Good Writing

Recently I just started reading The Happiness Project and after many depression days in college from family, track, and school it really helped me try to always look for the bright side of life.

Sometimes the lines are silly like this: “One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.” However, it made me want to continue reading due to the situation I am in. 

Also I really liked this line, “When I find myself focusing overmuch on the anticipated future happiness of arriving at a certain goal, I remind myself to 'Enjoy now'. If I can enjoy the present, I don't need to count on the happiness that is (or isn't) waiting for me in the future".” 

English Reflection

When confronted with someone approaching death, a question on everyone’s mind is “how much time is left?” Usually a difficult question to answer but is a question some may need to feel comforted and ready to accept death.

After an elder loved one behaves abnormally, gets more and more confused, or suffers from a serious illness; death is sure to come knocking on their doorstep. However, I never got that.

I called my grandmother on a Sunday afternoon, like any other day. I was talking to her about be upcoming trip to Seattle, Washington and asking about my cousins. She told me she had various upcoming appointments and had to rush to Khol’s to get my cousin’s birthday present. I told her I love her and to my reassurance she said love you too. 

The next couple days seemed like a blur. I found out that following afternoon that my grandmother recently experienced a small stroke. Gram overcame a stroke already in her life and my parents reassured me that she was fine. That weekend I called my grandma in Seattle. I told her the exciting bike paths we ran on, the coffee shops we ate at, and the beautiful scenery. Sadly, my grandma never had been there before. In response, I told her, to not worry and I take her there that summer if she wanted to and I will even bike with her. Pull her in a sidecar because I know she could no longer bike.

Then a bomb exploded. Three on Friday my dad called that a friend was picking me up. I was confused, in not knowing why. After an endless scream it was because my best friend died. My grandma.

Why do people die? And when they do, aren’t the loved ones supposed to be prepared? Aren’t they supposed to stay up all night in the hospital and get told by the doctor that they won’t make it? Why did this happen when my parents reassured me, grandma is okay?   

English Assignment

My English assignment this week was to find a logical fallacy and write about it. I found an example of hasty generalizations from the Old Navy t-shirt commercial.

The link to commercial: http://www.youtube.com/user/oldnavy?v=fTWTl-6qSSE

Hasty generalizations are conclusions based on insufficient or inappropriately qualified evidence. The examples from the commercial include “Greatest Tee of all Time made from the greatest T.” There is even a “real doctor” stating he has seen tremendous improvement from clients wearing the t-shirt. These comments in the commercial are very generalizing and draw meaningful conditions.