Free Choice

      The topic I have chosen for this blog assignment is the industry of water privatization. While this might not sound like a huge problem, you'd be surprised on how much it affects everyone. Privatizing water resources would make companies trillions potentially, but at what cost to the everyday consumer like you and me? Water should be a basic human right provided to even the poorest of people. 

       Now the sound of charging people money to use clean water may sound immoral and unjust but it is already being done, and has been happening all over the world. For example small rural villages in Africa where they don't have the technology to purify their water must pay to use corporate wells made to generate revenue. Forcing these people to pay money to use safe water is unfathomable by some people of first world countries where water is bountiful and free. 

      The reason that this topic has gotten more recognition recently is the simple fact that we are running out of fresh drinking water. It has been estimated by the world bank, by the year 2025, which is only 10 short years away, two-thirds of the world will run out of clean water. Corporations know this and are trying to get a head start on this business as soon as they can. It has been considered as the oil of the 21st century, only thing being is that water is an irrefutable human necessity. 

link:

"http://www.citizen.org/cmep/article_redirect.cfm?ID=11865"

Favorite Film

      My favorite film is The Wanderers directed by Philip Kaufman. One reason this is my favorite film is because it was one of my mothers favorite movies and I watched it pretty often growing up. The lives of various gangs in 1963 New York City is something that really made this movie entertaining for me. The movie really is about growing up and having to cope with reality. 

      Watching this movie is now a cherished tradition that I have with my family. On a cold or rainy weekend night we will all stay home and be in awe that the masterpiece The Wanders is called. The movie is very action-packed with fight scenes almost regularly throughout the film. The movie also has its own degrees of drama and humor. 

      Being one of my Favorite films i've seen it countless times. Surprisingly enough I haven't gotten tired of it, another reason for it being my favorite movie. The intense action scenes and subtle humor throughout the film make it one to remember. 

Bucket List

1. Attend and graduate college with at least a bachelors degree- It has been a life time goal to attend a facility of higher education and successfully come out with a degree. I am not sure yet what the degree could be in.

2. Hold my breath up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds- When I used to play Water Polo i could hold my breath for 2 minutes. I'd like to surpass my former time even know I haven't practiced in a long time. This is purely for personal gain and not for sport. 

3. Achieve a 100 meter swim time of under 1 minute- This goal also correlates with Water Polo. 100 meters is 4 laps, and doing this under 1 minute is quite a challenge. I used to swim a 1:01 so beating the minute has always been a dream. 

4. Maintain a 4.0 for an entire year of schooling- Since I started high school i've always wanted to prove to myself I could do this. Currently I have a 4.0 for the first trimester and I am on track to do the same for the second. 

5. Release a song officially- I would love to make a hobby like music into something official. I want to record, edit, and release a song that I created. Collaborating with a friend on this song would also be a dream of mine.

Being Charitable

       The charity I have chosen to donate the money to is one that affects our environment. Save the Redwoods League is a charity created to help protect and preserve the ancient Redwoods of northern California. The Charity has been around since 1918 around the time of the logging rush that nearly wiped out the redwoods. Trying to protect these primeval trees has become much more complex in recent years.

      The reason I chose this charity is because I was born and raised up until about 3rd grade in Klamath Falls which is a small town within the Redwood forest.  As a child I have very fond memories of the gigantic trees and the mysterious ambiance they would release. I also have family still living in this area, and when I go visit them I see the massive almost mythical trees. 

      The colossal Redwoods can grow up to 320 Ft. and live for over 2,000 years. Before people heavily populated the area of California the trees covered most of California and some southern parts of Oregon. It is estimated that the forest is down to 5% its original size in the early 1800s. Seeing the Redwood forest become so small and isolated makes me think everyone should donate to this charity.

http://www.savetheredwoods.org

My Top Three Sports

1. Water Polo

      The first sport I picked was Water Polo. I chose this sport because it is my favorite sport to play and watch, although it's rarely ever on television. I started playing in middle school as part of Costa Mesa Aquatics Clubs original team. From there I started playing in High School. I played my Freshman year at John F. Kennedy High School in Buena park. I stopped playing competitively because of a few broken bones, but I still play recreationally with friends in my spare time.

2. Basketball

      The second sport that I chose is Basketball. Although I might not be the best B-ball player I still enjoy watching and playing the sport on a regular basis. My favorite NBA team is the Los Angeles Clippers and iv'e been to many of their games. In middle school I played on my schools team against other middle schools and we got second place as the underdogs. 

3. Baseball 

      My third favorite sport is Baseball, the reason being is I played little league growing up and I am an avid angels fan.  I attend at least 3 Angels games per season and it seems as if every time I go they win. I played the sport in little league for three years, one season with the Pirates and two with the Angels. On my Angels squad our team made it all the way up to the tournament of champions, even know we lost first round to the Dodgers by about 20 points.

Perseverance

      Of course just as anyone else I have life goals some realistic and some far fetched. For example, I know college is a probable goal that I can achieve while getting married on the moon is not. Everyone has goals they one day hope to achieve and they know which goals they should put real effort into. I have many goals, one main one being graduating from college and getting a reliable job. 

      To achieve my goals of being a college graduate I know there are many steps I must undertake. I want to have a degree in business management or music production. Both of these fields of study may seem difficult but the motivation behind them is unparalleled. Doing good in High School isn't really my best plan as of now but a stellar senior year still couldn't do any harm. When it comes to college ill just have to live up to the expectation and give it 110% effort.

      If I were to be offered 50 dollars at this moment or wait a year for 100 dollars I would take the money now. This may seem as an unwise decision but at this point in time the money would come as a well needed blessing. If you were to ask me this question at a point in time that isn't so close to my 18th birthday i would wait for the 100 dollars. 

My Winter Break

      Over my winter break I got to spend a lot of time with family who I don't see very often. I also got to travel out of costa mesa for a change to Diamond Bar, Los Alamitos, and Fullerton. These places may not seem very far in distance but I am not there often so its nice to visit. Hanging out with friends was also an activity i took part in over our winter break. 

      Visting family that I haven't seem in a while was nice and the gifts that they got me I couldn't be happier with. I mostly got clothes and quite a lot of candy, the  clothes I asked for and liked, but 1 person can only eat so much chocolate. Some relatives i hadn't seen in years and it was great to get back in touch with them.

      In all the time that I wasn't with my family I spent time with my friends. We did a lot of things like talking about the weather and how the president is doing in office. My new years eve and new years day i was with my friends and it was a time i'll never forget.  I had a fantastic time over break hanging out with friends and visiting relatives.