CHRISTMAS,NEW YEAR, & RESOLUTIONS!

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone! All the Christmas shopping,crowded malls,rude people,no parking spaces,maxed out credit cards....it's all done with, for this year at least. I,personally, had a great time with my family and boyfriend. There wasn't one thing that we didn't laugh at. We made memories. The most important thing to do with your family is to make memories that will last us all our lives. Treasure the moments that you have with your loved ones because we never know what the future will bring. With that said, I will like to take a moment and write about someone who was and still is very important to me,but isn't physically with me here on this earth: my brother,Jacob(or how I liked to call him,JayJay).

He passed away 5 years ago at the age of 21 in a terrible and fatal car accident.I was blessed to have had him in my life for 15 years.He was my father figure. Now that he is gone...I miss his smile, the way he laughed, the way he joked around with me.The last happy memory I will always keep with me was when we were outside. My stepdad and he were playing basketball, and I just remember JayJay laughing,just having a good time. I choose to embrace his life rather than his death.I still find myself crying myself to sleep at nights because I miss him so much, but I know he is in a much better place watching over his sisters.I LOVE YOU JAYJAY & THERE'S NOT A DAY THAT PASSES BY THAT I DO NOT THINK ABOUT YOU,ESPECIALLY AROUND THE HOLIDAYS.

On a more happy note, 2011 IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, TWO DAYS AWAY TO BE EXACT! Time to look back and reflect on 2010.Always learn to be thankful for the good and the bad in our lives. The good things make our lives more joyful and the bad things make us who we truly are on the inside. Both are important ingredients in making us and our every day lives unique in every way. So I'll be the first one to say the things that I am very grateful for:

1. I love school.It's no secret that I love going to school. Some people may call me a geek =] but I don't care. I believe education is very important in order to get ahead in life. So to all my fellow Berkeley College students: STAY IN SCHOOL! ALL THIS HOMEWORK AND STUDYING will pay off!
2. I'm grateful for my friends that I have made while I have been at Berkeley College.They have made my college experience so much more worthwhile! I love you guys!
3. I'm beyond grateful for my family and boyfriend. They have give me non-stop support and encouragement in everything I have done.I couldn't have been blessed with a better family.

Now, I want to hear what you guys are thankful for!

!!!!NEW YEARS RESOLUTION!!!!!

Ok so my New Years resolution are the following:

1. DO BETTER IN SCHOOL =D
2. Lose weight so my health can be better
3. Learn to drive(yes I don't know how to drive,personal reasons)

I can't wait to start the new year fresh! I'm staying positive for the new year! I choose not to surround myself with negativity and I hope you guys don't either! I can't wait to hear what your New Year resolutions are!

I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND BERKELEY COLLEGE STUDENTS THAT CLASSES WILL RESUME JANUARY 3, 2011. I HOPE YOU GUYS DO WELL THIS QUARTER!

So all there's left to say is have a great New Year! I hope you guys have an amazing and better 2011!


QUICK SHOUTOUT TO RUBEN MONTALVO! Love you,Rubie! =]

GETTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT =)

Christmas has ALWAYS been my favorite holiday. I can remember being so excited as Christmas day got closer. When you're a child, I think opening the gifts Christmas morning is what gets them more excited than anything else in the world;but as one gets older, Christmas represents so much more than just gifts. Christmas is a time we spent with relatives, talking about things that happened throughout the year,reminiscing about the past,planning the future,and being thankful for the present.

During this Christmas season, we should think more about others than ourselves. There are many people out there who do not have the luxuries that we have, men and women who will pass their Christmas morning in a shelter or sleeping on a sidewalk, children whose parents do not have the money to spend on buying them one toy. There are many places one can volunteer to help out the less fortunate. Go to http://www.volunteernewjersey.org/vnj/  to look for different volunteering opportunities. During this season,please always remember the saying, IT IS BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.

Since the holiday parties are coming up, I cannot emphasize how important it is to not TEXT,DRINK,& DRIVE! December is NATIONAL DRUNK AND DRUGGED DRIVING PREVENTION MONTH! There are many things you can do to prevent someone from driving after a person has been drinking. If you see someone at a holiday party who obviously has had one too many drinks, check if they are at the party with someone else, if they are let the other person know to not let the person drinking to drive. If they are at the party alone,volunteer to drive them or call a taxi to take them home.DO NOT LET THEM GET BEHIND THE WHEEL! You do not want to be responsible for a person losing their life when you could have done something to prevent it. Holidays are meant for us to have a great time but not at the expense of one of us losing our life.  HAVE FUN,BE SAFE, & DON'T DRINK & DRIVE!


Finally, there are a few people I want to give SHOUT OUTS to! People who have made a difference in my life & I'm just so extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to have met them.

1. First off, my boyfriend, Jorge. He has been incredible source of strength for me throughout this year. There are just no words to express how wonderful this man is to me. I met him a little over a year ago and he's here to stay =) I LOVE YOU and thank you for just being you and loving me unconditionally!
2. Secondly, my best friends(aka twin),Evie & Ruben. I met Evie in my first criminal justice class at Berkeley and we have been friends ever since.There are so many things her and I can laugh about for hours. Ruben has been like a brother to me.He always knows how to give good advice at the moments when I needed it the most. BERKELEY WOULD NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT THESE TWO....I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE SAME WITHOUT THEM.
3. Finally, to the rest of my friends whom  I have met at Berkeley: Lilly,Dale, Damon, Carol, & Michelle. You guys make my life so much easier with your funny stories and "blonde" moments! I know I can turn to every one of you with any problem. I love you guys and no matter where life takes us, I can just hope we stay friends for a lifetime.

SOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! BE THANKFUL,BE SAFE, HAVE A GREAT TIME!

THE IMAGE OF STRENGTH,RIP ELIZABETH EDWARDS

Today, one of the rarest kind of human beings left in this world was chosen to become an angel. Elizabeth Edwards,who was born Mary Elizabeth Anania, was such an inspiration to so many women living with breast cancer. Throughout the six years she had been battling this sickness, she never gave up hope. I'm truly saddened by her passing. When I would see her on TV doing different interviews, every time she would speak about her cancer,not one time did I see her cry or try to create pity for herself. She always held herself in such a graceful and dignified manner. However, her life doesn't begin with her battle with cancer.

She was born in Jacksonville, Florida on July 3rd of 1949. Being the daughter of a United States Navy pilot was never easy on her because  she went from military base to military base. For most of her childhood, she lived in Japan while her father was stationed there. According to Elizabeth, the hardest part for her was having to move during her senior year of high school. She went on to graduate, then attended an university where she received her Bachelor's Degree.After 3 years of postgraduate studies in English, she went on to attend law school and earned her Juris Doctor.

Law school was where she met the man who would become her husband, John Edwards, and were married July 30, 1977. Elizabeth was blessed to become the mother for four children: Wade(who died at the age of 16 during a freak storm), Cate, Emma Claire, and Jack. She was not only a mother but also a Democratic political figure.

On November 3,2004, Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer. She became an activist for cancer patients and for women's health. She became their image of hope, although their was no hope for her. Even through this dificult time for her, she had to handle her husband's infidelity and his fathering a child with his mistress. She held her composure as the graceful lady that she was and only continued with what was truly important in her life at the moment, her children and her battle against cancer.

Unfortunately, on December 6,2010, the Edwards announced that Elizabeth would stop all treatment after her doctors said that any further treatment would just be unproductive. She posted her last Facebook status as the following:

" You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human.
But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn't possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know"

 Elizabeth Edwards was a mother, wife, lawyer, political figure, activist,cancer fighter, but above all, she was an incredible woman. She has been my idol and I can only strive to be half the woman she was. She, truly, was an angel living among us.

WORLD AIDS DAY- FIGHT AIDS,NOT PEOPLE WITH AIDS!!

First off,I'm still amazed at how fast November went by! Now, December just arrived, hand in hand with a great cause.Today is World AIDS Day! I know that a lot of people don't know much about AIDS or HIV.All some people think they know is that you can possibly die from it. Ok,well,that's not even half of it!

One BIG thing I want to point out and make VERY CLEAR is that AIDS and HIV are NOT the same thing! According to http://www.worldaidsday.org/, when a person is known to have HIV, that means they just have the virus in their body. A person is considered to have AIDS when their body has become too weak to fight off any little diseases. MANY PEOPLE are confused as to how HIV can be passed on.IT CAN'T BE PASSED ON JUST BECAUSE YOU TALK TO SOMEONE WHO HAS OR BECAUSE YOU'RE NEAR THEM! THIS IS PLAIN IGNORANCE! Some of the REAL ways that a person can contract HIV are :

• having sex without a condom with someone who has HIV
•  sharing dirty,infected needles,syringes,etc. with someone who has HIV
• can be passed from a mother who has HIV to her baby during the pregnancy, childbirth,breastfeeding. If the mother is taking precautions, then passing the HIV can be greatly reduced

Unfortunately, there is no cure for HIV,but there are treatments that can help keep it under control. If you think you can have HIV,then PLEASE get tested! You can call 1-800-CDC-INFO;you can also log onto http://www.hivtest.org/ and find places near you where you can get tested. The earlier you know,the earlier you can start treatment,and the better chance you have of keeping it under control.

I was reading some interesting facts about HIV:

• One in 20 gay men in the UK is living with HIV
• The most common treatment today for someone diagnosed with HIV early is one pill, once or twice a day
• With the right medical help, the vast majority (approximately 99 per cent) of HIV positive women can give birth to healthy uninfected babies

PLEASE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYONE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS! THEY'RE PEOPLE JUST LIKE THE REST OF US WHO ARE BATTLING FOR THEIR LIVES. DON'T BE IGNORANT ABOUT HIV/AIDS.EDUCATE YOURSELVES SO THAT YOU WILL NOT BECOME A STATISTIC.IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE HIV, PLEASE HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THAT THEY NEED TO GET CHECKED ASAP.HIV/AIDS IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE.IT'S JUST ANOTHER BATTLE IN THIS JOURNEY OF LIFE THAT CAN BE OVERCOME WITH THE SUPPORT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS.