#MuslimLivesMatter

RIP to these three beautiful young people.
I will keep them in my prayers.
I give their families my condolences. 

Just a couple days ago, a newlywed Muslim couple and the bride's sister were murdered by a Caucasian male apparently over a "parking dispute". 

Right.

Their wedding photos were due this week
but they'll never get to see them ... 

The couple Deah Shady Barakat (age 23) and Yusor Mohammad (age 21) actively helped those in need worldwide, and fought for equality among all races and religions. They committed no crimes, but they along with Yusor's younger sister Razan (age 19) were shot execution style by Craig Stephen Hicks. 

Oh.
I thought he was known for like ..
brutally executing three young Muslims .. but what do I know?

Not only are people are trying to portray the Chapel Hill Shootings as an isolated incident, they’re already trying to defend Hicks’ character. His wife claimed he was an advocate for "equality", his college spokesman stated he was "an exemplary student" whilst his teacher claimed he was "bright, hard-working and kind". 

Imagine we’d be having a similar discussion or the claim that it was a parking related incident being taken seriously if the shooter was Muslim and the victims where white. 

We not only live in a world where Muslims are demonized but where those who cause them harm, whether it’s a lone shooting or military warfare, are defended both physically and verbally.

“What’s infuriating about the murder of the three young people in North Carolina is not only their tragic deaths, but also the speed by which the motive of the shooter has been labeled a “parking dispute” by the authorities and the press, as if that explains anything and as if a hate crime or a political crime could not also have a catalyzing event. The question is not whether this was either a hate crime or parking rage. It can be both.” — Moustafa Bayoumi, "How the Chapel Hill Victims Deserve to be Mourned". 

"Relax it wasn’t about race or religion, it was over a parking spot....." 

Oh thank goodness for a minute there I thought there wasn’t a legitimate reason to murder three people... 

I am afraid ... I am angry .. I can ...

I'm afraid of the future.
Immediately after I was born, my life was already planned for me by my parents: get a 4.0 GPA, graduate high school with honors, go to a good college and get a degree, et cetera. I'm 18 years old now and I don't even know what I'm doing with my life because I have no control whatsoever. Will I graduate in time? What is my major going to be? Will I be successful in life? 

I am angry about my future.
Since my whole future is already planned for me I basically can't do anything. I want to major in journalism but my parents say that is a failing degree and that I'd never get a good paying job. I have no freedom. People have told me that I should just move out and do what I want but it's not that easy. I've been dependent on my family my entire life and I personally blame them for making me this way. 

I can do something about this.
I am still young. There is still plenty of time to fix the present in order for me to have the future that I want. I can start anew and become independent. I can ignore what my family wants me to do and do what I want to do. I still have a chance.

Pages 23- 28 (????)

If you have read my earlier blog post I had said chapter one of this textbook was completely pointless and confusing. After reading pages 23-28 I shall stick to my original assumption: this entire book is confusing as heck. 

The chapter always starts off with "In this chapter we will learn about tips on how to ____" and then continue to ramble on about Greek mythology. Now, I'm not saying I'm not a fan of Greek mythology... I just don't understand why it keeps coming up. I thought this textbook was about writing tips ... 

Anyway in the chapter in explains what the difference between definition and explanation is. Definition is a statement of the exact meaning of the word whereas an explanation means a statement or an account that makes something clear.

Example:

Dog.

Definition: a domesticated carnivorous mammal that typically has a long snout, an acute sense of smell, and a barking, howling, or whining voice. It is widely kept as a pet or for work or field sports.

Explanation: a chow is a (type) dog.

"Curiosity is the lust of the mind"

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word "curiosity" means "the desire to learn or know more about something or someone". I remember a couple of years ago when I was around twelve my curiosity about exploring other religions received a slap in the face by my aunt.

My mother's side of the family is Roman Catholic and my father's side of the family is Buddhist. I don't really know the details but I do know that my dad had to convert to Catholicism to marry my mom. Converting to another religion is a big deal, especially since my dad still doesn't know anything about being Catholic and he's been married to my mom for over 20 years (hell, he doesn't even know how to pray). 

I bring up Catholicism in my blog post today because I realize it's played a huge role in my life. Both good and bad. 

My parents had put me in a private Catholic school for nine years (kindergarten through eighth grade). 

Every Wednesday, everyone was required to go to mass at the church (sometimes there would be a short service held in the cafeteria instead). 

On Sundays, I took Vietnamese classes and shortly after I would have religion classes (in Vietnamese). 

I never really questioned my faith because I was surrounded by people that had the same religion as me. This was until my sixth grade World History class that I realized there were more religions other than Catholicism and I became curious.

"I don't think I want to be Catholic," twelve-year-old me had said out loud during a family gathering. Everyone had stopped eating and gawked at me. My aunt Tweety was so furious she slapped me in the face and said I need to repent for my sins. I cried. I didn't understand why everyone was mad at me and why I was struck. 

I realize now that was a really dumb thing to say considering the fact that my mom's side is very serious about Catholicism and are very conservative.

Now that I'm in college, I'm glad I got the chance to meet many people from different backgrounds (i.e. races, religious and political views). It's amazing how sheltered I was because I was put in the same environment for a majority of my life. I don't think it's okay to force a child to believe in something and then scold them for being curious. 

So in the end, the joke's on my mom and dad...

I'm liberal hippie trash. 

I SAID "NO, THANK YOU"

Okay, what the hell is with mall kiosk salespeople? 

One time I was at Washington Square with a friend and we happened to walk by a kiosk that was selling hair products. One of the employees of the kiosk complimented her saying "Can I see your hair? It's so long and pretty!" I continued to walk, ignoring the person but my friend happened to stop and say thank you. When I turned around, it was already too late. The person working at the kiosk had tricked my friend to stop and was persuading her to buy a hair curler. Even though I kept telling the salesperson we were busy he kept interrupting me and began to curl my friend's hair. In the end, my friend had a new hairstyle. 

And a new silver hair curler and straightener.

When we walked away from the kiosk I grabbed my friend by her shoulder and shook her furiously shouting, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" 

She frowned and responded, "He was so persuasive..."

And aggressive. 

If you've ever been to the mall, you might've been stopped by a kiosk salesperson and you must know the feel of annoyance when they ask you questions and try to sell you products. Sometimes they're nice and leave you be when you say "no thank you". Other times they'll get touchy and forcefully make you use the product. They'll say things you want to hear (i.e. compliments) making you feel bad for being rude to them. Thus, sometimes you'll end up buying the product.

Persuasion is something salespeople have to be very good at to sell a product. I respect that. But those mall kiosk people need to honestly chill. Ever since that day when my friend ended up wasting $100+ on a curler and straightener, I can never look at a kiosk salesperson in the eye. I walk really fast and avoid eye contact.


Moral of the story: BEWARE OF MALL KIOSKS. 

Chapter 1 analysis

I had to re-read this chapter about three times to understand it and to be honest I still don't understand anything. Since I'm supposed to give my thoughts out on this chapter, I shall: it was pointless. 

I understand the objective of this textbook is to give tips for writers but was it necessary to give a history lesson? During the time I was reading I was wondering why the narrator kept rambling on about the history of Greece. I mean yeah sure it's interesting how these Greek philosophers (i.e. Plato and Aristotle) were the ones that created proper ways to think and write but I honestly did not care about the stories of Pericles and Apasia. What a waste of time. 

Chapter 1

I did not read the chapter because I was busy with my math and psychology also it was my parents' anniversary a few days ago so I was busy ;__; BUT I WILL READ IT I SWEAR MARY I AM SORRY.