Movie Review: Requiem for a Dream

     Winning numerous awards such as the Independent Spirit Award, an impacting film filled with drama, director Darren Aronofsky brings us to the streets of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Showing great strength in their performances, Ellen Burstyn along with her fellow cast members have sent an important message to audiences to think twice about trying something that can ruin you as an individual.
     Sara Goldfarb is an elderly widow who lives alone and goes through the same dreary lifestyle each day. When she is given the chance to appear on a popular television show, she eagerly tries to lose weight in order to fit into a petite red dress that she had once used years ago. Incapable of switching to a healthy diet, Sara turns to diet pills that help her to lose weight but in a way where it affects her life in great measures. Sara’s unsettled son Harry tries to find success with his best friend Tyrone by starting off a small drug operation. Although their operation is a hit, they both become addicted to the substances as they “test” their products. Along with them is Harry’s girlfriend Marion whose drug addiction allows her to do the lowest of things in order to get her remedy for happiness.
     The plot, scenes, the entire movie had its way of making drugs look unappealing. Scenes of the movies depicted what the actors were facing. Although there were parts of the movie where it made me nauseous, it did give me a sense that once you try drugs, you’re hooked onto it.  There were points of the movie where it was too agonizing to watch, but it was too captivating to look away. This film uses camera and editing tricks that expresses each characters emotions and its music had made it dramatic and persuading.
     Requiem for a Dream directed by Darren Aronofsky has a storyline that will convince you to keep away from drugs. Aside from all the weakest points, this movie had a great purpose and it will be hard for you to look away.

Angry Letter Rough Draft

1634 Wailele st.
Honolulu, Hi. 96819
November 15, 2012

Kailua Square
315 Uluniu Street
Kailua, Hawaii 96734

Dear Kailua Square and to whom it may concern,

My family and I have been coming down to Kailua to enjoy all of the amenities your building provides. One of those amenities being Cinnamon's restaurant, it's friendly workers, generous and reasonably priced portions keep us coming back for more.

However, an incident that we had encountered made my family's visit "unpleasant." Since your restaurant is both in and out, my family was able to be seated outside on a day where the weather was what you say just right. Using umbrellas is an ideal way of protecting customers from the sun and or even rain, but that gives the chance for birds to lounge around while people are eating. While having small talk with my family members and enjoying our meals, I could see that the birds were on the ground and above our heads. Not thinking that the birds would do anything, I look up towards the inside of the umbrella and see the tail or end part of the bird above my head. Before I knew it the bird had let go of all of its feces on top of my head. Disgusted and inconvenienced of what had happened, I began to feel agitated of all the birds in the surrounding area.

Since there is an open space in the middle of the building to allow light to shine through, there are areas where birds could disrupt customers. There are stores and offices that people come for aside from cinnamon's, where birds have easy access to land and get in and out to. Saying this, there should be a solution such as putting netting over the building which will still allow light through so that others won't have to go through the same experience as I did.

Aside from all of this, your workers were courteous and were always there when we needed them. Our waitress had apologized for the inconvenience and had said that I was not the only one that had experienced that. This occurrence has not stopped me or the locals and tourists who usually crowd up the place to come back for "the island's best pancakes," and all the shops in Kailua Square. 

I understand that you have no control over mother nature, but for those who are seated outside to have an enjoyable meal, you should have a solution to keep the birds from sticking around in the area.

Sincerely,


Skylar Manuel

Risky Business Draft

     Today, may be tempted to go out and drink alcohol or do drugs. This may concern any parent, but they do not realize what could be going on in their own home. Instead of having to go through a hard time of finding someone who holds the actual substances, teens have easy access to the items that are already in their own home to get high. People may not be aware of this, but it is a problem in our society.
   The abuse of household items is not a common issue that is talked about, and people do not think of it as a problem. Teens have easy access to the items that are around them in their daily lives, which does not lead to any suspicion of doing drugs or drinking alcohol. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition says that they talk to about 100 to 125 parents whose teens have died from using inhalants without knowing of the situation. The symptoms that are shown from using household are about the same symptoms shown when doing drugs, this means teens can get away with taking in inhalants without being suspected of doing drugs.
   Teens may do whatever it takes to find someone who sells drugs, but when they can not wait any longer to feel the "buzz," they will look throughout their household for substances that can do so. The National Institute on drug abuse reports that teens of the ages twelve to seventeen are most susceptible in using inhalants. In the past couple of years 3.9% of adolescents have abused inhalants compared to a 1.6% of people of the ages eighteen to twenty-five. Surveys show that 14.9% of eighth graders, 12.3% of 10th graders, and 9.3% of 12th graders have experimented with household items. Studies show that future surveys will show an increase in abuse of household items.
   Household items are easy to get, cheaper, and can give you that feeling of being high, but there are consequences when taking in theses products. Inhalants such as paint thinners, glues, and cleaning fluids can cause irreversible health problems. Nitrites can affect the brain which include slurred speech, lack of coordination, and euphoria.  The chemicals found in different types of inhaled products can cause short-term effects such as nausea and vomiting, long-term effects include liver and kidney damage, hearing loss, as well as bone marrow damage. Inhalants that have high amounts of chemicals can cause heart failure within minutes when sniffing the products.
     It's simple as sniffing a product that has high amounts of chemicals that can damage your health or even kill you. Parents worry about what their teens do when they go out, but they should really worry about what goes in their own home. Adolescents of the ages twelve to seventeen look through their cabinets for items that allow them to get high. Although this is not a common topic to talk about, it is a problem that is going on in our world today.

Brainy pic

College/Personal Statement Essay Draft

     University of Arizona

Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?

          Even though people say the words "past is past," I can vividly remember all the negative things said to me growing up. Somehow those words stayed with me and has affected me in great measures. "Why can't you be smarter, how come you're not pretty or skinny like your cousins, why can't you do anything right," were constantly repeated to me whenever my relatives would see me. There was a point where I broke down and cried out all my anger and sadness that I was holding in. I told myself that I had to prove those who hurt me wrong, and fix all of the flaws that I had.

         Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are, but I felt that I needed to change for others to be satisfied.  I became what no other other person would want to feel, uncomfortable in my own skin. I've been told so many times to not let anything bother me, but I felt as if those things about me were true. I didn't feel like going out with family or friends, even though they invited me to do the things that I loved to do. Sure, I was able to do the weirdest things without caring what others thought, but that all stopped.

        I began to do what people who knew me never expected of me. Of course teachers expect you to do what is told of you, but I went ahead and did more. After doing my normal assignments, I did extra work just so that I would understand the material more clearly. Even though I would pass a test, I would study more and retake the same test to see if I could get a higher score. Every time I would get a good grade I went home to tell my parents, just so that they didn't feel I was a disappointment. Instead of watching cartoons or drama shows, I watched informational shows, or more of educational channels. I gained knowledge and was shock of how many things I didn't before.

       Not only did I try to become smarter, I also tried to change  everything on the outside. I bought clothes that I didn't feel comfortable in, but I just cared about what everyone else was wearing. I cut my hair, and even put weird things on my face. I did all sorts of things to make myself look different. Aside from trying to look different, I tried to not get anyone upset with me. I did what I was asked to do, answered politely instead the normal "What do you want?!" and tried to fix what I could not do right before.

      After trying my best to fix what others thought wrong of me, I went back out to see what they thought of the "new" me. I showed them my report card, wore a new outfit, and helped out with what they needed help with. Waiting for a response, someone finally says something. With a happy look on my face, it turned into the saddest. "So, you're still not like your cousins and how come you are not helping you are so lazy! Everyone else is doing something but you!" I looked at the people who they were comparing to and saw that they were doing absolutely nothing helpful but just sitting down watching television with their trash on the ground.

     I turned around and walked away, I felt a tear trickle down my face because I knew that I was a disappointment. For the next few days I locked myself in my room, knocked everything down in anger and could not even eat. After letting all my feelings out, I had a session with someone who accepted me for who I was. We talked about what had been going, and had given me advice that I will never forget. "Skylar, always know that people will judge you for the things you do, but it is your decision of whether to let it get to you or not care at all. But know that those who hurt you have been through the same situation as you."

     Hearing words like that helped me to realize, that it didn't matter what I wore, what things I know, how to do things right or be a perfectionist, all that matters is what I thought of myself. I went back to the person who everyone noticed flaws in, I went back to the real me. Today I may be shy, but there is an outgoing side of me. I can go out and do weird things again and also do the things that I love to do.
         

Word Choice graphic

Crowding around each other, the men soccer players look ecstatic of winning the U.S. open cup. Their eyes wide open, and their hands reaching for what they have achieved.

College choices

University of Arizona- http://www.arizona.edu/
Question- Have you ever struggled mightily for something and failed? How did you respond?


University of California- Berkeley- http://www.berkeley.edu/
Gonzaga University- http://www.gonzaga.edu /
University of California- San Fransisco- http://www.usfca.edu/