Public Speaking

The rules of public speaking go something like this:

• Rule 1;

Make the Audience the Center of Your Universe

• Rule 2;

Focus on Relationships

• Rule 3;

Understand Your Purpose

• Rule 4;

Use Your Body

• Rule 5;

Color Your Vocal Delivery

• Rule 6;

Boost Your Skills at Q & A

 

This speech was at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, where Cardi B won the award for Best New Artist.

Rule #1: Cardi B was speaking directly to the audience, so I believe she followed this rule well.

Rule #2: Cardi B thanks a lot of being during the speech. She focuses on the relationships she has with the people that helped her get to the point to win the award.

Rule #3: Cardi B understands why she won the award and who she needs to thanks.

Rule #4: Cardi B definitely is comfortable and confident when talking in front a large crowd. She isn’t stiff or nervous.

Rule #5: Cardi B is very vocal and has her own tone of voice. She doesn’t use very good professional words but gets her point across on who she is.

Rule #6: If there were any questions being asked, I’m sure Cardi would have no problem being able to answer any questions that come her way.

 

U of I Disaster

On a warm sunny day, the day after Thanksgiving, my family and I we’re traveling back from my cousins house, where Thanksgiving was held. We decided to stop for food right around the University of Illinois campus. My dad had picked out a small diner, Merry Ann’s Diner, that we would eat at. As we approached the diner, I noticed a very intriguing cafe. It was decorated well, but the aesthetic was what caught my eye. We will get to the cafe in a second. As we pull around to park at the diner, we were hit with a giant closed sign in the window. Disappointing, but I wanted to go to the cafe anyways. So we circled back around to the cafe that I pointed out to everyone.

We walk inside the cafe and, like I said, the aesthetic was very pleasing. Cute designs, light fixtures, and even the furniture; chairs, tables, benches, were all so cute. But little did I know.

By this time, we were all starving. None of us had ate breakfast. As I am scanning the menu, nothing looks very normal. I ended up ordering a shrimp sandwich. Why did I think that would be good.. I don’t know. They either had strange, spicy sandwiches, or crazy waffle pieces. The smoothie thing I ordered was pretty good except it had weird tasting balls in it. Let alone it was just a cafe.

Moral of the story is, I hated the shrimp sandwich. Worst thing I’ve ever had. The smoothie was alright, but the balls were weird. My stomach hurt after I tried to stuff the sandwich down. In the end, everyone was upset that we went there because the food was a different culture of food. I definitely wish I would have researched the place instead of just focusing on how cute the cafe was set up. Some normal pancakes and bacon would have really hit the spot that morning, instead of a shrimp sandwich with spinach. Now just imagine that.

 

 

The Right Way To Find Happiness

 

Here I have listed a couple of ways that I have found that have helped me be a happier person. I hope it can give you some ideas of changes you can make to become happier! 🙂

1. Focus on yourself

Although, for some, this may be easier said than done. Trying to focus on yourself gets hard when you are all caught up in other peoples lives and problems. But it is important to worry and care about yourself sometimes. Take the time to rejuvenate yourself and reflect on things you would like to do for yourself. Whether it’s taking a bath or even cutting off a toxic person. In the end, your happiness in yourself is what matters!

2. Keep a journal

This can help by keeping your mind clear of thoughts that can stress you out. Instead of keeping it all bawled up inside of your head, and you would rather not tell someone, think about keeping a journal and writing down all the thoughts- stressful, happy, confusing- that come through your head in a day. It can really help in your happiness in the long run!

3. Do things you love

Sometimes, you can get wrapped up in the daily responsibilities of your life. It is important to make time for the things you like doing. School, sports, work, it is all repetitive. Keep note of things you like to do, or want to try. For example, I like to kick box and make time for yoga classes. Making time for you and doing things for you is key in maintaining happiness!

4. Be nice

Making the environment around you happy is important. Being nice can have an impact on your day as well as someone else’s. It can be the littlest things, such as complimenting someone. Not only does it make them happier, it can also make you feel happier and confident. Having a positive/negative attitude affects the others around you. So try your best to stay positive and most likely, the energy around you will continue to be happy!

5. Exercise & Eating Healthy

Staying fit and eating food that is good for you can help you feel happier! From personal experience, I noticed when I work out more, I feel a lot more motivated and happier about myself. Eating healthier foods also helps keep me positive and makes me feel like I am bettering myself. Start slow, and be patient with results. Maybe even schedule a workout and eating plan for yourself! This can for sure help with making you feel happier!

Viral Video Takes a Turn

A couple months ago, a video about a young boy was posted on twitter. The video was mainly a young boy talking about how he was being bullied by other kids at his school and it was very heart-breaking as he sat in the passenger seat of the car and cried as his mother recorded.

This video instantly went viral. With over 15 million views, Keaton rose to fame and become the top topic on twitter.

His mother ended up creating a GoFundMe to help with Keaton’s suffering.

The controversy to the GoFundMe is why is this kid getting money for being bullied? Seems harsh but I agree with the statement. The video should be a shock and should be raising awareness to bullying and how it affects many children. The GoFundMe raised over $50,000 for Keaton.

And that is not the end of it. Supposedly, the mother did this to get money off of her own son’s fame. Many celebrities reached out to Keaton and his family and gave him support.

With more investigation into the controversy, Keaton and his family are claimed to be racist. Social media is giving attention to the wrong people, and giving false perceptions of what is right. Bullying is an issue, yes, and the video does raise awareness for the cause; but the extra factors such as the GoFundMe and using the power of being involved in a viral video for money is just wrong.

 

Brought Together Through Social Media

Whether it is through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat, social media has made a big impact on meeting others in our world today. I also believe social media has torn us apart from the people we love most. Spending more time up in your bedroom alone, hooked up to your phone, video games, or tv, instead of spending time with family and friends. The amount of hours teenagers spend on social media is unbelievable.

Meeting people through social media can be a positive impact. I have met a few of my friends, just through twitter. Although, meeting someone through social media can become sketchy. An example would be catfishing/pretending to be someone else. Meeting up with people through social media can definitely be dangerous, especially if it isn’t who they say they are.

 

Continuing on the argument, social media can be detrimental to young kids today. The younger the child, that is connected, I feel, more of the negative aspects of social media have a bigger impact on them in the long run. I believe the multiple hours spent on Twitter, Instagram, ect, is a very unhealthy amount for kids these days.

The argument that I do agree with is that children can go to social media as an escape, which can result in positive and negatives. The positives is letting kids be themselves and post about things they enjoy, but it can also result in cyber-bullying and posting too much personal information.

Either way social media has and will continue to have negative and positive affects on people. It is just the way we humans choose to interact and regulate.

Would You Like Fries with That?

Are you hungry and too lazy to cook food? I know, must be hard to get up, get in the car, and drive to a restaurant to have to get out of the car to go in and order food. Now, you will not have to! Introducing, the Drive-Thru! Where you can have the comfort of not having to get out of the car to get the super delicious, “healthy” fast food! Yum!

Everyone can admit. The drive-thru is perfect for those lazy Sunday’s where cooking food is not an option, but neither is going and sitting down at a restaurant. Drive-thrus come in clutch.

With the drive-thru now in, on cold winter days, that short walk from the nice warm car into the restaurant can be avoided. The drive-thru is also a way to save time, since it will be more convenient for those on the go! All you have to do is pull around, order through a small speaker, and pull up to the window; it is as easy as that!

Also for those night owls, in some participating locations, drive-thrus can also be open 24 hours!

Most drive-thrus have a similar set up! Most are in the back of the building, have the menu present and visible with tiny speaker. The most time that will be spent in the drive thru is a maximum of 15 mins.

Drive-thrus can solve all the lazy people problems! The best thing ever for those hungry, lackadaisical folks.

AMBER Alerts

So. What is the criteria for AMBER Alerts?

AMBER Alerts are a government run alert system for young children that have been kidnapped. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a remembrance to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.

                 

When an AMBER Alert is called, usually people get alerts sent straight to their phones. It is used to help find the abducted children, by getting communities to help be on the look out.

AMBER Alerts are important because kidnapping is a serious issue. With the help of notifying people, it can be a fast, easy, and safe process in finding the kidnapped child, if more peoples eyes are open for the abductors car.

AMBER Alerts also serve as threats to those who would prey on young children. AMBER Alert cases have shown that some kidnappers release the abducted child after hearing the AMBER Alerts.

According to “The Department’s Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts” is as follows:

-There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
-The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
-There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
-The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
-The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.

The criteria for AMBER Alerts is reasonable and seems productive. All AMBER Alerts should be taken seriously. It is important to be aware of them.

Affectionate

The word affectionate means readily feeling or showing fondness or tenderness. My dad has always pointed out something that he believes stands out in me; affection. Being affectionate to me, is putting others before yourself, being sensitive to others feelings, lending a helping hand for those who are in need, and trying to understand. Friends, family, and loved ones who also agree with my dads statement are saying this because I like to listen to others and I would much rather put someones happiness before mine.

I try to love everyone as much as possible. Although there can be downsides to this. Disappointment, expectations, etc. I believe that is why many people are so selfish these days. There is so much fear of being brokenhearted and being betrayed, that people are truly afraid to love. I believe in the opposite. Being affectionate and trying to love everyone, you may not get the same in return. But not putting yourself out there to get hurt, also doesn’t do you any good. Hurt sucks. Why would you ever want to feel pain? But you learn from the pain. You learn and you move on, and that is what I feel like is important.

With love, you can experience the best and the worst. That is what is so powerful about love. I try to show affection towards everyone in my life, to make sure they know someone cares.

BeYOUtiful

Gender roles have always been a sensitive topic in today’s society. When it relates to my life, I believe gender roles have not affected my life too negatively. I have had some confrontations when it comes sexism and men feeling like they can act a certain way, just because they are a dude.

For example, a topic within “gender roles” is women dressing a certain way, to impress men. WRONG. I can’t speak for other women, but I know very well that, that statement is false. Women like to express themselves in their own way, and when men think that women dress up and wear makeup, it’s to impress them; that is what grinds my gears. I don’t wake up in the morning and say, “I like this boy, so I am going to dress cute and wear makeup for him today.” I dress cute and wear makeup to genuinely feel better about myself. I pick out certain outfits all for the sake of my confidence.

Another topic that is presented, is making decisions in spite of the other genders. For example, men working out. Some could say men work out to impress women physically. Having abs is a stereotype that men have to look a certain way for a woman to be attracted to them. I believe this is false, in my case because I think, at times, it can be gross. When men are addicted to going the gym, it becomes unattractive. Like yes, workout, be healthy, but don’t post everyday, twice a day, a picture of you at the gym with your shirt off.

Although gender roles can be a delicate topic, I believe in my case, the stereotypes presented in today’s society, have not necessarily affected me. Staying true to what you believe in is important in this world, and never expect anything from anyone. You might just lose yourself in the process of trying to be something that you are not. So be YOU!

The Perfect Girl?

Women have been seen as less than men for decades; Men have always had the power in most situations. Whether is the stereotypical sport scene, where women aren’t “strong enough” to play football, baseball, wrestling, etc, or the classic house wife that stays home, cleans, cooks, and watches the kids while the successful, hard-working, husband works all day. Women, in more recent years, have been seen as sexual figures.

In this Super Bowl ad from 2010, a women is trying to get a guys attention and he seems to not be interested in her.

In the video above, the main message that is being presented is that the only way to get a guys attention, from let’s say the football game, is to put Doritos chips all over your body. I believe the message that women are seen as sexual object is effectively presented through this ad. Although, I do disagree with it.

Women are strong, beautiful individuals, and should not be looked at as sex objects. Women are powerful and there is much more to a women underneath her body. I think the way women are seen in today’s society is wrong and on some terms, just plain disrespectful.

Many more ads, like this one, picture women in little to no clothes and they always have their hair and makeup. Most likely, they are with a man as well. Young girls are stereotyped to have a skinny waist, perfect, glowing skin, and long silky hair, in order to be considered beautiful. Having to feel like you have to look a certain way can be destructive to young women’s’ self esteem. In this society, it is hard to learn to love yourself when all you have are these degrading ads about women.