Cold weather? Not so far away from home? 1 hour drive to the beach? CSU Monterey Bay is definitely one of my choices for college. CSUMB is located on the site of a former army base called Fort Ord. The residence hall rooms are much bigger than normal dorm rooms because they're remodeled officers' quarters. Also, despite of the university's name it's actually located in Seaside,CA. I've only been to the Seaside area once or twice in my life but when I was there the weather was absolutely perfect...at least in my opinion. It was dark,cloudy, and most of all cold. Hot weather makes me shudder. I can't stand it. CSUMB doesn't offer a lot of majors compared to San Jose State or San Francisco State but it does have the major I'm leaning towards, Biology with concentration in Pre Medical Studies. Of course, I'm not entirely sure if that's the path I really want to take but who does...right?
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine
Paris,New York, Rome, London! There's such an abundance of places that one could immerse oneself into. Since I wasn't born here in the U.S., I have had the privilege of experiencing a whole different culture for quite some time. I find it always amusing whenever I tell someone that part of my life. Their usual response is, " Wow, really?! That's so cool!" It's like they've never met a foreign born person before. I mean, this country was built immigrants from all over the world. This brings me to my main topic.
Studying Abroad.
Studying abroad has always been a goal of mine ever since my parents started giving me the very frightening "future plans talk." My ideal destination would be none other than the great country of England. I've looked into studying abroad programs in my college choices and so far it seems very doable. As far as financial issues, the usual costs of tuition/housing/etc. are about the same. Of course it highly depends on what country you're planning to go to. Unfortunately, I have picked the more expensive country to study abroad. The mighty British pound still rules over the American dollar. (1.00 British Pound = 1.52 U.S. Dollars)
Why must I have such expensive tastes?? You can choose the length of your stay at your host country. It ranges from summer programs, semester programs, and year long programs. I plan on doing at least 1 full semester abroad. I've talked to a friend of mine who did a year abroad in Norwich,England and she said that in order to fully experience the English lifestyle you'll need to spend at least a year over there. I completely agree with her but we'll just see what happens. Our friends over the pond might seem very similar to us since we speak the same language and are considered part of the "western world" but I think I'll be less surprised about what makes us the same rather than what sets us apart.
Paris,New York, Rome, London! There's such an abundance of places that one could immerse oneself into. Since I wasn't born here in the U.S., I have had the privilege of experiencing a whole different culture for quite some time. I find it always amusing whenever I tell someone that part of my life. Their usual response is, " Wow, really?! That's so cool!" It's like they've never met a foreign born person before. I mean, this country was built immigrants from all over the world. This brings me to my main topic.
Studying Abroad.
Studying abroad has always been a goal of mine ever since my parents started giving me the very frightening "future plans talk." My ideal destination would be none other than the great country of England. I've looked into studying abroad programs in my college choices and so far it seems very doable. As far as financial issues, the usual costs of tuition/housing/etc. are about the same. Of course it highly depends on what country you're planning to go to. Unfortunately, I have picked the more expensive country to study abroad. The mighty British pound still rules over the American dollar. (1.00 British Pound = 1.52 U.S. Dollars)
Why must I have such expensive tastes?? You can choose the length of your stay at your host country. It ranges from summer programs, semester programs, and year long programs. I plan on doing at least 1 full semester abroad. I've talked to a friend of mine who did a year abroad in Norwich,England and she said that in order to fully experience the English lifestyle you'll need to spend at least a year over there. I completely agree with her but we'll just see what happens. Our friends over the pond might seem very similar to us since we speak the same language and are considered part of the "western world" but I think I'll be less surprised about what makes us the same rather than what sets us apart.
Friday, January 18, 2013
"No city invites the heart to come to life as San Francisco does. Arrival in San Francisco is an experience in living." ~William Saroyan
Ever since my family immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when I was 8, my favorite go to place was and still is to this day San Francisco. I love the whole vibe of this city. You'll never be bored because there's always something to do. Every time I visit this city I'm greeted with a warm smile and welcome. These are some of the reasons why San Francisco State University is one of my choices for college. (Go Gators!!)
San Francisco State has 124 possible undergraduate degrees. They have a wonderful medical sciences program which also has a few more degrees that other universities near San Jose don't offer. If you're planning to live on campus, the yearly expenses to attend this school is about $24,000. Multiply that by 4 years and you're looking at $96,000 worth of a college education. (Hooray for being in some serious debt!) Even though it will cost a lot more for me to go to San Francisco State rather than San Jose State, I'm willing to take the risks. For the past few years I feel as tough I haven't lived my life to its fullest. Going away for college would give me the perfect opportunity to really figure out what I want in life. It's a chance for me to learn what it's like in the "real world". The world full of job searches, heartbreaks, and for an introvert like myself, the sometimes very scary human interaction. Adventure awaits. What am I waiting for?
Ever since my family immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when I was 8, my favorite go to place was and still is to this day San Francisco. I love the whole vibe of this city. You'll never be bored because there's always something to do. Every time I visit this city I'm greeted with a warm smile and welcome. These are some of the reasons why San Francisco State University is one of my choices for college. (Go Gators!!)
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
"May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future." -Unknown
For this blog entry I'd like to take a break from discussing my possible career choices. I don't know about you but no one has ever given me tools to choose what path I want to take in life. The new school wide program Naviance is an exception but I'm guessing not a lot of people took the time and went back to check their accounts. It's nice that Naviance is there for students to use but I've found a tool that's easily more accessible. No need to log in with complicated usernames, passwords, codes, etc.
During my freshman year I stumbled upon a vlogger on youtube who lead me to a very useful website for high school and college students. A link to her youtube channel is below.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ndtitanlady
She's an INCREDIBLE rock climber too!
Anyways, the website she talked about is
http://www.myfuture.com/
For the past few years I've checked this website a countless number of times due to my anxiousness about my future. This website has everything! It has a ton of college information from colleges all around the U.S. Everything from tuition prices, male to female student ratio, acceptance rates, etc. It also has lots of information about all kinds of careers out there. From the required years of schooling, weekly hours, and most importantly the salary. So if you ever have some free time, go and visit this website. I'm sure it can only benefit you and your future! Oh and before I forget.....Happy Holidays everyone! :)
For this blog entry I'd like to take a break from discussing my possible career choices. I don't know about you but no one has ever given me tools to choose what path I want to take in life. The new school wide program Naviance is an exception but I'm guessing not a lot of people took the time and went back to check their accounts. It's nice that Naviance is there for students to use but I've found a tool that's easily more accessible. No need to log in with complicated usernames, passwords, codes, etc.
During my freshman year I stumbled upon a vlogger on youtube who lead me to a very useful website for high school and college students. A link to her youtube channel is below.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ndtitanlady
She's an INCREDIBLE rock climber too!
Anyways, the website she talked about is
http://www.myfuture.com/
For the past few years I've checked this website a countless number of times due to my anxiousness about my future. This website has everything! It has a ton of college information from colleges all around the U.S. Everything from tuition prices, male to female student ratio, acceptance rates, etc. It also has lots of information about all kinds of careers out there. From the required years of schooling, weekly hours, and most importantly the salary. So if you ever have some free time, go and visit this website. I'm sure it can only benefit you and your future! Oh and before I forget.....Happy Holidays everyone! :)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Fountain of Youth
"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million"
~ Walt Streightiff
Our youth is something to be cherished. Most of the time people my age can't wait to grow up. I understand this urgency to leave our childhood homes but I'm a realistic person. Along with the freedom that comes with being an adult, I also think about the huge amount of responsibilities I'll be forced to deal with. (the monthly rent, electricity bill, income taxes, etc.) In my future workplace I'd like to have something to distract from the real world while still being able to call it my career. This is where the thought of becoming a pediatrician comes into my mind.
A pediatrician is a physician who specializes in the treatment of children from birth through adolescence. Becoming one is incredible difficult to say the least. You would have to be in school for an additional 8 years after high school. That's almost a decade of your life! Acceptance to any medical school is extremely competitive which makes me terrified of pursuing this profession. Rejection is one of my biggest fears as you can see. By the time I finish all of my schooling I'm afraid that during all those years of endless studying, I'll realize that I've missed friends' weddings, birthdays, christmas parties, and so on. I don't want to look in the mirror and ask myself, " What have you been doing with your life Donna?" To be able to work and be around children is the biggest reason that I would want to be a pediatrician. Something about their innocence makes me just want to protect them from the terrible things in our world. Things that luckily their young minds don't quite know how to grasp yet.
~ Walt Streightiff
Our youth is something to be cherished. Most of the time people my age can't wait to grow up. I understand this urgency to leave our childhood homes but I'm a realistic person. Along with the freedom that comes with being an adult, I also think about the huge amount of responsibilities I'll be forced to deal with. (the monthly rent, electricity bill, income taxes, etc.) In my future workplace I'd like to have something to distract from the real world while still being able to call it my career. This is where the thought of becoming a pediatrician comes into my mind.
A pediatrician is a physician who specializes in the treatment of children from birth through adolescence. Becoming one is incredible difficult to say the least. You would have to be in school for an additional 8 years after high school. That's almost a decade of your life! Acceptance to any medical school is extremely competitive which makes me terrified of pursuing this profession. Rejection is one of my biggest fears as you can see. By the time I finish all of my schooling I'm afraid that during all those years of endless studying, I'll realize that I've missed friends' weddings, birthdays, christmas parties, and so on. I don't want to look in the mirror and ask myself, " What have you been doing with your life Donna?" To be able to work and be around children is the biggest reason that I would want to be a pediatrician. Something about their innocence makes me just want to protect them from the terrible things in our world. Things that luckily their young minds don't quite know how to grasp yet.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Listen
"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski
This is by far my favorite quote about the greatest thing known to man, Music. As I said before in my first post on this blog, I want to do a little bit of everything and music is definitely one I've thought about as a career. Now a music career doesn't exactly mean being up on stage performing for a huge crowd every night although I do admit that would be a lovely life to live. To me a music career is anything from becoming a sound engineering technician or the biggest and most famous music icon in history. You can also pursue to be an official drummer,guitarist, or back up singer for a solo act, just to name a few more options. All of these career paths sound fantastic but there's one that has all the best traits of these choices and mashes them all up to be my first career choice if I ever dive in to the elusive music industry.
Donna Santella: singer/songwriter/music producer.
How about that for a plaque on my desk.....or should I say music studio?
Yes I am one of those musicians who lock themselves up in their room and write/sing/record their little hearts out to no one. So if you're one of the very few people who actually take interest in my blog then congrats you know something that I've never physically told anyone before. One of my biggest inspirations for my work is Mr. Edward Christopher Sheeran.
This man, in my opinion, is the greatest singer/song-writer of our time. His lyrics are the words we're too afraid to say out loud and yet his composition of lyrics and music aren't juvenile. Ed Sheeran's craft is beautifully put together. Having said that, he takes pride in producing top quality music whether it be live or making a brand new album. Most of the time he doesn't even need a full multimillion dollar recording studio! He's one of the few artists who uses a loop pedal and has had great success with mainstream media. "A loop pedal allows a performer to record and later replay a phrase or passage from a song. Loops can be created on the spot during a performance or they can be pre-recorded. Some units allow a performer to layer multiple loops."
I have so much respect for Ed Sheeran and his craft. To be a part of the music industry without a doubt would be a dream come true.
This is by far my favorite quote about the greatest thing known to man, Music. As I said before in my first post on this blog, I want to do a little bit of everything and music is definitely one I've thought about as a career. Now a music career doesn't exactly mean being up on stage performing for a huge crowd every night although I do admit that would be a lovely life to live. To me a music career is anything from becoming a sound engineering technician or the biggest and most famous music icon in history. You can also pursue to be an official drummer,guitarist, or back up singer for a solo act, just to name a few more options. All of these career paths sound fantastic but there's one that has all the best traits of these choices and mashes them all up to be my first career choice if I ever dive in to the elusive music industry.
Donna Santella: singer/songwriter/music producer.
How about that for a plaque on my desk.....or should I say music studio?
Yes I am one of those musicians who lock themselves up in their room and write/sing/record their little hearts out to no one. So if you're one of the very few people who actually take interest in my blog then congrats you know something that I've never physically told anyone before. One of my biggest inspirations for my work is Mr. Edward Christopher Sheeran.
This man, in my opinion, is the greatest singer/song-writer of our time. His lyrics are the words we're too afraid to say out loud and yet his composition of lyrics and music aren't juvenile. Ed Sheeran's craft is beautifully put together. Having said that, he takes pride in producing top quality music whether it be live or making a brand new album. Most of the time he doesn't even need a full multimillion dollar recording studio! He's one of the few artists who uses a loop pedal and has had great success with mainstream media. "A loop pedal allows a performer to record and later replay a phrase or passage from a song. Loops can be created on the spot during a performance or they can be pre-recorded. Some units allow a performer to layer multiple loops."
I have so much respect for Ed Sheeran and his craft. To be a part of the music industry without a doubt would be a dream come true.
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