Do Your Thing

"Why settle for the good when you could settle for the best?" -Jackee Harry, Sister Sister

Around the 1930s, the Philippines was a part of the United States. Many Filipinos took the advantage of emigrating to the United States at this time for better opportunities because the Philippines was a poor country. Actually, the Philippines is still is a poor country.

Carlos Bulosan is one man who emigrated to the United States for better opportunities. He looked forward for things to get better as he entered the United States. Back in the Philippines, he and his family struggled to survive. Coming to the United States would help him succeed further in supporting his family and excelling in his education.

When Carlos came to the United States, it wasn't what he had expected. He faced cruelty and discrimination. It was already bad enough that he suffered poverty in the Philippines. Then, he had to go through suffering unhealthy working conditions due to a racist country. He went through racist attacks, starvation, and illness.

Carlos spent two years in the Los Angeles Sanitarium which is now the USC Medical Center, after undergoing surgery for tuberculosis. There, he spent most of his time reading and writing.

After recovery, Carlos became an activist for the people who had experienced the same situations as him. He became a voice for Filipinos who longed for their dreams to happen after coming to the United States and came to face discrimination unexpectedly. He participated in union organizing with Filipinos and other groups.

He passed away in Seattle from bronchopneumonia.

Today, he is known for his writings such as his auto-biographical America Is in the Heart and his novel The Laughter of My Father. In his work, he has expressed the controversy that Filipinos experienced in the United States. In his writings, he reflects on the labor movement and the events that took place during the 1930s and 1940s.

Carlos Bulosan was one man who didn't just sit back and let things fly by. He actually got up and did something to make a change which helped not only himself but others who had undergone the same grief as he did. He didn't just settle for good and let other people take action, he settled for the best and participated in the fight for justice. He is one out of the union organization who really let the American society know that Filipinos deserve equal opportunities.

References

http://www.bulosan.org/html/bulosan_biography.html%22%3Ehttp://www.bulosan.org/html/bulosan_biography.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Bulosan

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Introducing my sidekick Franklin...

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"Don't Worry, Be Happy." -Bobby McFerrin


We all make mistakes in life. We also get second chances. Keep in mind to not worry so much and to just simply do the things that you’re supposed to be doing to make you a person of your upmost potential. You will feel proud and happy for every accomplishment that you make through this process.


This picture is taken from http://www.beverlydonofrio.com/ .


A successful writer, Beverly Donofrio, took the second chance that she had to make her life better. In her memoir Riding in Cars with Boys which also became a well-loved motion picture, she explains her struggle as a teen parent.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZtIe3fzL8s


Beverly Donofrio illustrates in her memoir that at an early age, she has “an interest in literature, and dreams of going to college in New York and becoming a writer.” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt02000027/plotsummary)
On the other hand, at age fifteen, she becomes interested in boys and falls in love with a boy from her high school. When she attempts to console her feelings to the boy, he embarrasses her, and eighteen-year-old Ray steps in to defend her. Beverly and Ray wind up getting together and having a pleasant night after the incident. Shortly, Beverly discovers that she is pregnant.

The young couple stays with Beverly’s parents. Beverly becomes a wife and mother at age sixteen, and she still has dreams and aspirations of going to college. The task becomes difficult for her, especially after her marriage falls apart. Her husband is unable to keep a steady job, and he becomes a heroin addict. Beverly ends her relationship with him, and she accomplishes her goal of becoming a writer in the end.

Beverly Donofrio is now a well-known and well-accomplished writer. Aside from her memoir Riding in Cars with Boys which has been translated into fifteen different languages, she has also written a second memoir Looking for Mary. She also wrote two other books, both released by Random House: her first children’s book Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary, in September 2007, and a middle-grade book Thank You, Lucky Stars, in January 2008. Her essays are found in several anthologies like the New York Times and the Washington Post. She has radio essays that are aired on National Public Radio at http://www.soundportraits.org/.

Beverly Donfrio is the founder of the San Miguel Workshops, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she is a popular teacher of Memoir Writing. She works with authors, agents, editors, and publishers from around the world to give writing workshops and entertaining lectures to those interested in learning how to write their own memoirs.

Beverly Donofrio's life story of her teenage years through the beginning of adulthood is a very inspirational story. It teaches people to not worry about the things that bring them down in life as well as striving for the better in life so that you may pursue your dreams and happiness.

Leave

"You're not going to leave him because someone told you to, you're going to leave him because you're ready to leave him." -Sylvia Bernardino

If you watched a movie like "What's Love Got To Do With It", based on Tina Turner, you would really understand this quote. The movie shows an audience that Tina Turner didn't leave Ike Turner, her husband, after her friend told her to. She experienced a lot physical and mental abuse by Ike Turner for many years before she finally decided that she was ready to leave.

"What's Love Got To Do With It" illustrates the traumatic experiences that Tina Turner experienced while remaining in a relationship with Ike Turner. She was not only beaten until her face bled or was bruised, but she was also raped and held against her will. She was cheated on. She was also followed while attempting to leave one morning with her children while Ike was sleeping.

Abusive relationships relating to ones like that of Tina Turner's former experience are occurring every day. Just recently, music artist Chris Brown was jailed for abusing his girlfriend, music artist Rhianna.

Women continue to stay with these cruel and abusive men. They may think it's love, or they may just have a difficult time leaving. These women need to leave and get help. Domestic violence is a reality. Even famous people could be either batterers or victims of domestic violence just like people around you.



video taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znhSLyuQt6w