What do you feel about the trip and why do you feel that way?
I am rather looking forward to the trip to Cambodia and it will be my first time experience to do overseas service learning. Though right now, I do not have full confidence about the trip, but I am willing to give it a try. On the other hand, I am slightly worried too, as I know this is going to be a big scale project which requires great responsibility and teamwork. Also, when we are there at Cambodia, some of the things may not turn out as what we have initially expected, be it good or bad. The academic part is one of my concerns too, as there will be quite a lot of catching up stuffs to do, after missing one whole week of lessons. Nevertheless, this might as well serve as a challenge for me, as there will always be obstacles in life no matter what you do. And the important thing is to learn to overcome them.
Personal goals:
- I hope to gain a better understanding of the life in Cambodia
- To help out the people in Cambodia within my ability as much as possible
- To know myself better through working on this project
- Learn to manage my time better
- To gain a new fruitful experience through the trip
With regards to the issue of "Dressing for success", I personally feel that a person can be judge by his or her apperance to a certain extent. However, we must not be too dependent by this way of judging of people, because, it may not be true in all cases.
It is undoubtly true that your way of dreesing and apperance reflects about your character. That is the reason of why people should take pride in dressing smartly for a job interview, as first impression to the employer is important. It shows your attitude. And believe it or not, it is definitely those who are positive and receptive that do not fail to to impress their emplopyers, even in trems of dressing. So, take for instance, if the employer is considering two person with equal level of education, standard and experience, for only a place in the company, of course the next thing he will take into consideration will be your attitude and character. What is written in your portfolio may or may not be true, as he does not know you well, but he will roughly know from the first impression you gave during the job interview.
If you are neatly dress for work, it also exhibit a spirit of exellence in your work, diligent and positive in learning new things. Also, you started your day well by giving yourself a fresh look, to be prepared for a new day. So, why not to make an effort in maintaining your appereance, afterall it is your own apperance.
However, I think is is absolutely intolerable to discriminate against employees because of their weight and height or physical characteristics. We can be picky about the way of dressing, but if people are born to be of that particular height or weight, then they should be treated equally as the rest. Unlike dressing, it is not someting that they can take control of or have a choice. If the employees are working hard and doing their jobs with responsibility, then I don't see why they should be hold against prejudice. Height and weight factors should not affect the wages of the employees.
It was also stated in the article that, Darlene Jespersen, a former casino bartender at Harrah's Entertainment, sued her Reno-based employer after she was fired for not wearing makeup. She had worked there for 20 years and had not regularly worn makeup. I think, firing an employee of not wearing make-up it far too off a bit harsh, though Jespersen still had her job back. Perhaps, in society 20 years ago, people are neither too pompous nor suggestive in their dressing at work. This could be the reason to the fact that Darlene Jespersen does not have the tendency of being perticular in her appearance and the make-up stuff. It is not wrong for employers to ensure all their employees have a professional and well-groomed appearance when they come into contact with the public, but it shouldn't be a forceful thing.
To me, success means the achievement of an objective or goal. It also means a fresh start of a new beginning, because, once you achieve success, you’ll have to move on to a greater height in future as success is never ending. Success too, refers to the time to rejoice and give yourself a pat on the back as your hard work had finally paid off!
No doubt, there are indeed many successful people in this world. People who had encountered countless of failures and “brick walls”, in this case it refers to the obstacles faced by one, and succeeds in life. However, for now I’ll only talk about one of the famous personality whom I deem to be successful, and it’ll be none other than
Helen Keller.
Keller with Anne Sullivan 
Helen Keller in 1905
Biography
“When one comes to think of it, there are no such things as divine, immutable, or inalienable rights. Rights are things we get when we are strong enough to make good our claim on them.”
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) is born to Captain Arthur Henley Keller and Kate Adams Keller at Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She suffered a ‘brain fever’ (probably scarlet fever or meningitis) at age 19 months that left her blind and deaf. The disease also turned her into an out-of-control child, usually in a foul temper. Finally, in their own defense, her parents traveled to Baltimore to meet with Alexander Graham Bell. The famous inventor, who studied speech while working on his telephone, subsequently had become interested in educating deaf children.
Bell told the Kellers to contact the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, which in turn recommended a former pupil, Anne Sullivan, as Helen’s teacher. The orphaned Sullivan, herself mostly blind since age five, also had had a difficult life, and desperately needed the work. In 1887 she came to Alabama and, after a stormy first month, got Helen to understand the concept of words during a famous encounter at the family’s water pump.
Keller made remarkable progress from that point and ultimately, with Sullivan’s help, graduated with honors in 1904 from Radcliffe University, the first deaf and blind person ever to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. In an era when most women were not allowed careers, and the blind often were considered fit only to live in asylums, Keller’s impassioned writings and lectures (delivered through an interpreter) made a strong impression on audiences around the world.Keller primarily is remembered for her advocacy for the disabled, but as a member of the Socialist Party, she also strongly supported such groups as the ACLU, IWW, and NAACP, and campaigned for birth control, civil rights, women’s suffrage, and world peace.
The Miracle Worker, a play about Keller’s childhood education with Sullivan, won a Tony award in 1960, and then became a popular film, winning acting Academy Awards in 1962 for both Anne Bancroft (who played Anne) and Patty Duke (Helen). Keller was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 by Lyndon Johnson. She is buried in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where visitors over the years twice have worn the braille letters completely off the plaque by her grave. She died at the age of 87.
In Helen’s own words:
“The public must learn that the blind man is neither genius nor a freak nor an idiot. He has a mind that can be educated, a hand which can be trained, and ambitions which it is right for him to strive to realize, and it is the duty of the public to help him make the best of himself so that he can win light through work.”
I think Helen Keller is a successful person because she has shown millions of people that disability need not be the end of the world. And despite being a blind and deaf person, she managed to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and even went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. Keller devoted much of her later life to raise funds for the American Foundation for
the Blind. She has achieved a lot in life and has a story of her own.
Keller has inspired me in a sense that she is a determined person and she never gave her life up. She must have a lot of qualities in her for her to accomplish so much in life. Being a blind-deaf person, Keller learned Braille and used it to read not only English but also French, German, Greek, and Latin. And, me as a normal person with perfect health cannot even do as much as Helen Keller. I really admire her for her perseverance, determination. She has inspired me to live life to the fullest and not give up yourself.
