Is it that bad not to be a virgin?

Virginity ? What is virginity? This is the question in every girls’ mind at some point or another in their life. Is virginity a little stick inside your vagina that breaks after having sex for the first time. Is virginity the soul of your vagina? Is virginity a dignity box that represents your character? Does engaging in other types of sexual acts considered loosing your virginity as well? What defines virginity? Since you can't see or feel or smell virginity or weigh it on a scale, the standards for deciding what a virgin is or isn't can be pretty arbitrary really. For some girls virginity symbolizes their purity; the “pure” girls wait till marriage to lose their virginity. Other girls connect their virginity to religion and other aspects in their lives. While for some other girls virginity represents nothing and sex is simply an act of pleasure. Personally, the concept of virginity lays on each girls personal, spiritual, and cultural beliefs and becomes subjective. I think people miss use the concept of virginity; I respect the girls that know that are still virgins, and have never judged the ones that are not. But in a society today that has become less conservative, is it really that bad not to be a virgin? Last time I checked it was ok not to be a virgin. But now non virgins are being judged and are classified into stereotypical names like whores and sluts. Do men really want to marry a virgin? Umm, clearly not , guys want to know what they get into before they get married. You cant buy a car before you take it for a test drive.

The art of Jazz

Does dance have limits to what it is and what it can be ? Is there a fine line between the different types of dancing? To me dance is whatever you want it to be. Names like jazz, modern, and ballet are simply categories as which to places a dance piece in. Now of course each category has guidelines or standards as to what could be considered jazz or modern. But guidelines are there just to help and guide some one into saying this is this and that is that. Guidelines are not there to be followed, but to guide us. It’s up to the choreographer’s to decide what they want there dance to be categorized as.

The article the “real thing” by Joe Nash an African American dancer, is just what he thinks about jazz, which does not make him right. He has grown up thinking you can teach jazz because jazz is an attitude and you cant teach attitude. This for the most part I don’t agree with. To me dance is about being free and expressing yourself in a theatrical way. Everyone, comes from different backgrounds and lifestyles, everyone was trained in different places by different dance teacher, so everyone has their own concept of what jazz is. Everyone’s concept of jazz is different and maybe new but it really depends on the training you grew up on. But there is on thing I totally agree, to dance you have to have attitude. Dancers carry this trait naturally and can express it while they dance but others are timid and need to be taught how to present their attitude. Dancing is about performance and you cant perform if you don’t have attitude but it does not mean that jazz is attitude.

The world of texting

We are leaving in a generation where texting is the new way to communicate, forget about phone calls, that was so yesterday. Why take the time to have a 3 minutes conversation with one person, when you can text as fast as you speak with more than one person. Well, maybe that would be me, I am a texting freak, not by choose but because I was absorbed into the world of texting; it’s the “new thing to do.”

Think about how many times have you been sitting bored in class, texting your life away. Or even worst your hanging out with a group of friends an at least 2 phones are beeping and they go “oh no it’s only a text.” Or how about ,your walking in the streets of Manhattan and someone bumps into you because they are texing, rather than looking at were they going(ehh that’s actually me). Realistically speaking, texting has become a phenomenon in society today, please even my mother has learned how to text. That’s actually annoying, I wish I would have never showed her. Phones now have keyboards, why? Because people find the need to text.

We find the need to text because phone companies like T-mobil have made it a trend due to their advertising "stay connected buy a sidekick." Believe it or not 600 message in my phone plan was not enough. I had to change my plan to unlimited texting because my phone bill was up the roof from texting. Please I get charged for my incoming text, which is ridiculous. The phones companies realized have realized the popularity of texting and have taking advantage of it usage.

"International"

Nine hundred and twenty two days seem so long ago, but it was exactly then we the “international” student (by international I mean most of them Dominicans) of the 2009 class arrived for the first time at Manhattanville College. In those early days, as a freshman no matter where you’re from, what sports your play or what instrument you play; students feel overwhelmed to be somewhere new. But just imagine being in a new country for the first time in your life, thousand of kilometers away from home. Speaking a language that is most probably your second language. Eating that so famous fried food, that you’ve been waiting for, but it turns out it upset your stomach and your in the bathroom 24 seven. Or even worst you have that thick Spanish accent, that classifies you as an alien; no sorry I meant foreigner (but anyways your passport states alien as your new status)That is what I call being overwhelmed. Even the familiar is not familiar enough. I know it has been 3 years since I arrived at Manhattanville, but that day when I was droop by my mother seemed like it was yesterday. I was the new International student from El Salvador, just create. Believe it or not I still have friends that think I am from Ecuador, don’t really understand why it don’t even rhythm

Yes, I know I have adapted greatly to the change, it was easy for me to become “Americanized”, or so do my friends from home think. But have a really become part of America? Do I really belong here? Being international student is a label I hate but it has been imposed to us by school, government and even friends. I am really not part of America, I am a visitor, who would have to say goodbye after graduation. Through, this blog I want people to understand how hard is to come from another country and try to adopt a totally different culture and then four years later have to say bye or unless you get lucky and get sponsored.

Monologue

I don’t recall what happen, I am not sure if it was a dream, a blur, or just a fraction of my imagination. But indeed something happened; something terrible happened. Well, at least I guess, it did. I mean, I just remember specific moments. I recall it being a foggy Halloween night, the leaves on the ground were swiped away by the wind, was it really the wind? Yeah, fofa it’s only the wind nothing else. I was trying so hard to convince my self that nothing strange was going on. As, I walked into the mist of the forest, the shadows grew bigger and bigger as my footsteps are slowing down. It almost felt like I was tiptoeing into the darkness of the forest. Looking further with no lights around, only the reflection of the moon that created shadows, made it seen as if I would never reached the dead end of the trail. Why did I decided to follow her, why women why? Now almost starting to gallop into the woods, becoming more and more frighten by the hauling of the owls, I realize that I’ve lost track of my sister’s shadow. It was then, when I saw the light, yes the light! I was running towards the light, as I was getting closer to the light, I could hear girls shouting. I was there behind a tree, I could see it; I could see my sister dancing to the rhythm of the fire. I was taking part in this act, she never saw, at least I think she pretended to never see me. I took part, I danced, shouted, participated. Oh no, I cannot imagine myself being convicted by something I did not do. Why, I am going to be punished for mistakes I have not committed, its all my sister doing. No, FOFA do not think about your sister, no not my sister. I want to dance, my body wants to be free; “I am thrilled to be part of it.” No I did not say this, no not me not me, I am not one of them. I am honest and follow the sweet love of Jesus. My body felt tired, I walked away into the darkness of the woods, back to where I belong. I cannot remember what happened after, no one could remember, not even my sister.

Newspaper vrs Magazines

Over the last century newspaper and magazines have increasingly become more popular. Over 60% of population read newspapers on a daily basis and nearly half of the girls from the age of 7, read girl magazines each week. Mass media has a powerful influence over society. The media determines how we dress, behave, relate to others, speak and act. If we do not read the newspaper we are not informed about the world around us. If we don’t have the latest issues of VOGUE I have no idea of the latest concept of fashion.

Magazines and newspapers have different styles, forms and content. But both seek to inform, persuade, entertain and change people’s way of thinking. Personally, I feel more inspired to buy a Cosmopolitan magazine than my local newspaper. Women magazines reflect my personal interest. This does not mean I do not value a newspaper, as it keeps me conscientious of the problems in society and widen my knowledge. Newspaper can help me decide what political party to vote for, what to believe about public issues, be aware of sports coverage and classified advertising. Even though I do value magazine, I understand that some magazines can create a surreal world with obviously unreachable standards for young women like myself. I am aware that magazines can make me think something that is not true.

Magazines an newspaper can be a powerful tool for socialization , they connect people be making us have something to talk about. Both change trends, values, and beliefs. I think that with out these form of media, we simply could not relate to each other or even ourselves, since our lives are so focused and involved on both our personal life which is brought forth to us with magazines such as Cosmopolitan and the-day -to day issue, which is fully described to us trough our daily newspaper like NY Post.

How does media affect me ?

Now-days I cannot imagine myself without the influence of the media; from the time I wake up to the time I fall asleep. We are living in a media culture. It is impossible to escape from the influence of media; it has become part of our daily routine. Just think about it, can you imagine yourself going a day without using any source of media? I can assure you that the answer is no.

The use of media has become demanding as it fills people’s day-to-day lives and social relationships. We become part of society by being connected through the media. Media is everywhere; the use of media has become part of today’s popular cultures. People in different positions and situations use media in specific ways as each of us have different priorities.

The media is the most important link between individuals, as it allows us to become connected. Even though, I am in the USA I can easily communicate with my friend in El Salvador through hotmail. I can even be aware of the news from back home; I can read a Salvadorian paper- El Diario de Hoy- from the internet.

Media helps me connect to the world around me; I use the internet daily to talk to friends and family. I read the newspapers to be informed of the world around me. I read a book in order to enter a world of fantasy. I buy fashion magazines to be aware of latest trends. The media offers me the experience too feel connected in today’s culture.

abandon Inverted pryramid

Some critics argue that newspapers should abandon the inverted pyramid news story structure. They say that television and radio deliver news much faster than newspapers, therefore, newspapers should not be as concerned with getting information to readers quickly as with getting more complex and accurate information. What do you think?

I believe the inverted pyramid news story structure is the most effective way to grab reader’s attention. It delivers the news story as it should be: the core of the story on the top. Living in such a rapid paced society people do not have or make enough time to read an entire article, but they still like to be informed on what’s going on. This is why having the story be unfolded on the top with 5 most important elements: who, what, when and where is the most successful way to maximize the information reader absorbs. The inverted pyramid structure could be easily read by any type of audience, people always on the rush, to people with a short attention spam.

It is true that television and radio delivers news much faster than newspapers, but at the end of the day most people like to get informed by the newspaper because newspaper are portrayed as a more reliable source. At least, I tend to trust a news story more if I read it from the newspaper than if it was reported on television, the newspaper seems to be more formal and reliable.

Who says that because the information is structure from more important to least important is not complex or accurate? As a matter a fact, if the most important information is placed at the begging of the story, we know that the rest of the article is just extra or repeated information to make the story more interesting. In today’s media it is more effective to communicate information with the most important aspects first. Everything around is cut by every minute.