Muse Workshop No. 3

Stop Emotional Eating
November 22, 2010


-Emotional eating means eating for emotion and not for the purpose of satisfying hunger.
-Humans are wired to seek food for comfort. As a baby, the first thing one did was cry and that was for food. Also humans are "hardwired" to eat when they are stressed. 
-People search for food mostly when they feel: (A) Anxiety/Anger, (L) Lonely, (T) Tired or 

(B) Bored.
-Every food is associated with an emotion!

-Pros for emotional eating include: one feels better/satisfaction, helps develop a social connection (because one eats with others), it is an easy and accessible task and it is reliable (chocolate never lets one down).
-Cons for emotional eating: weight gain, one becomes dependent on food, one feels guilty, it does not solve the problem and time is spent trying to undo the effect ( a lot of exercise). 
-The positive results (as listed above) are rather immediate and humans like immediate results. Therefore, one is more likely to turn to food which gives quick comfort, rather then wait and solve the actual emotional problem which will take much longer. 
-67% of people in the US of A are overweight!
-The best way to change a bad habit is to replace it with something else. For example, instead of eating when you are feeling sad, try going for a walk, reading a book, watching a movie, talking to a friend, planting a tree, ANYTHING really :)
-Cope with emotions and do not try to control them or let them control you! Emotions will come back if not coped with. Do not turn to food either because food does not fully get rid of the emotion in the long run.
-It takes 20 minutes for food to inform the brain that one just ate or for one to feel the sensation of being full. So, the longer one takes to enjoy the food, the less one eats and does not overdo it. 
-If one thinks that he or she is hungry, he or she should first stop and think if he or she is emotionally hungry or really hungry. If one is really hungry, then he or she will actually feel a sensation of being hungry. 
-So to help with emotional hunger, some tips are treat physical illnesses and stay healthy, balance eating, avoid mood altering drugs, get exercise, build mastery (find something that you are proud of and can turn to when you need help coping with emotions). 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Soundtrack

FRIENDSHIP
1. WHITE STRIPES- WE'RE GOING TO BE FRIENDS
This song goes perfectly with the theme of friendship. Friends play a huge role in Junior's life as they teach him lessons and are sometimes more important to him than his family. Growing up, Junior loses his best friend (a dog) and then also his one and only other best friend Rowdy. But throughout the story though, things turn for the better as Junior befriends many people at Reardan. All these new friends teach him a lesson. For example, Gordy helps him learn how to study and read. Penelope teaches him about love and caring. Through his new friends, Junior learns about a unfamiliar world of white parents and white kids. 
    In the chapter "Halloween" Junior talks to Penelope about their costumes as homeless people. At this part of the story, Penelope and Junior are not YET friends but they do have a little conversation where she smiles at him. 
So, I see this conversation taking place between the two at school. 
(Pg. 81)
I was just going to let her go. But I had to say something memorable, something huge. 
"Hey!" I called after her. 
"What?" she asked. 
"It feels good, doesn't it?"
"What feels good?"
"It feels good to help people, doesn't it?" I asked
"Yes," she said. "Yes, it does."
She smiled.
THEN BOOM, the song comes on, as she is walking away and he has a big, cheesy smile on his face. 
The song also foreshadows the relationship between Junior and Penelope. Later in the novel, after this moment, the two do develop a friendship/relationship. I would even say this moment in a way acts like a catalyst to their future relationship, because her smile allows him to see that their is a chance between them. The next time he sees her, he takes the chance to befriend her once more. 
The song itself is very innocent and playful sounding. It is cute and the first verse goes perfectly with this scene in the book ( the two in homeless costumes talking to one another).

2. QUEEN- YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND
Going along with the theme of friendship, this song sums up the relationship between Junior and his best buddy Rowdy. Through thick and thin, the two manage to stick together, even with huge fights along the way. His relationship with Rowdy is very vital to him, as he does not give up on it. Junior makes friends at Reardan, but he always manages to go back to Rowdy. So, at the end of the book the two play basketball until dark, which shows that their friendship is back and in tact. 
I imagine a scene of the two playing basketball, while Junior (as an over voice) cites the final passage in the book.
Rowdy and I played one-on-one for hours. We played until dark. We played until the streetlights lit up the court. We played until the bats swooped down at our heads. We played until the moon was huge and golden and perfect in the dark sky. 
       We didn't keep score. (and BAM! the song comes on)
and then camera slowly zooms further and further away from them while the song is playing and credits are being shown. 


HOPE;JOY
3. THE DIVINE COMEDY-TONIGHT WE FLY
There is plenty of "hope" in this book. Junior hopes that by going to Reardan, he has a chance of a bright future compared to the dull one he is destined for if he stays at the school on the Rez. His sister, Mary, also feels hopeful, and joyous, when she leaves to go to Montana and start a new life with her husband. One particular moment in the story that has Junior feeling hopeful, is when his classmates walk out on his teacher after her rude remarks to Junior. 
First all the students drop their books, and leave the classroom. Then, Junior is left there standing alone. He starts laughing realizing that their reason for the protest (Junior) is still left in the classroom. AS HE IS LAUGHING THIS SONG COMES ON. The beginning is instrumental, which is what is playing as he is laughing and says his comeback to his teacher. 
    (Pg. 176)
     "What are you laughing at?" Mrs. Jeremy asked me. 
     "I used to think the world was broken down by tribes," I said. "By black and white. By indian and white. But now I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes and the people who are not."
    (I walked out of the classroom and felt like dancing and singing.
    It all gave me hope. It gave me a little bit of joy.)
As he is walking out of the classroom with a joyous grin and hopeful heart, the first 2 or 3 lines of the first verse play. 
     I thought this happy, pop sounding song which is about joy, and feeling free and flying perfectly sums up this moment in the story. Also, the beginning is a great instrumental sound that slowly builds up to the joyous moment. Junior has a lot of hope in him and that is what keeps him going in the story. His hope is what leads him to happiness at the end. His hope is what mends his relationship with Rowdy. With his life, it seems that the easiest thing to do is give up, but because he has hope, he believes that giving up is not an option. 

Joyous Songs

"We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP-The reason why this song is so joyous to me is because every time I have to close for work, this song will often times come on on the radio and my coworkers just start dancing to it. This song is just fun, upbeat and weird at the same time. Cant Help but Smiling" by Devendra Banhart-It is incredibly hard to be sad while listening to this song. The music is just so relaxing, makes one feel like he or she is at the beach, under the sun, simply feeling happy. "Suada" by Plavi Orkestra-This is a Bosnian rock song that whenever is played, always has people singing their hearts out. It is by a popular Bosnian rock and roll band from the 80'. The guitar, the beat, it all just screams "woo!" "She's Got You High" by Mumm-ra- Its melody is simple yet sweet. "Free Energy" by Free Energy-An optimistic and alive sound, positive words and an eccentric group of people make "Free Energy" a song that is perfect for happily blasting in the car. 

Assert Yourself Workshop

Took place: October 21, 2010. 12pm - 1pm. 

In this workshop, the difference between being passive, assertive and aggressive was spoken about. Things I learned include:

-Assertive is not a black and white kind of thing. Assertive is the middle ground of aggressiveness and passiveness, and it contains the strength from each side. 

-Being aggressive means not respecting the needs, opinions or feelings of others. Aggressive people do not apologize, or see problems as their fault, ever. They feel others have no rights to ask for things and usually think in terms of "you do not really matter."

-Passive people do not express their needs, opinions or feelings. They apologize for things (even when it is not their fault) and do not respect their own rights. These kind of people feel as if they do not have a right to ask for things they want. When they think, it is in terms of "I do not really matter."

-Assertive respects the needs, opinions and feelings of others. They apologize only when it is their fault, and allow others to take their own responsibility too. They respect both their own rights and those of others. Assertive people have no trouble asking for needs and wants. Also when they think, it is in terms of "I have to respect matters of my own and others."

-Statistics show that females are more passive than males. 

-Some situations do not benefit being assertive, so being passive is not always a "bad" way to act.

-Culture influences one's communication in different domains such as with family, friends, or school. The way one acts at home may be different than at school, due to the amount of comfort he or she feels in a particular environment. 

-Different cultures have different ways of acting. The western culture is more individualistic; therefore, when people of this culture speak or think, it is in a direct manner and often personalized. "What are YOUR feelings?"

-Eastern cultures are object-focused and more indirect. They think in ways like "how might WE resolve this?" These are collectivistic cultures, and do not often think in "I" terms but more as "what can WE do?"

-Because being assertive in some cultures is not as important as in others, communication might be lost or difficult when two individuals from each of these different cultures try to speak to each others. 

wooo, done. :)

Non-muse Event

volleyball game. sjsu vs. university of the pacific

10.19.10

Fever, Chapter 4.

-When the Supremes first auditioned for Berry Gordy, they were told no and that they need more experience. Later on, they were Motown's most popular girl-group.
-Mick Jagger was a misogynist!
-Martha Reeves was at first just a secretary, until one day she filled in for Mary Wells at the studio and that was when her career began.
-"Dancing" was a code word for sex, but also it meant protesting. This was because of all the civil rights demonstrations that were happening around that time.
-The Beatles were enormous fans of girl-groups and covered many songs by them!
-Motown women wore beehives, dinner gloves, and similar sequined dress as their other group members.
-Smokey Robinson wrote songs for both female and male groups. It was interesting how he was able to grasp both opposite sides of emotion so well when it came to writing.
-Motown's first number one song was "Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes!
-The Who were a band which represented the extreme male energy in rock music. They would smash instruments, act aggressively and Keith Moon (drummer) would produced such an intense, loud sound with his drums. Therefore, more men than women were fans of the Who.
-In Britain, music expressed the problems with class discrimination. While in America, music dealt with the issue of race and trying to bring different colors together.

There you go, some entertaining facts from Fever!

Fever 2

~ Girl group lyrics spoke about desire and fantasy fulfillment. The groups were like storytellers, talking to other women and allowing guys to listen in on their conversations about men.
- Guys bought records by girl groups so they could learn more about what women were saying about them and just talking about in general.
~ Women were told to be sexy, but also innocent. Hollywood wanted them to be glamourous but at the same time not greedy with their wants for clothes and jewelry. It was vital to be married, but at the same time it was hard for marriage to not be an economic difficultly. Being a girl seems to be just as tough now as it was then.
- The song "Maybe", by The Chantels, allowed other women to join rock n' roll and was an inspiration for other girl groups.
~Girl groups looked to female songwriters and managers, but were only produced by males. Now a days,  it is the sort of the same way with males mainly acting as producers for all artists.
- Phil Spector was an incredibly successful producer in the 60's. His productions hit the Billboard 27 times and made the Top 40, 17 times. All of this in just 5 years!
~Spector "sang" through his women artists. For an example, he wrote a song about his dead father called "To Know Is to Love Him", which was recorded by the Teddy Bears.

I guess why not do a couple of facts about Tina Turner, from Fever's chapter 3 as well.
~Tina Turner began rock feminism. Her voice was full of passion, but at the same time rage. This all came from the abuse she felt from men, whether it was from her husband or the producers. Her voice was unique from all the other women singers during that time. She was told she had a "male" sounding voice. Even through all the abuse from Ike, she stayed strong and is still currently known as a legend.

songs i avoid listening to

5. Bad Day- Daniel Powter
It is a pretty old song which, at one point in my life for a little bit, I actually thoughT was catchy. Once I started watching American Idol and realized that they played this song every episode, I just could not stand listening to it anymore.
4. Rude Boy- Rihanna
Personally, I just think this is a ridiculous, annoying song by Rihanna about sex. Also, she put this song out right after she had gotten physically abused by her boyfriend. :|  So, I really do not understand the point of it. Plus, the song just sends a bad message to all the young girls who idolize her.
3. Candy Shop- 50 Cent
A disgusting song, as well as it sounds incredibly emotionless.
2. California Gurls- Katy Perry
The beat is lame, the video is just stupid, and the lyrics are pointless. It does not even represent California girls.
1. Crank That- Soulja Boy
The whole song is pretty much the chorus repeated, and it's a good thing that the chorus is incredibly horrible, too. I cannot believe that this was a craze a few years back, or that this is even called music. What is the song even about?

All Shook Up

CH. 4
Amusing facts starting now:
-Elvis Presley fans earned an average grade of C in high school, and Pat Boone fans earned an average grade of B. Those who took honor classes, wore proper clothes, donated blood, also known as the "good kids" listened to pop or classical music. 
-Rock n' roll music was thought as "dangerous" due to its beat which made the body want to dance and have sex.
-Boys' working wage at age 18 was $16.65, while girls earned about 2 or 3 dollars less. Still though, that is incredibly high compared to now a days! It'd be awesome to get that now:)
-Teenagers spent plenty of their leisure time spending money and buying clothes, sports equipment, records, etc. So, in the consumer world, teenagers had become their own "group".
-The Nelson family was different in real life, than the family they portrayed on TV.  The father was an incredibly hard worker and also demanding father. Ricky smoked marijuana, wore leather jackets, and was a shy teenager. 
-Many teens wanted their parents to still play a role in their life and be there to guide them, and on the contrary they also wanted their own freedom. Teenagers did not want parents to rule their lives, but still wanted them to stay in their lives for support. 
-Frozen dinners became a hit, therefore having dinner at the dinner table with the family became less common. After the frozen dinner was eaten, teenagers would most likely rush out or go to their rooms. 
-The United States was the only country in the 50's that added "teenager" to their dictionary and considered them a completely separate group from the adults, and children as well. 


It is tough to argue with the fact that the 50's was an era mostly "run" by teenagers. The previous generation had gone from childhood straight into adulthood, so it is not a surprise that a generation gap between the parents and their new so called teenagers existed in the 50's. 

OVERCOMING Stress Workshop

    Today, I went to the Overcoming Stress workshop and overall it was extremely informative. I wrote down plenty of notes, and hopefully I follow the advice given and lower the stress in my life. Some things I learned include:
Writing out one's feelings can help reduce or let go of stress. Even sleepless nights can be fixed by getting out of bed and writing down all that is in the mind at that moment and therefore clearing up the mind. This is probably one of the facts that stuck out to me the most. It is such a simple 10 minute task, but with humungous results.
Signs of stress include headaches, backaches, muscle aches, overpowering urges to cry, and also a nauseous feeling in the stomach. It is interesting, because I never really thought of stress as having physical symptoms.
If one has frequent amounts of high stress, then they can develop one of the few long term affects which can be heart disease, hypertension or ulcers.
Stress is not just negative. Positive stress is real too. Positive stress helps one by giving the body an extra burst of adrenaline. This adrenaline can help with concentrating, or focusing more and even give one that extra energy to finish the final paper.
Stress can cause problems in relationships too whether it be with family, friends or a significant other. So, by one lowering his or her stress level, it will be beneficial to his or her relationships with others.
It is essential to make time for fun activities. One should make at least one weekly plan with friends or just to relax or do something that he or she loves. This gives one something happy to look forward to once the stressful week is over. Monthly and yearly plans are recommended too!
To live a healthy lifestyle, it helps to sleep at least 6-8 hours a day, eat at least 3 healthy meals a day, and exercise regularly (3 times per week).

Well, that's it :]

Success Tip Three

If one wants to be successful in college, I think one should make (some) friends. Making friends in college is pretty essential, as well as extremely helpful. It'll make college life a bit more easier and less stressful, nonetheless. Friends can help with homework, act as study partners, give one advice, and just simply hang out with one. Also, if one misses a class, then a friend is able to let them know what went on while they were gone. With college life being stressful at times, it's nice to get away from it a bit, and just do something fun with a friend or a group.

All Shook Up

CH. 3

Because the world now is completely different than in the 50's, reading this chapter brought out many surprising facts.
I have heard of the "baby boom" but did not realize at how such a young the age the couples were marrying and having babies in. It was surprising to read that in 1957, 97 out of every 1,000 girls between 15 and 19 years old had one child! Insane. 
As for R&B music, it is strange to read that plenty of R&B song lyrics were changed in order to sound more "clean". Now a days, artists say directly whatever they want, how ever they want to, whether it be disgusting or not. 
It is interesting that adults found rock n' roll music to be dangerous due to the idea that it caused sexual exploration in teenagers. This just shows what great impact music holds, and also how much my generation has changed since then. 
It's funny how Pat Boone was the ideal model for a teenager. Maybe parents these days would love to have a child like that, but when it comes to friends, he'd probably have the hardest time in the world trying to fit in. No offense :)
It is strange that guys were suppose to be emotionless and masculine back in the 50's. So when Elvis showed the more vulnerable side to guys, many people did not accept it. 

1. Birthday Sex- Jeremih
2. Brainstew/Jaded- Green Day
3. Smoke Two Joints- Bob Marley
4. Drug Ballad- Eminem
5. 12:51- The Strokes

Out of these, my favorite with a doubt is 12:51. With The Strokes being one of my favorite bands, it's hard to find a song by them that I do not like. But I like the melody of this song, and to me it's catchy. It was interesting though to learn that this song was about the moment before you lose your virginity. I am horrible at interpreting lyrics or other people's words, so I never really take the time to look into the meaning of songs. So, it was interesting to search on google for songs that mention sex or drugs, and then find some that I knew of but never realized that the lyrics refer to either of those things.

All Shook Up.

Ch. 2

Wow, so much racism towards the African Americans at that time. I understand that because I live in the time period that I live in now, things are way different, but still all that segregation was only about 50 years ago. I found it interesting that mixed dancing was banned, the Ku Klux Klan was created, and one thousand paratroopers had to stay in an integrated school as protection for the African American students. Additionally, African American performers would be paid such a low percentage rate, even with their records sold thousands and thousands. Also Nat King Cole was assulated on stage, and to me that was taking it a bit too far. That just showed how much hatred the white Southerners had in the idea of integration. Then there were white people covering Rock n' Roll songs by African American artists, which completely ruined the meaning of rock music. On the sunny side of things, even when there was a rope separating the young colored audience from the young white audience, it was broken as soon as the Rock n' Roll music started. Also, white kids went into African American neighboorhoods, looking for Rock n' Roll music. A random thing I found it ironic how Little Richard's siblings thought of his singing and shouting as a little boy annoying, and later on in life he became a singing sensation.

Success Tip Dos

How to be successful in college #2:
Simply by just doing homework, one will do good in college. This will help them get on track with the class, and not feel lost. When tests, or quizzes, come up, they will feel more prepared knowing they have done something relating to the test/quiz, rather than feel completely confused. Doing the homework will help one pass the class, and who does not want to pass a college class? Everyone, but Asher Roth, I am sure.

7.10.15

When I was 7, I remember one of my favorite groups being the Spice Girls. My best friend and I loved the danceable music, could care less about the lyrics, and wanted to be just as cool as they were. We sang every song proudly and happily, and when birthdays came around, the Spice Girls overtook the stereo. Also, then of course, who could forget the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync? If it were not the Spice Girls that were playing on the stereo, it was most likely BSB or ‘N Sync. Being so little, I guess it was the music, both of the bands’ popularity, their synchronizing dance steps and Nick’s and Justin’s cuteness that attracted me to them. As I grew into the age of 10, my music stayed within the pop category and I liked groups or artists such as S Club 7, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Destiny’s Child and LFO. Then, hip hop and RnB were big with artists like Nelly and Usher probably even Eminem, and I remember liking them as well. Back then, I kind of went with the flow, and liked whatever was mainstream. Then 15 came along, and my music taste went completely in a different direction, thank goodness. I became interested in rock music with Green Day being my first favorite rock band, concert, reason for a guitar purchase, and rock CD. The drums, guitars and bass brought a happiness to me that pop or hip hop could not:) Other bands included Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, The Cab, The Academy Is, Cobra Starship, and others but most being pop rock or rock songs you can dance to kind of music. I loved the sound, the lyrics which I could not understand, and the guys’ voices. And, that is also when I started liking musicians and guitar players:)

Googling Me

When I googled myself, I found nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, I pretty much found nothing period. It isn't surprising though, since my name is not so common:) But the first link leads to my private Facebook page, where one can only see my black and white, normal, pretty conservative picture and a few of my likes. Then, one day my friend and I decided to do an Octoberfest walkathon which supported Campbell. So, if one clicks on the third link, they can see my placing and time. Since I was in no rush at all, I was the 387th person to finish, out of 412. So, not too bad, could have been worse:) The fourth and fifth link bring one to a page where my name is listed under my high school's "principal's honor roll" list for the years 2008 and 2009. That is about it. The rest of the links are super random, with some not even containing my name, but either only my first or part of my last name.
Overall, since I am not too public with my personal life, I think an employer or person googling me will not learn much at all. Besides someone knowing that I did a walkathon and placed honor roll in high school, which aren't bad things, there is really nothing else someone can find out by just googling me.
So, I think that the more private one is with their personal life on the internet, the better chance one will have of not being judged right away. It won't lead others to come to, most likely, false conclusions about the person.

songs i can listen to without clicking the forward button.

These are all in random order, just an fyi:)

MGMT- Electric Feel

For some reason, I can always listen to this song. It's such a feel good, upbeat kind of song.

The Strokes- You Only Live Once

One of my favorite bands, so I pretty much love all their songs, but this is one that gets a bit of extra love, just because it was one of their first videos that one of my best friend showed me. I love the sound and julian casablancas' voice. 

Cold War Kids- Hair Down

I have the best time singing along to it.

Duffy- Syrup & Honey

I just recently heard this song, but have not yet gotten tired of it. So far, I like it's soulfulness. 

The Doors- Riders on the Storm

It's relaxing; kind of song you listen to on a rainy day, inside the car. 

City & Colour- Comin' Home

I like his voice, and how meaningful the song is. 

The Kooks- Sway

One of my other favorite bands, so any song really goes. His voice is amazing. 

The Smiths- Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

A short, sweet, simple song.

Lissie- Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi cover)

I'm not a fan of rap songs at all, but her cover makes me actually like this song. I love the general meaning of the song, which is to pursue happiness.

Kings of Leon- Fans
One of my favorite songs by them. Once again, the singers voice is amazing, and the music has a blend of calmness with a lively feel to it. 

All Shook Up

Ch. 1

While reading, one of the things that stuck out the most is how different rock n' roll was looked upon as compared to now. With the media often portraying the rock scene as full of troublesome kids waiting to start a riot, it isn't a surprise that while many saw it more than that, way more were against rock n' roll. I also found it interesting that Elvis Presley was an outcast, or a really unique individual:), as a youngster. And then the fact that he was shaking when he first went in to sing is strange just because the future Elvis still shook like crazy but not out of nervousness. Also, even though he had dreamt of being a star, he did not necessarily "try" to become one, by publicizing himself, but instead he was discovered. So, in a way, it kind of shows he knew it was meant to be. Besides that I love the fact that rock n' roll brought integration to a new level, and helped bring the color line one step closer to being crossed. Also, I was surprised to see how much change and events happened a bit before and around the 50's. For example, the television being invented, the nuclear families, the rock n' rollers, the segregation and integration at work and schools, the electric guitar being brought into the music world, all the different music styles arising, and I could go on, but I'll stop:) One last thing I guess would be the way the world was 50 years ago is probably a 180 degree turn from how it is now, and that is insane. From gyrating hips being banned to small screen TV's being the TOP technology, now a days those would be considered nothing.

Success Tip Number 1

I would say that one of the most helpful tips for being successful in college, but it's also common sense, is to attend every class session. Unless one really cannot, then it's okay to skip a few classes. But by attending all or most sessions, then one gets the information that they need without having to rely on others and hoping that they paid attention, and also one simply learns, which will help them pass the class.

The First Impression

Ciao. Hello. Hola. I am Josipa, and I never liked "about me's" because I never know what to write about myself. So this one will probably be short and simple:) I love music, feel the happiest at a concert, spontaneity, traveling, dancing, imagination and creativity. I was born in Bosnia, [a small country in Europe across the sea from Italy:)] but raised in California.  I love Europe and finally got a job this July just so I can save up enough to visit there this summer. I am undeclared, annoyingly, but want to more than anything in the world to find what I want to do in life. I get along with many kinds of people, and am pretty friendly, although I probably don't look like it. :) Well I'm done being lame, now. Peace