Peter Pan was woke......growing up sucks

Here we are people......the last blog of the season.  Are you sad? Are you happy? Are you high right now? Do you ever get nervous?  Are you single?  (That was a Lil Wayne song).  So I am here to talk about the scary topic of the future.  "WHEre do YOu seE youRSElf in 5 YEars?"  Honestly I don't even know what I'm going to eat for dinner.....  Whenever I was asked this question I never really had an answer.  I would reply.  "Well, I hope to be happy.  I hope I am wrapping up college and I'll be making about $25839875 an hour minimum."  Going through college I still couldn't envision my future.  All I could see was the next due date.  It wasn't until this year where I can finally kinda see where I wanna go.

The college obsession started when I worked my first real job.  Where did I work you ask????  The Wonderful Cheesecake Factory!!!  When I was breaking my back and walking 20,000 steps a shift I went to the break room mirror, stared dead into my own eyes and said "You will finish college."  It was at that moment I knew I wanted to do more than clean dirty tables.

(One time my manager said to turn on the heat lamps so that the rain will evaporate before it hit the
guest......like WHAT!?!)



Fast forward to present time and I am on my way to become a Civil Engineer.  I hope to work at companies like Michael Baker, Fehr & Peers, City of San Diego, and HDR.  My field doesn't really require me to get a masters but if a job offered to pay for it then consider that degree secured.  Now GPA matters but some companies care about it more than others.  The only experiences required is a 4 year degree.  Also we have to take two exams before becoming "professional" engineers.  We must take the EIT and the FE standardized test.  I mean for average of $86k starting salary??? I'm with it.   I was sacrificing my body, soul, and mind for minimum wage cleaning tables.
To be competitive as you can be I have to be involved on campus, secure an internship, and achieve at least a 3.0 GPA.  Not impossilbe, but not easy either.  Worth it though.

To conclude my blog, it has been a fun year writing blogs and seeing the reactions to my experiences.  I happy knowing some are finding my struggles funny because I know I laughed when I think about the things I had to do. To everyone growing up and working to secure the bag, I will leave you with wise words my managers used to tell me.  "I see you're working hard, but I need you to work harder!"

Call me Bruce Wayne

Back again with another blog and you are in for a good time.  So I'm not sure if we have to write about a job we have currently, but I am going to write about my experiences working as a busser at The Cheesecake Factory.  If you have read my blogs before you will know that I LOVE writing about this place because of how much stuff I went through here.  I can relate life to The Cheesecake Factory better than any other topic on the planet.  I want to write about how I would become a different person when I clocked in for my shift.  Like Bruce Wayne, I would become a different person when the sun went down (I worked mostly closing shifts).  The genre I would use at work would be different when I was at school.




After I'm done tucking in my shirt, tying my apron around my waist, and putting on my beautiful all black non-slip shoes, I clock in a walk out to a dim lighted restaurant.  As I walk around with a tray in my hand, my eyes are still trying to adjust to the all most pitch black restaurant (if you have ever been to a Cheesecake Factory at night you will understand how hard it is to see).  Out of the corner of my eye, I see it.  I see a dirty table.  I quickly jump into action to clean the dirty table and set it with new silverware for the next guest.  I do this for the next 8-9 hours until it is 2 A.M.  At this point, I have basically blacked out from exhaustion and I do not know how I am still walking.  Bellion, where are you going with this??? Well first let me say my genre while I worked was being a good worker.  To be a good busser I had To never say "no" no matter what the request was.  When I say I would smile for 9 hours straight, you better believe it because that what you gotta do in The Amazing Cheesecake Factory. I had to be able to remember each task I was asked to do. Now I had to learn this discourse throughout my time working there, but I slowly mastered it. It was challenging because when I would work I was literally in pain.  My feet were pounding, my legs were tight, and my shirt that was a size too small was drenched in sweat but I had to still put on that smile.  I had to keep my customer service voice sounding friendlier than a Disneyland worker. This is how I would be during my shift because there is a certain energy you need to have when constantly dealing with customers.  The only thing worse than customers though was a over powered minimum waged manager, but we won't get into that today.

The main identity I want to have when people read my blogs is that I am funny (hopefully).  You can tell by the way I write and the things I write about.  I try to not be conventional and stick to the norm when it comes to writing assignments.  I try to be as real as I can on here because the only thing worse than writing a blog is reading a boring one.  I hope readers enjoy what I have to say and can laugh at my life experiences.

AND I OOP-ED

All throughout my school career, I have been told to not put your opinion into a paper.  The point of
writing a paper on a subject is to show the reader the facts and let them decide what they want to do with it. 
This was tough because I want to share what I think and why I think it. Maybe the reader would better
understand my reasoning.  For this reason, I really did not like writing at all. Why do I have to write
about something I can not give my opinion on? You are not even supposed to use the word “I” in a paper. 
I guess in a way you can kind of steer your reader a certain direction, but still I rather just not write
papers entirely. That before I came across what is called an OP-ed. 

An Op-ed article is an article written on opinions. 

There are actual facts, but opinions mostly steer this way of writing. One thing I like about writing an
opinion based article is there are not as long as normal writing assignments.  Duke University says,
“Limit the article to 750 words.”  Writing to me is usually not fun at all. So I enjoy when an assignment
does not have to be pages long.  With an opinion based article I can quickly state what I believe in and
why and then have it be over. 

You do not even have to be all knowing to form an opinion on something.  You do not have to be a
politician to have an opinion on politics, but it is best to know the subject before speaking on it. 
Speaking on a topic you do not know much about can hurt you. For example, NBA GM of the Houston
Rockets tweeted in favor of the anti-government protesting in Hong Kong and China ended up pulling
sponsorship from the NBA.  The NBA has had a substantial financial loss as a result of China pulling
their sponsorship and now Houston Rockets GM is under heavy fire from China.  It is best to not speak
on subjects you do not know too well.  

So when writing an Op-ed make a single point and stick with it.  Like if I am going to try to persuade
someone that Right twix is better than Left twix, I'd say I will always go right because my ex left
(Cheesy joke but I am trying to reach the word requirement).  My whole article will focus around the
greatness of Right twix over dumb, over-priced Left twix. You could even change someone’s opinion
through an op-ed. You probably tried to change past boyfriends/girlfriends and gave up thinking that
people don't change.  I am here to tell that people can change just like their opinion can change too!! A
strong op-ed can go a long way. 

In my opinion, my favorite part of this class is writing the blogs.  This is where I can be real and say
what I think and get a grade for it.  I can even get a grade for being fake.

Oh this is WORK WORK

It all began when I started my new job at The Cheesecake Factory.  I had worked as a busser before but not for a company as big as The Cheesecake Factory.  Drake never rapped about fighting in a Pho Noodle House (I worked at a pho place before this time).  Anyway, when I started I was still pretty new to work.  I didn't know the small little things of a job like kissing up to your manager.  I wasn't aware to treat every word they say to you like its the best thing you have ever heard.  Whether you admit it or not, you should always kiss up to your manager.  

Now working at a somewhat high-end restaurant there are certain ways you should conduct yourself.  I will start by how your face should look at all times.  I guess you have keep smiling and look like your at Disneyland when your seven hours into your closing shift and you haven't taken any breaks because when your in the restaurant business, breaks mean less workers to help out(Yes, I know thats illegal).  I quickly was sat down by my manager and was asked if I enjoyed working there.  He was concerned because I wasn't looking as happy as a little kid being told they're going to Disneyland.  I thought my face was how it should have looked, in pain because I've been running around for hours.  Now I couldn't complain to him so I just sucked it up and said, "I apologize. I will do my best to ensure we do not have this conversation again." I began to embrace a different persona than my own.  When I clocked in, it was "showtime".  I began to act like every shift I worked was the best time of my life.  I didn't know how well I was doing it, but he never told me again about my face. 

This was a good time where I faked it until I made it.  I changed my facial expression and my language.  Not my actual grammar, but the way I said things were more Mickey Mouse happy sounding. James Gee talks about how when you communicate its not what you say, its how you say it.  This is one of the strategies I used. 

In this class, I have faked it a little bit as well.  When writing our blogs, we were told to try our best to construct an identity we want our readers to see.  At first I was like, "How do I do that?"  So I just started to write how I would talk to my friends.  I forgot about all the rules to writing and I just became myself.  I didn't know if I was doing it right, but when I saw I didn't get a zero on the first assignment I knew I did it. Roz Ivanic said, "Writing is not just about conveying content but also about the representation of self."  I feel that this blog is an extension of me and I enjoy doing these blogs. 

Overall, I have done many things where I wasn't comfortable at the beginning, but The Cheesecake Factory stands out to me the most.  Probably because it taught me so many real world lessons.  The most important thing I learned was everywhere you go, there will always be that one person you can't stand.  Mine was one of my managers, but you know I kissed up to her and I stayed off her radar.  Sometimes in life you have to kiss up.  After a long day of being fake happy and using a different voice all shift long, I would finally relax......like this,
If you work in the restaurant industry let me leave you with one word of motivation...............quit. 









References
James Paul Gee https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5138677-dt-content-rid-103538035_1/courses/RWS305W-69-Fall2019/Gee%20-%20LIteracy%2C%20Discourse%2C%20and%20Linguistics.pdf

 Roz Ivanic https://benjamins.com/catalog/swll.5

Major Key Alert

So you wanna learn the keys to success to college? Well you have come to the wrong place because I don't know what I'm doing either, but I hope I can shed some light on the very few things I have mastered while in college.


Key #1

Try your best not to be broke.  I can't stress this enough.  College is not the place for you if you are not making six figures right out of high school.  College is a very expensive place to attend.  Everywhere you go, there are bills waiting to attack you.  Tuition, parking permits, Panda Express, the Bookstore are all doing their best to take your money.  The worst culprit of them all are access codes.  So you're telling me in order to do homework and receive credit for my work I have to purchase a $100 access code?  It cost $100 to do homework that your professor spent no time teaching you?? You don't understand the homework?  Well it looks like you better buy Chegg. Everyday you wake up and check your bank account and see that college took more money out of your account.  College is always putting in the work even when your sleeping!  So if your attending college and you are not a millionaire, you are not alone.  We are all struggling out here.  Be wise with your money and save what you can.


Key #2
Stay above the class average.  This should be an obvious key to success, but let me break it down for you still.  Yes, you might not be the student who never studies and still complains about only getting a 93% on the midterm while the class average was a 51%.  You don't have to be the best, just don't be the worst.  Imagine you and four of your friends are walking at night and a mysterious clown appears behind you guys and start running at you.  It's okay if you're not the fastest, but you better be faster than the slowest.  You don't have to out run the clown.  You only have to out run three of your friends.  So in college if you are above the class average, then you are in good standing because remember......C's get degrees!!
Key #3
This next key does not apply to everyone, but it sure did help me out.  Key #3 is find a smart girl and make her your girlfriend.  I met my girlfriend Gardenia freshman year in our Calculus 1 class.  She is the reason I made it through calculus.  I thought I was good at math until I was thrown into college calculus.  After my first exam I sat myself down and reflected if I wanted to go through all this pain to become an engineer.  After much thought I decided to stick it out and just try harder.  Thankfully I met Gardenia and I began to learn how to properly study.  I was reviewing my notes everyday and going back through all the homework before a test.  Glad to say I made it out of calculus and I am still an engineering student.  Having a really smart group of friends helps a lot too!! Get out there and be social.  Get to know your fellow peers and help each other.  Birds of a feather flock together!!

Overall, college is a fun and exciting time.  I enjoy school and I am thankful for the opportunity to attend college and not have any major financial trouble.  Make the most out of your time now because when you graduate you'll be working 9-5 everyday and only have two weeks of vacation a year.  I wish you all success in everything you do and I hope you learned something here today.  If you didn't learn anything about college, I hope you learned something about me.  If I had to sum college up in one meme it would be this one. 

Where I'm From

Where I’m From

Lyrically dangerous and metaphorically ill

If you say the wrong thing around here it will probably get you killed

We on that ghetto grind, bullets flying by your head as you’re trying to hide

When the bullets stop spraying that’s when the sirens start blaring

Just kidding, this is not where I’m from, this is not how I begun

I am from a good neighborhood where only the police had guns

Coming home from school I’d jump off the bus

Run up the hill with my sister to my house to see what my Grandma cooked for us

After a good meal, I sit down and watch my show with my favorite fry cook

AH HA HA if you know then you know

The weather is sunny but not too hot if you let the breeze in

Everything is dry because it hasn’t rained in three seasons

 Our sports teams will just make you sad, because the GM’s can be scandalous

I'm not mad, I just hope our football team does better in Los Angeles

I am from sunsets so beautiful it can make a grown man cry

Make you cry harder than when your favorite character dies

But overall, my city has made me a different person.....like an alter ego

Spoiling me with all the good things, everything is fuego

These are all the reasons why I love beautiful San Diego

I am from a house with both parents and two sisters, how lovely

I am from a house that loves German Shepherd puppies

I am from a culture that loves to eat, what a treat, someone is always cooking up some meat

This is what made me

This is why I am me

When people ask where I am from

I tell them proudly

Analysis of My Poem

To begin my poem I started with a false picture of where I grew up.  I did this, mostly as a joke, to poke fun at people who act like they are from the hood. In todays society, young people like to have this false idea of how they were raised and what they went through.  I hear many people talk about struggles they never lived through. People change their vocabulary to try to fit into this "hood'' illusion.  After I was done making a joke, I began to describe what my childhood was like through my favorite memory.  Everyday after school my Grandma would have my favorites food cooked.  I would immediately sit down and eat.  After I was done eating, I went straight to the tv to watch my shows.  These were much simpler times and I will always cherish them.  I began to slowly describe my city because I wanted the audience to try to guess where I am from.  I gave bigger hints as I went like saying our football team recently moved to Los Angeles.  Finally, I revealed where I am from and started to describe things that made me who I am.  My culture, my family, and my city helped shape me into who I am today.  San Diego will always be my home. 

My first dog, my best friend

At 17 years old my parents finally felt I was old enough to handle the work load of having a dog.  To say I'm a dog lover is an understatement, I adore dogs.  My favorite kind of breed is a German Shepherd and after a month of looking I found my forever friend.  A three month all black with brown paws puppy was soon running, pooping, and peeing all over the house.  I would be awaken at 4:00 A.M. by a waterfall of pee hitting my carpet, but he was still the cutest thing I have ever seen.  

The family and I decided on the name Koa which in Hawaiian means "fearless warrior".  We felt this fit him because he was known to try to jump out of his 5ft tall cage at the puppy store.  Soon Koa was a full grown, well trained dog.  He could sit, stay, lay down, and balance treats on his long nose and much more. He loved car rides so much a kidnapper just had to open a car door and Koa wouldn't think twice.  Koa was the best dog in the world, but on October 7, 2018 we would celebrate his fourth and final birthday. 

In March 2019, Koa was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma.  A common cancer in dogs that comes in three stages (stage three being the worst).  As I waited for the results of what stage cancer he had, I was confident he would be just fine because who gets his first dog and has to say goodbye four years later?  I found out that I would have to do just that.  He had stage 3 cancer located right on top of his spine/neck area.  Koa was given a week to live.  My whole life flipped upside down.  I had a week to say goodbye to my little puppy.  My mom had heard about a special medicine that could give him his life back or give him three more months so we decided to go through with the medicine.  Three months later on June 27, 2019 Koa Paulino Naputi would be put to rest.  

This is my first encounter with a close family member death and it is crazy to think how fast someone can be gone forever.  The concept of "gone forever" was very hard in the beginning because Koa had to be put down while I was 3,000 miles away in the Bahamas.  He was in good health when we left, but his health quickly began to decline.  For the first time in four years my family came home to an empty house. Dogs are only in our lives for a short time, but to them we are their whole lives.  Koa may have only physically been apart of my life for four years, but he will stay in my heart for a lifetime.  I love you Koa.  You are the goodest boy ever (excuse my grammar).