It's weired, I know, but i felt that this has been some of the weirdest 5 weeks in my life, not because of the people or anything, but because of the newness of everythings. Pretty true though.
These last few weeks have really been different than anything that I have ever been through. Not only because of the awesomeness of not having a cerfew and all the freedom, but because it has given me a new perspective and insight about myself and about the future that I am headed towards. There were many new things that I ended up learning, and a major thing that I learned about myself in these past few weeks was learned in the the UVA. I learned that all of this freedom comes with a price, and if I am not careful and moniter things then i struggle with class and people. I found all of this out after majorly procrastinating with homework, another thing that i learned about college to be discussed later, because i did not have someone there to tell me to do it or anything, so i stayed up the whole night doing my work, while goofing off, and struggled the whole next day to sty awake in class. So, the insight I gained from this is to think things through and to keep control over yourself, even if it seems to limit your fun.
The second insight that i learned from this course was actually mentioned earlier in here. I really is that procrastination does not get you very far in college. I may have learned this by now, but i still have not mastered it, which explains my doing it at 2:40 the MORNING before it's due. Gosh, could it be any worse. Anyways, this is something that I have learned because I have noticed that it is nothing like high school. the workload is a lot larger, and the work tougher, and it is something that relly cannot be aved for the morning before. It is something I have learned, but something still that i really need to work on over the college year.
The last paragraph really says everything for this. I think that one of the greatest challenges that I will face in college is my problem with procrastination. I know that it will be a problem with me because I just have that problem of time management. I know that over the semesters to come before college, i really need to get into the habbit of good time management. I can do this by creating a due date calander with all the due dates of things on them, and seperating out approximatly how much time I should spend on each one a day. I know that planners and calanders will help, but the first step is to start.
The second problem that I feel I'm going to face is having trouble understanding things, but having a professor that really does not explain it to you whien you ask, or they are also known as 'EVIL TEACHERS.' I think that this is a problem that i feel i will face because it seems like the professors are so busy with all of the other things that they have and all their students that they may not seem willing to answer something unless it will benefit them. I know that i can really utilize the open office times that they offer, and i feel that it is where I will be spending a lot of my time. I also have the EOP counselors that can help me, along with the ACE scholors. That should really help me to get through all the years of college that i will face
I just want to thank anybody who took the time to read this post, and to say that it has been great being in class with all of you these past few weeks, as well as living in the dorms with quite a few of you. This is our last time together before our 2 week summer, then we'll all be stuck in school together. I just wanted to say thank you to all my fellow classmates, as well as a huge THANK YOU to Roger, who really did a great job with the class
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Blog #1: Inside the Mind
Hi, my name is Matthew Jones
I went to Vista High School for 4 years before I started at CSU San Marcos. I enjoyed going to Vista because it was such a different campus then any other school that i had been at. It was a really active school that had a lot of fun things that we all had the chance to do. I participated in track and field by pole vaulting, and sprinting the 100, 200, and 400 meter races, as well as the 4*400 meter relay. Apart from competing in sports, the friends that i made really helped me make my high school time a lot more fun and enjoyable.
I've moved around so much that it is difficult to label a single place my home, and so I do not consider any place to really be my home since i have been sent from home to home for so many years. So, right now i guess i consider my home the campus apartments up until after my freshmen year. The home I was last in was always busy, and the thing that I miss most about living there are the video games that I was able to play wen I was able to play them.
However, school was only helped by a great influence to me. The biggest influence in my life today would have to be my Tae Kwon Do instructor. He is the biggest influence to me because he has taught me so much. Not only in Tae Kwon Do and Martial Arts, but also in life. He has taught me to never give up and to try my hardest and to follow my goals and dreams. My instructor has proven that nothing is impossible. As a teenager, he was in a really bad car accident, which broke his back. The doctors told him that he would never walk again, but to this day he does, and teaches, Tae Kwon Do. This is why my instructor is my biggest influence.
For those who don't already know it, i love to do Tae Kwon Do. i really love to practice it in the Dojang (what we call the practice area). Tae Kwon Do is the one thing in my life that i am really passionate about. It helps me to control my stress, as well as to keep in in really good shape. I am a second degree black belt and have been doing martial arts since i was in 3rd grade. Not only do i practice, but i also help teach and judge other, lower belts. and to top all of that off, i compete in tournaments. I first competed in 2000, where i got first place. i continue to test and teach and compete to this day and it is the thing that i look forward to the most every week.
This really is also my greatest life experience, which is getting my 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do AS WELL AS my 1st degree black belt in Hap Ki Do. i think this is the greatest experience in my life because i accomplished all of it on my own. I may have been trained by a great master, but it was all up to me to train and to try. If i did not try and everything, then i would not have been able to accomplish this goal. I feel its my greatest accomplishment because it proves that i can do anything that i put my mind to, if i try hard enough and really want it.
Besides my physically fit Tae Kwon Do body, i really must say that i also pride myself on my outgoing, and somewhat odd personality. I really enjoy talking to people and getting to know them, no matter what. i am always trying to help those who really need help, even if i don't know them. I am always going out of my way to try and help others. i always try to do the right thing, even if it is not easy. The way that i always help those who need it and the way i care about others is something that i pride myself on.
With both my outstanding personality and my physical abilities in martial arts i think that i will be able to follow my dreams for the future, which is to work in the F.B.I. This is one of the biggest dreams and aspiration for the future, which will help to lead into others. After i get this job, i really want to get a home and get married. After i get married i want to have kids and to have a strong and successful, unlike the family that i was born into.
However, in order to get into this career and get all of these things, i have to get through college with a strong major. And so, i plan on graduating with a Major in Criminology. i was attracted to this major because i found out that a few people in my family were in law enforcement in different departments, such as LAPD. I talked to them and they convinced me that it was a good idea. However, i wanted to take it further. i didn't want to be stuck in a specific district, but i wanted to help everyone, and so i have decided to get my criminology major and get into the F.B.I.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though. for the last two years i have participated in many hours of community service. i have done things both in and out of school, due to a class called Character Leaders. This class taught the fundamentals of the Six Pillars of Character and how to use it in everyday life. I have participated, and led for my school's participation, in the Relay for Life and i have helped with a bunch of other smaller projects.
On a more difficult thing, i was in foster care for 16 years, up until my 18th birthday. Its kind of scary to think about it, but it happened. My parents were abusive to me and the 5 other siblings that were living at the time. We were all taken from that home and split up, going to different homes and living different lives. I have been to about 5 foster homes and a group home since the age of 2. It was difficult always moving, so i never made any friends and never had much of a life. I was miserable for years until i decided to change things, and so that's where things truly began, 4 years ago. This may seem like something that would make others give up and quit, but this has been my driving point for years now
I went to Vista High School for 4 years before I started at CSU San Marcos. I enjoyed going to Vista because it was such a different campus then any other school that i had been at. It was a really active school that had a lot of fun things that we all had the chance to do. I participated in track and field by pole vaulting, and sprinting the 100, 200, and 400 meter races, as well as the 4*400 meter relay. Apart from competing in sports, the friends that i made really helped me make my high school time a lot more fun and enjoyable.
I've moved around so much that it is difficult to label a single place my home, and so I do not consider any place to really be my home since i have been sent from home to home for so many years. So, right now i guess i consider my home the campus apartments up until after my freshmen year. The home I was last in was always busy, and the thing that I miss most about living there are the video games that I was able to play wen I was able to play them.
However, school was only helped by a great influence to me. The biggest influence in my life today would have to be my Tae Kwon Do instructor. He is the biggest influence to me because he has taught me so much. Not only in Tae Kwon Do and Martial Arts, but also in life. He has taught me to never give up and to try my hardest and to follow my goals and dreams. My instructor has proven that nothing is impossible. As a teenager, he was in a really bad car accident, which broke his back. The doctors told him that he would never walk again, but to this day he does, and teaches, Tae Kwon Do. This is why my instructor is my biggest influence.
For those who don't already know it, i love to do Tae Kwon Do. i really love to practice it in the Dojang (what we call the practice area). Tae Kwon Do is the one thing in my life that i am really passionate about. It helps me to control my stress, as well as to keep in in really good shape. I am a second degree black belt and have been doing martial arts since i was in 3rd grade. Not only do i practice, but i also help teach and judge other, lower belts. and to top all of that off, i compete in tournaments. I first competed in 2000, where i got first place. i continue to test and teach and compete to this day and it is the thing that i look forward to the most every week.
This really is also my greatest life experience, which is getting my 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do AS WELL AS my 1st degree black belt in Hap Ki Do. i think this is the greatest experience in my life because i accomplished all of it on my own. I may have been trained by a great master, but it was all up to me to train and to try. If i did not try and everything, then i would not have been able to accomplish this goal. I feel its my greatest accomplishment because it proves that i can do anything that i put my mind to, if i try hard enough and really want it.
Besides my physically fit Tae Kwon Do body, i really must say that i also pride myself on my outgoing, and somewhat odd personality. I really enjoy talking to people and getting to know them, no matter what. i am always trying to help those who really need help, even if i don't know them. I am always going out of my way to try and help others. i always try to do the right thing, even if it is not easy. The way that i always help those who need it and the way i care about others is something that i pride myself on.
With both my outstanding personality and my physical abilities in martial arts i think that i will be able to follow my dreams for the future, which is to work in the F.B.I. This is one of the biggest dreams and aspiration for the future, which will help to lead into others. After i get this job, i really want to get a home and get married. After i get married i want to have kids and to have a strong and successful, unlike the family that i was born into.
However, in order to get into this career and get all of these things, i have to get through college with a strong major. And so, i plan on graduating with a Major in Criminology. i was attracted to this major because i found out that a few people in my family were in law enforcement in different departments, such as LAPD. I talked to them and they convinced me that it was a good idea. However, i wanted to take it further. i didn't want to be stuck in a specific district, but i wanted to help everyone, and so i have decided to get my criminology major and get into the F.B.I.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though. for the last two years i have participated in many hours of community service. i have done things both in and out of school, due to a class called Character Leaders. This class taught the fundamentals of the Six Pillars of Character and how to use it in everyday life. I have participated, and led for my school's participation, in the Relay for Life and i have helped with a bunch of other smaller projects.
On a more difficult thing, i was in foster care for 16 years, up until my 18th birthday. Its kind of scary to think about it, but it happened. My parents were abusive to me and the 5 other siblings that were living at the time. We were all taken from that home and split up, going to different homes and living different lives. I have been to about 5 foster homes and a group home since the age of 2. It was difficult always moving, so i never made any friends and never had much of a life. I was miserable for years until i decided to change things, and so that's where things truly began, 4 years ago. This may seem like something that would make others give up and quit, but this has been my driving point for years now
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