Risky Business- Sentence Fluency

 Risky Business Final

Teenage abuse of household items

     Today, teens may be tempted to go out and drink alcohol or do drugs. This may concern any parent, but they do not realize what could be going on in their own home. Instead of having to go through a hard time of finding someone who holds the actual substances, teens have easy access to the items that are already in their own home to get high. People may not be aware of this, but it is a problem in our society.

    The abuse of household items is not a common issue that is talked about, and people do not think of it as a problem. Teens have easy access to the items that are around them in their daily lives, which does not lead to any suspicion of doing drugs or drinking alcohol. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition says that they talk to about 100 to 125 parents whose teens have died from using inhalants without knowing of the situation. The symptoms that are shown from using household items are about the same symptoms shown when doing drugs, this means teens can get away with taking in inhalants without being suspected of doing drugs.

    Teens may do whatever it takes to find someone who sells drugs, but when they cannot wait any longer to feel the "buzz," they will look throughout their household for substances that can do so. The National crime prevention council reports that teens of the ages twelve to seventeen are most susceptible in using inhalants. In the past couple of years 3.9% of adolescents have abused inhalants compared to a 1.6% of people of the ages eighteen to twenty-five. Surveys show that 14.9% of eighth graders, 12.3% of 10th graders, and 9.3% of 12th graders have experimented with household items. Studies show that future surveys will show an increase in abuse of household items.

    Household items are easy to get, cheaper, and can give you that feeling of being high, but there are consequences when taking in theses products. Inhalants such as paint thinners, glues, and cleaning fluids can cause irreversible health problems. The National Institute on drug abuse says that Nitrites can affect the brain, which include slurred speech, lack of coordination, and euphoria.  The chemicals found in different types of inhaled products can cause short-term effects such as nausea and vomiting, long-term effects include liver and kidney damage, hearing loss, as well as bone marrow damage. Inhalants that have high amounts of chemicals can cause heart failure within minutes when sniffing the products.

     It's simple as sniffing a product that has high amounts of chemicals that can damage your health or even kill you. Parents worry about what their teens do when they go out, but they should really worry about what goes in their own home. Adolescents of the ages twelve to seventeen look through their cabinets for items that allow them to get high. Although this is not a common topic to talk about, it is a problem that is going on in our world today.

Qtr. 2 Sentence Fluency Exam- Sentence Fluency

Excerpt 4
A. The truth is, teens really do care of what goes on in the environment. Teens won't show that they care, because they are afraid of what others think of them. Teens won't pick up every piece of trash they see. Not every teen will think of what would happen to their generation if they do not take the responsibility. And teens won't take a chance to give to future generation's, to show them a legacy that has grown on this planet.

Excerpt 1
B. Maybe teens aim to be their best self- maybe even think of what kind of person they might be when they get older- but teens might not know until they take responsibility in every day life. Maybe teens will understand the limits of their responsibility- maybe even make the best use of the that they have- but teens might not know until they begin to take action. Maybe teens will allow themselves to choose what they want to do in life--maybe even gain control of what happens- but they might not know until they build up their self- esteem.

Excerpt 3
C. Teens take what they see in the media and use it in everyday life. Teens are able to use the messages whether good or bad that the media sends out and have a choice of using it for good or using it to cause harm to others. Teens may also absorb all the points or values that media puts out there such as how to look or what to buy, which pressures them into being someone else.
Although the media may say some things that they do not want people to take to heart, it is not an excuse for teens to go out and do bad things. That's no excuse for changing who you are. It's a choice whether to absorb or ignore what the media puts out there.

Movie Review- Word Choice

 Movie Review

Requiem for a Dream

     Winning numerous awards such as the Independent Spirit Award, an impacting film filled with drama, director Darren Aronofsky brings us to the streets of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Showing great strength in their performances, Ellen Burstyn along with her fellow cast members have sent an important message to audiences to think twice about trying something that can ruin you as an individual.

     Sara Goldfarb is an elderly widow who lives alone and goes through the same dreary lifestyle each day. When she is given the chance to appear on a popular television show, she eagerly tries to lose weight in order to fit into a petite red dress that she had once used years ago. Incapable of switching to a healthy diet, Sara turns to diet pills that help her to lose weight but in a way where it affects her life in great measures. Sara’s unsettled son Harry tries to find success with his best friend Tyrone by starting off a small drug operation. Although their operation is a hit, they both become addicted to the substances as they “test” their products. Along with them is Harry’s girlfriend Marion whose drug addiction allows her to do the lowest of things in order to get her remedy for happiness.

     The plot, scenes, the entire movie had its way of making drugs look unappealing. Scenes of the movies depicted what the actors were facing. Although there were parts of the movie where it made me nauseous, it did give me a sense that once you try drugs, you’re hooked onto it.  There were points of the movie where it was too agonizing to watch, but it was too captivating to look away. This film uses camera and editing tricks that expresses each characters emotions and its music had made it dramatic and persuading.

     Requiem for a Dream directed by Darren Aronofsky has a storyline that will convince you to keep away from drugs. Aside from all the weakest points, this movie had a great purpose and it will be hard for you to look away.

Angry Letter- Word Choice

 

Dear Kailua Square and to whom it may concern,

My family and I have been coming down to Kailua Square to enjoy all of the amenities your building provides. One of those amenities being Cinnamon's restaurant, it's friendly workers, generous and reasonably priced portions keep us coming back for more.

   

 However, an incident that we had encountered made my family's visit "unpleasant." Since your restaurant is both in and out, my family was able to be seated outside on a day where the weather was what you say just right. Using umbrellas is an ideal way of protecting customers from the sun and or even rain, but that gives the chance for birds to lounge around while people are eating. While having small talk with my family members and enjoying our meals, I could see that the birds were on the ground and above our heads. Not thinking that the birds would do anything, I look up towards the inside of the umbrella and see the tail or end part of the bird above my head. Before I knew it the bird had let go of all of its feces on top of my head. Disgusted and inconvenienced of what had happened, I began to feel agitated of all the birds in the surrounding area.

    

Since there is an open space in the middle of the building to allow light to shine through, there are areas where birds could disrupt customers. There are stores and offices that people come for aside from cinnamon's, where birds have easy access to land and get in and out to. Saying this, there should be a solution such as putting netting over the building, which will still allow light through so that others won't have to go through the same experience as I did.

    

Aside from all of this, your workers were courteous and were always there when we needed them. Our waitress had apologized for the inconvenience and had said that I was not the only one that had experienced that. This occurrence has not stopped me or the locals and tourists who usually crowd up the place to come back for "the island's best pancakes," and all the shops in Kailua Square.

I understand that you have no control over Mother Nature, but for those who are seated outside to have an enjoyable meal, you should have a solution to keep the birds from sticking around in the area.

Sincerely,

Skylar Manuel

Angry Letter- Voice

 Kailua Square and to whom it may concern,

My family and I have been coming down to Kailua Square to enjoy all of the amenities your building provides. One of those amenities being Cinnamon's restaurant, it's friendly workers, generous and reasonably priced portions keep us coming back for more.

   

 However, an incident that we had encountered made my family's visit "unpleasant." Since your restaurant is both in and out, my family was able to be seated outside on a day where the weather was what you say just right. Using umbrellas is an ideal way of protecting customers from the sun and or even rain, but that gives the chance for birds to lounge around while people are eating. While having small talk with my family members and enjoying our meals, I could see that the birds were on the ground and above our heads. Not thinking that the birds would do anything, I look up towards the inside of the umbrella and see the tail or end part of the bird above my head. Before I knew it the bird had let go of all of its feces on top of my head. Disgusted and inconvenienced of what had happened, I began to feel agitated of all the birds in the surrounding area.

    

Since there is an open space in the middle of the building to allow light to shine through, there are areas where birds could disrupt customers. There are stores and offices that people come for aside from cinnamon's, where birds have easy access to land and get in and out to. Saying this, there should be a solution such as putting netting over the building, which will still allow light through so that others won't have to go through the same experience as I did.

    

Aside from all of this, your workers were courteous and were always there when we needed them. Our waitress had apologized for the inconvenience and had said that I was not the only one that had experienced that. This occurrence has not stopped me or the locals and tourists who usually crowd up the place to come back for "the island's best pancakes," and all the shops in Kailua Square.

I understand that you have no control over Mother Nature, but for those who are seated outside to have an enjoyable meal, you should have a solution to keep the birds from sticking around in the area.

Sincerely,

Skylar Manuel

College Essay- Voice

 University of Arizona

Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?

          Even though people say the words "past is past," I can vividly remember all the negative things said to me growing up. Somehow those words stayed with me and has affected me in great measures. "Why can't you be smarter, how come you're not pretty or skinny like your cousins, why can't you do anything right," were constantly repeated to me whenever my relatives would see me. There was a point where I broke down and cried out all my anger and sadness that I was holding in. I told myself that I had to prove those who hurt me wrong, and fix all of the flaws that I had.

        Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are, but I felt that I needed to change for others to be satisfied.  I became what no other person would want to feel, uncomfortable in my own skin. Meaning that I would always be paranoid when ever people looked at me, thinking that they were judging the way I looked. I've been told so many times to not let anything bother me, but I felt as if those things about me were true. I didn't feel like going out with family or friends, even though they invited me to do the things that I loved to do. Sure, I was able to do the weirdest things without caring what others thought, but that all stopped.

         I began to do what people who knew me never expected of me. Of course teachers expect you to do what is told of you, but I went ahead and did more. After doing my normal assignments, I did extra work just so that I would understand the material more clearly. Even though I would pass a test, I would study more and retake the same test to see if I could get a higher score. Every time I would get a good grade I went home to tell my parents, just so that they didn't feel I was a disappointment. Instead of watching cartoons or drama shows, I watched informational shows, or more of educational channels. I gained knowledge and was shock of how many things I didn't before.

        Not only did I try to become smarter, I also tried to change everything on the outside. I bought clothes that I didn't feel comfortable in, but I just cared about what everyone else was wearing. I cut my hair, and even put weird things on my face. I did all sorts of things to make myself look different. Aside from trying to look different, I tried to not get anyone upset with me. I did what I was asked to do, answered politely instead the normal "What do you want?!" and tried to fix what I could not do right before.

      After trying my best to fix what others thought wrong of me, I went back out to see what they thought of the "new" me. I showed them my report card, wore a new outfit, and helped out with what they needed help with. Waiting for a response, someone finally says something. With a happy look on my face, it turned into the saddest. "So, you're still not like your cousins and how come you are not helping you are so lazy! Everyone else is doing something but you!" I looked at the people who they were comparing to and saw that they were doing absolutely nothing helpful but just sitting down watching television with their trash on the ground.

       I turned around and walked away, I felt a tear trickle down my face because I knew that I was a disappointment. For the next few days I locked myself in my room, knocked everything down in anger and could not even eat. After letting all my feelings out, I had a session with someone who accepted me for who I was. We talked about what had been going, and had given me advice that I will never forget. "Skylar, always know that people will judge you for the things you do, but it is your decision of whether to let it get to you or not care at all. But know that those who hurt you have been through the same situation as you."

        Hearing words like that helped me to realize, that it didn’t matter what I wore, what things I know, how to do things right or be a perfectionist, all that matters is what I thought of myself. I went back to the person who everyone noticed flaws in, I went back to the real me. So, whenever someone would say something critical about me I would shrug my shoulders with an “I don’t care” look on my face. Today I may be shy, but there is an outgoing side of me. I can go out and do weird things again and also do the things that I love to do.

Coming of Age- Organization

  "Two more days Skylar, good luck and have fun!" repeated in my head over and over again. Thoughts kept running in and out of my mind, would I make new friends...stay as the same shy girl in middle school, get good grades? Going to a new different type of environment without knowing anyone to go through with, is not an ideal way of getting through your first day.

       I was constantly given advice of what and what not to do the week right before school started. I felt overwhelmed with all the things I needed to know and needed to do. I was so used to seeing the same people everyday that I didn't think of what was coming my way, until it hit me. New faces, new classes, new campus was all a blur until the first day of school was getting closer and closer.

      Waking up the morning where it was finally time to be in high school, my heart started to race and my level of nervousness increased. My parents tried to make me calm by telling me all the good things that could happen, but in the end that did not work. Arriving at school, I tried to stall my parents into forcing me to get out of the car by asking as many questions as I could, but coming to my senses I realized that I would never know if I didn't try.

      Getting out of the car, I immediately tried to find people I knew so that I wouldn't be alone. Looking at all the other freshmen with their group of friends made me insecure that I didn't have a chance of finding new friends. I realized that I still had to follow a schedule that they have given to us the first day of school, I began to look around for my class asking for help from those who looked like they weren't new to the school. After all the school business that had to be taken care of, they sent us off to do the other things that we had to do on our own.

     I thought to myself that if I did not try to be brave and step out of my comfort zone I would not get anywhere. So waiting in line to pay off school fees, I introduced myself to another person in line. I was scared at first, but when I gave it a try I felt as if it wasn't going to be that bad after all. I wasn’t that person who was shy all throughout middle school anymore. I learned that if I didn't try new things and stopped being shy around others, I could do other things I've always wanted to do and achieve my goals. Even though I was scared, I have come to a conclusion that I can do new things and meet new people when I set aside the bad side of my personality and become a whole different person.