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Take me back to when the sun was bright, the sky was blue, the clouds were sparse, and the life was good 💧☀️☁️🌊🏝🏖👌🏾 #allinclusive #cofresi #tropical #lifestyleresort #puertoplata #dominicanrepublic #islandlife #beach #summer #vacation #sun #paradise #millennialdreams #perpetualsummer #endlesssummervacation @lifestylehvr @lifestyleholidaysvacationclub @lifestylevacationresort (at Cofresi Palm Beach & Spa Resort)

GRE Essay Exercise #1

Really trying to study and practice hard for this GRE, which I would like to take later this year. Essay writing seems to be one of the hardest aspects of it - something that I’ve struggled with for years, especially in middle and high school. 

Claim: Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive.

Reason: It is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated

Cities require financial support not just to survive but also to thrive. But, in order to thrive culturally, as demonstrated by a blossoming in the arts, music, sports, and theater, a city first needs to sustain a decent quality of life, including competent healthcare, food, education, etc. And while a country’s major cities necessitate decent quality of life, so does a country’s suburban and rural areas. So, while it is crucial to generate and preserve a nation’s culture, as may be seen in major cities, a government must know its priorities and ensure that every part of its nation, cities, suburbs, and country alike, receive a decent quality of life.

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the very basic needs of a human being are food, shelter, and water. Going above the basic needs are those that equate to education, social identity and acceptance, and, ultimately, self-fulfillment. Comparing the individual with a nation, the generation and preservation of cultural traditions seem to equate with the higher levels of needs, only after food, shelter, and water are given to the people of a society. In continuation, cultural traditions can only blossom if certain quality of life standards are met, such as decent education, healthcare, safety, and public works.

For a nation, a government shouldn’t prioritize its financial resources to solely support the generation and preservation of cultural traditions in major cities. Rather, it should make decisions in order to provide a decent quality of life for everyone in that nation, including the people in suburbs and rural areas. Money should be distributed accordingly. Let’s take as an example New York City, the biggest city in the United States. Undoubtedly and undeniably, this city has had an immense impact in shaping America’s cultures, traditions, and values, notably in the arts, music, and theater. One can see musical theater in Broadway, opera at the Met, and the symphony at Carnegie Hall. Clearly, these are self-sustaining entities that don’t necessarily need financial support from the government. However, in other parts of, not only the country, but also even as close as upstate New York, there is areas that suffer from poor healthcare, education, and sanitation. A resident of Broome County has once said that her area has the worst healthcare in the United States. That being said, if Broadway, the Met, or Carnegie Hall suffers from poor attendance and, subsequently, low funds, the government, federal or state, shouldn’t immediately pour funds into those organizations just to sustain them but rather assess first whether other areas, especially within the state, require financial support to maintain a decent functioning healthcare. It is, and should be, okay not to have the best theater but it shouldn’t be okay for a resident to deal with a horrible healthcare. Needs should be prioritized.

It is not a sufficient argument that governments ensure their cities receive funds in order generate and preserve cultural traditions. It should prioritize money based on who needs it for a decent quality of life. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation dictates that money is given to those who control, which may not necessarily be the vast majority.

How was it back then?

Being a millennial, it is very difficult to think of times with no internet, no cellphones, no GPS, etc. etc. I'm watching this adult cartoon show on Netflix. It's called 'F is for Family' and it takes place in 1974 and there are just bits and pieces of that show that makes me think 'oh that's right.. that wasn't invented back then'. One example is using asbestos as a building material where I was just like 'what the fuck? That shit causes cancer'. Another thing that came up were credit cards. The family in the cartoon didn't have enough money to chalk up $15 ($66 when adjusted for inflation). The dad only had $6 in cash and in my head I was like 'hello use your credit card' but it just came up again that they probably didn't use credit card as much back then. It is mind boggling. I can't imagine not using these nowadays especially bc I seldom use cash and when I do, it goes just like that. In addition to the credit cards, back then, even as recent as the 1990s and even early 2000s, cellphones, google maps (NOT even standard GPS), and the internet weren't as popular as they are now. I truly can't imagine how many businesses survived, or didn't, because of the lack of this technology. How would people know about that Indian restaurant tucked behind that Walmart in 'whatever st' if they didn't put in 'Indian restaurant' in google maps and saw where it specifically was or searched for specialty restaurants in yelp or Facebook or instagram or whatever. Where did people know about that new pizza place or Thai or Chinese or burger place if there wasn't a 'hot and new function' on yelp not only in the 90s but even in the early 2000s. Of course, there were probably ads in the papers, billboards, and word of mouth but clearly the transfer of information wouldn't be as fast as how it is now, and maybe not fast enough as to garner sufficient customers to make ends meet in the immediate future- I'm guessing many restaurants perished as a result of this slowly processed information. Especially today with the vast amount of information and the easy access to them, I know what is around me. I'll just look up google maps and type in parks and I will know 100% the parks that is around me, my favorite of which is Rockland lake state park. I also love the app 'All Trails' because it specially shows inside the parks the hiking trails that is within them. And many times when I take a hike on those routes, they are empty bc no one knows about them!- I love it. It's like I am the one fronteering it for the first time. But Way back when, people probably just knew their go-to place and stick to those because how would they really know that that stream or river or path was just behind their back yard when no one at social events within their social circle really talked about it? It's just very interesting how times have dramatically changed within, not only the last few decades, but the last few years. When opening a new restaurant, they say that location is everything! While that statement definitely holds true even now, it is bolstered by modern technology and apps like Facebook, google maps, instagram, yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. to the point where many restaurants don't care so much about location, just as long as there is a road and parking getting to them. Instead, they spend thousands of dollars getting ads on these apps and they not only survive but thrive! One example is the Warwick winery (amazing by the way!) where I typed in 'winery near Rockland county' after coming down from wine tasting in upstate NY. And lo and behold, the Warwick winery comes up where we drove through nothingness to get there. We literally drove through a farmland where I was like 'this exists here?' But the winery is a popping place! And it's thriving! All in all, while I watch this show 'F is for family' that was based in the 70s I have to adjust my thinking and my perception to better understand the context of the subject matter. Sometimes mindboggling, sometimes mind blowing but overall, entertaining.

A response to Working At McDonald’s

I’ve never really had a job before college except for being a barrista at a Barnes and Noble Cafe, which I was only able to hold for a couple of weeks until I was let go because I couldn’t close on Fridays. But the very first job I held after I graduated from college with a BSN was a cashier at a McDonald’s. I took the job while I was still studying for my licensing exam- the NCLEX. I guess I was infatuated with the idea of making money. I wanted to make money because I’ve barely had a job before. And I wanted to experience what ‘being at the bottom’ was. I worked alongside minorities, namely Mexicans and Dominicans. And I’ll tell you, these were very hard working people and I give them lots of kudos for doing what they do. But after two months, I realized that I hated it. I wanted to experience what ‘being at the bottom was’ and that I did. I was made to feel like an insignificant runt- dispensable, unimportant. My safety net was the fact that I was a nurse- this won’t be my career. And a week prior to taking my NCLEX and watching the movie “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona” I took my cap and uniform, went to the front desk of the McDonald’s store, laid them on there, and said “I quit”. I was young, arrogant, and stupid. But I did learn what I didn’t want to be- in a place where employees are made to feel like factory machines- you were there to make money for the big shots above you and nothing else. I am currently in a place where I am respected. I clean poop, empty bed pans, give bed baths, and occasionally save lines. But hey, I am making six figures. Not a bad deal…

Maybe

Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Or maybe it was meant to be. Who knows? Especially if you didn’t try. Should you have pushed on with it? Or should you have just let it go. Maybe. Or maybe not.

I hate the word ‘maybe’. It’s beating around the bush. It’s not being definite with who you are. Never be a maybe in life. Always be a sure or always. We all need to dig deep inside and pull out an answer, a decision, but never give a half-assed product of yourself. 

People who are so unsure of themselves are boring, stupid people. I hate people who say ‘I don’t know’. What do you mean you don’t know? It’s not that you don’t know, it’s just that you don’t want to acknowledge the truth of what’s inside of you. I know you have been hurt before and that’s why now you use a shield of ‘maybes’ and ‘I don’t knows’ because you are afraid of being criticized or hurt again when you show your true conviction. 

Stop beating around the bush. Stop being a maybe and become an always or a never. Grow up. You’ll never learn with a mediocre response like that. Own it and make a mistake. And own that mistake for God’s fuck sakes. 

When you become an always or a never, you give a definite answer. A solid product. Not a wishy washy one. You grow. You have a direct and definitive direction in life. 

My Thought Process in Becoming a Nurse

     Back in the day, I did not ever think that nursing was going to be something I'd be doing my whole life. I don’t think anyone ever wants grow up thinking they’d be an ass-wiper (although I can now attest that nursing is much more than that!). I thought I was going to be a doctor or a pilot. There was even a time in seventh grade where we got tested on our skill sets and interests and based on that, it was recommended for me to become a chemist. Wow.

     I guess I was always good with the sciences. I was able to explain photosynthesis and cellular respiration in AP Biology from route memory in which I received the highest marks in my class. However, somewhere close to high school graduation, I realized that becoming a medical doctor was too much schooling for me. I’d have to go through  fours of undergrad, four years of medical school, and at least five years of residency (medical training in which doctors earn very little income). Along with that, I’d have to accrue at least $200,000 in debt. No way, Jose! I was way too cheap for that. And being a pilot just fell out of the picture when I was presented with the scenario of just sitting on a plane for hours on end doing nothing. I mean, that’s why they have autopilot, right?

     One of the biggest factors that helped me decide in becoming a nurse was piano playing. I started playing the piano late- in freshman year high school, as oppose to all these prodigies who started playing at the age of 5. As a result, I was determined to become an amazing pianist and I practiced for hours in order to master a piece. This goal has changed since then. But, seeing my aunts work only three days, the nursing schedule appealed to me because I would have worked a portion of the week and practiced piano for the rest, during my days off. It was a no brainer.

     I only applied to public schools which had both music performance classes and nursing major. These were SUNY Albany, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Buffalo, and Binghamton University. Obviously, you know which one I picked. You can also see being the cheapskate that I am, I only went for SUNYs. And can you believe that my high school guidance counselor told me that Binghamton University was my reach? hehe. Choosing the nursing path was made easier by the fact that my aunts were able to live a luxurious lifestyle despite not having a 40-hour week. They had big houses, bought expensive materials, and had a reputation of spending big. Well, I learned later that they squeeze in a lot of overtime to compensate for their overspending. Nevertheless, the appeal of money looked amazing. 

     So you can see that I primarily chose nursing for its extrinsic value. It would have provided me with a comfortable income while at the same time giving me lots of flexibility with my time- to practice the piano. I also told myself I’d do well with it because my forte was with the sciences. And I did well with them. I aced chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology, etc. However, the actual nursing courses were different because it was not like the science courses where you just spit back information. The tests needed you to think critically about a patient, where all of the answers can be right but you had to choose the best one. Because this was such a new world of test taking for me, I didn’t do as well as I did with my science courses. In the end, what mattered is that I got through and passed my classes and my clinicals.

     I didn’t learn to truly love and appreciate what nurses do until I actually started working as one. Yes, we do very mundane things like put patients on bedpans, wipe ass, clean shit, and do bed baths. Many times, especially on the general med/surg floors, we just felt like waiters for these patients- ‘give me food.. bring me water.. give me my pain medications..’ The needs go on and on. There’s even a saying that RN stands for “Refreshments and Narcotics”. On a good day, I do feel good doing these for other people. At least, I was doing something that ‘mattered’. I was comforting people, taking away their pain, and making their days easier for them. On my bad days, I felt that these patients were just needy customers with everlasting requests. It was exhausting. 

      When I moved to the intensive care unit, that’s when I became a real nurse. That’s when I played with life and death. You see, the patients in this unit are the sickest of the sick. They would be on ventilators (machines that breathed for them) and medications that sustained their blood pressure (and therefore, their life). And controlling these medications is based on my critical thinking. Literally, their life would be on my hands. And what great arrogance I got from having such a responsibility on my shoulders. I mean, no other job was as badass- I guess you got the doctors but they didn’t have any life. They lived in the hospital while nurses can be normal people. But I digress. 

     Most of the time, I don’t regret becoming a nurse. We are the people next to the patients and their family members when they are at their most vulnerable. We are the ones next to them when they are at their sickest and can’t do anything for themselves. We are the last ones that they see right before they take their last breaths and go to heaven. Or hell. We do have an important job and a great responsibility. And for what it’s worth, we actually do use what we learn in school to apply to our careers. Unlike many other college graduates who say “yea, my job has absolutely nothing to do with my major”. I think that choosing to become a nurse has been the best decision for my life thus far. 

New York City going on Holiday Crack

The city, specifically Manhattan, is breathtaking this time of year. Although it gets very cold, many other good things come up. The holiday season goes into full blasts and pretty soon, every building and tree is light up, especially the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. Christmas songs are heard everywhere, and winter-related activities pop up, like ice skating on Bryant Park. With the cold also comes the favorite hot chocolate and apple cider. It’s amazing.  

Edgewater, NJ

Edgewater, NJ is a very beautiful town right next to the Hudson River that overlooks the Manhattan Skyline from its West Side. In the past, it wasn’t a good neighborhood to reside but has seen an extraordinary development in recent years, making it a relatively expensive place to live in. Along River Road, which runs close to the river, hence its namesake, drivers can pass through several high-end stores, such as Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, and Mitsuwa.

Especially on the Fourth of July, tons of firework gazers gather along the edge of the water to watch the spectacular show unfold right on the Hudson River.

This is perfect for people who love images of the city but do not want to live in one. Certainly, the image of the New York City right across the river fulfills that satisfaction. As a residential area, the town does not aim to be boisterous but one can indulge in that pleasure just by crossing the George Washington Bridge.

inspirational ! I don't want to make big regrets later on !

There’s a secret that they don’t tell you in high school or college. For most people, they don’t tell you at any point in your life.

In high school they keep it from you because they claim you’re too young to think about it. In college they keep it from you because they don’t know how to tell...

This Danish girl I met in Acting class

I started my ‘Intro to Meisner’ acting class this Thursday, 10/3, and when we were asked to choose our partners, I looked onto this blonde sitting to my right and asked if she had already chosen one. She said ‘yes’ and although a little disappointed, her accent caught my attention. I asked her, ‘what’s her deal?’ or some form of it.

     She had come from Denmark and was in NYC just for this three-month class. What? You just got up and came here to NY to pursue acting? That had to take courage! I was instantly fascinated and I continued to pry. Where did you stay when you immediately came here? She said she was ‘couch surfing’. There is a website for this (couchsurf.com) where people basically sign up to sleep on your couch, or vice versa. It’s usually free and very convenient for those cannot afford a hotel and don’t like the idea of hostels. This girl has been doing it for 2 weeks. I just cannot believe that a beautiful blonde was sleeping in strangers house every night. Was she crazy or something? But then again, she was from Denmark, where the people must be very nice. Surely, any place is nicer than New York City and her country must have conditioned her to trust. However, she thought it was very safe. I believed her but at the moment, I don’t have the balls to do that. Maybe someday I will but not now.

     As she was couch surfing, she was also searching for a cheap apartment. In NYC, you are very lucky to find a decent one for less than $1000. She told me she looked everywhere, including Brooklyn, but even rats would not live in those; they smelled strongly of piss. She even looked in Washington Heights, where I live, but found those prices were a little too high. At one point, she ran from uptown to downtown to settle for a really good deal but it closed ten minutes before she got there. She didn’t take the subway because she didn’t know how it worked. Well, that just cost her a living space. In the end, she was able to find one in Chinatown, living with 5 other Chinese women who did not know how to speak English. I guess someone is going to be eating lots of general tsao’s chicken for three months. It will cost her around $500 a month, which is a very good deal, especially living in Manhattan.

     This girl exemplified the fact that there are people out there who would act on an impulse without second thought while it would take me forever to make the same decision. Although as they say, everything is best in moderation so if you plan something adventurous, put some thought (not a lot because that would paralyze you) into it and act. Life is too short to be living inside your head and you should take action as soon as possible. I’ve lived in my head for most of my life and I’m just now starting to see the negative consequences of it. I’ve missed out many social experiences and milestones. I’m determined to create the life that I want – the one that would make me happy and create emotional satisfaction. However, that doesn’t come from thinking but from acting. There was a quote on Facebook: “the distance between dreams and reality is action”. I’m all about internalizing that motto. I also like the quote, “If you want something you’ve never had before, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done before.”

Puerto Rico and bioluminescent bay

The only Caribbean Island I could visit without American citizenship and a visa is Puerto Rico, owing to the fact that it’s an American territory. This means I could travel there with just a driver’s license. However, I was smart enough to bring my passport and permanent residence card because I was checked for residence status right before boarding the plane coming back to the mainland. I actually hesitated to say I was a permanent resident just to check what would happen but my better judgment took over the last minute and I fessed up. It was relatively painless. The immigration officer just took a glance at my green card and passport, ask ‘who took you to the US’, to which I answered, ‘my dad’, and that was it.

From a plane’s passenger view, the city of San Juan, impregnated with hotels and resorts, almost looked like Atlantic City. It was a city nestled next to the ocean, which was vastly more beautiful than the ones in New Jersey. As if the breathtaking turquoise beaches were not enough, the mild weather stays relatively constant all year long, according to a few locals I’ve spoken with. Off course, the summer months do get their share of storms but, luckily, we hit a week free of them.

When visiting Puerto Rico, a bio-luminescence bay kayaking tour is a must. One company, “Kayaking Puerto Rico”, provides such a group tour on the “Laguna Grande” translated into English as “Big Lagoon”. You have to make this reservation a week in advance due to its popularity. But once you’re in, the journey begins with signing a waiver. It basically states that if you die, it’s not the touring company’s fault. Who’s to blame them? If you do something stupid of your own accord, the company has to stay active. But don’t think too much about that or it’ll ruin your fun. On the tour that I attended, we had to kayak through a narrow passage of river, surrounded by these water trees known as mangroves. This posted many challenges on top of the fact that it was my first time canoeing, it was pitch black with only the moon barely visible through the canopy, and we were buffets for mosquitoes. The canoes mercilessly bumped into each other and onto the trees. It was the boating version of bumper cars. However, it took more arm strength to go left or right as opposed to just turning the wheel and instantly going in that direction. After 30 minutes of arm-breaking rows, we finally reached our most coveted lagoon. It is in these waters that bioluminescence takes place. Wade your hands through the water and it glows – beautiful. What makes it glow is a special type of plankton, which is present on the world’s entire ocean but is particularly concentrated on certain waters such as this one. The guide explained something along the lines of photosynthesis and certain factors present all year long to enable the plankton to become ultra concentrated. It was beautiful and if it weren’t for the mosquitoes, I would not have mind sleeping in the middle of the lagoon on an air mattress. In the end, we had to go back and paddle our way through the mosquito-infested narrow river. It made my sore arms worse especially because we were going against the tides.

Palisades Mall

Perched atop the small town of West Nyack in Rockland County, the Palisades mall is the go-to destination of the restless teens, the bored mothers, the ambitious college graduates, and the casual shopper. All necessities are bought within the four-story building, where the total walking distance stretches over a mile. Grandmas and grandpas hike this path in the early mornings. However, that doesn’t include the home depot and the BJ’s that are attached to the main building but whose entrances are only accessible from the parking lot. The main building boasts a myriad of consumer products from clothes and restaurants to coffee stands and arcade plazas. There is also a gym, The New York Sports Club, which sits on the corner of one of the food courts. So one can start out with an energizing workout prior to tackling the day’s errands. I don’t frequent this gym as much due to its lack of towel service, but that’s beside the point.

My favorite store at the Palisades Mall is the classic Barnes and Noble, which without it would render the place incomplete. It is just nice to stroll at the mall on a bright sunny day, sit quietly at the corner of the cafe and read the afternoon away, with a Frappuccino on one corner and stack of books on the other.

Intro

My name is Richard and I usually introduce myself as a nurse living in Washington Heights on Meetup.com. For the last few written ‘bios’, I’ve said something along the lines of “I’m a twenty something year old wanting to meet new people and experience life”. I’m very restless; I’ve always been ever since I was a child. I can’t seem to sit still, always wiggling in my chair, and adjusting my legs. I feel that’s how I generally am in life. I’ve lead a ‘traditional’ lifestyle – went through school, college, and now I have a very stable job at a prestigious hospital, making very good money. I have an apartment in the city. However, as I’ve always felt before, there’s that missing component in my life – like I should be living more and bigger and fuller. Traditional just doesn’t cut it for me. To me, traditional is getting a stable job, getting married, buying a house, and raising a family – overdone! I want to stray out of the ‘beaten path’ and create my own path. I feel force to create my own path because I haven’t been socialized like the rest of society. Everyone else just seems to fit into a group. I’m that odd man out – felt lonely for the longest time.

            My primary source of income comes from being a nurse, a very meaningful, yet stressful, profession. I’m glad I’ve made that decision back in high school to pursue such a path, and although there were many times I’ve thought about backing down, I’m glad I made it through. However, just being a nurse doesn’t give me a satisfying life. It activates the intellectual part of me. Yet, I want to explore my artistic side, more so now than I’ve ever wanted to in the past. I want to become a professional actor.

            My dream life consists of being a nurse (definitely getting a masters in the future), a professional actor (which I can just pour myself fully into), a travel writer (to capture my experiences on paper, not just picture), an investor (to make use of money making money, whether in the market or real estate), and a fitness guru (more so for myself than others).

ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS?

robots.. they can be your slave and won't eat you