The Biometric Technology For Effective Payroll System

The Biometric Technology For Effective Payroll System Payroll is one of a series of accounting transactions, dealing with the process of paying employees for services rendered, it is electronic software, where all the employees information is recorded and captured. Companys experiences a lot of payroll fraudulent occurring by utilizing this payroll software which affects the companys capital due to a high increased payroll cost. Background and Motivation Money being a valuable asset to the company, I have chosen to research more on payroll and how can the effective security level be implemented to enhance the security on payroll by the use of biometrics, as I believe in Physical Attributes identification like finger prints, palm prints, and facial. To solve the security risks, biometrics technology (implemented in the ReCon Biometrics Keyless Identification Security System) uses physical attributes to identify an individual. This solution is ideal because biometrics authentication does not require the user to have any physical access objects present or remember any passwords. With ReCon Biometricss advanced facial recognition technology, we can now overcome many problems that other systems have encountered in the past (Rogan, 2002). Rather than using personal identification because, as (Rogan, 2002) stated that in personal identification A Personal Identification Number (PIN) is another widely adopted means of authentication, and is a standard example that uses memorized passwords or pass codes. The advantage to this approach is that no physical means are required for authentication. However, this method still suffers from security risks if an unauthorized individual gains access to an authorized users PIN. Further complications can arise when authorized users forget or misplace a PIN. Turner, a payroll specialist for a large Florida nonprofit organization, was a sick man. Most employees who steal do so out of greed, but Turner had a different motive-he was HIV-positive and needed expensive drugs to control the disease. Turners duties included posting time and attendance information to the computer system preparing payroll disbursement summaries. Adding and deleting employee master records were separate tasks, performed by another staff member. As an additional safeguard, a supervisor approved all payroll disbursements, and the company deposited them directly into employees personal bank accounts. When the coworker who added and deleted master records logged onto the system, Turner peeked over her shoulder and noted her user ID and password. This enabled him to add fake master records-for ghost employees to the system (Wells and Joseph, 2002). Where there is money to be made, dishonest and unscrupulous individuals can find ways to bilk the system (Michaels, 1998). As with any financial instrument, the key to success is prevention, and FIS continues to create new fraud prevention and monitoring tools as new trends develop (Mccann, 2008). A lot of money becomes missing and records being edited because of unauthorized users who hack the payroll system or being able to retrieve the passwords into accessing the payroll system, so the purpose of this research is to investigate the roots of hacking in the payroll so as to find a lasting solution to it and eliminate ghost employees. It is intended that in this research a suitable biometric system will be introduced providing greater reliability and accountability, in order to enhance the security level of The INNOVATIONHUBS VIP payroll and the staff. 1.2 Problem statement Payroll encompasses every employee of a company who receives a regular wage or other compensation. Some employees may be paid a steady salary while others are paid for hours worked or the number of items produced. All of these different payment methods are calculated by a payroll specialist utilizing a payroll system, and the appropriate paychecks are issued. So for an employee to get their paycheck a time sheet is submitted so that the payroll specialist can capture the data on the time sheet example number of hours worked, and then compute the salary for the employee, so companies often use objective measuring tools such as timecards or timesheets completed by supervisors to determine the total amount of payroll due each pay period. Payroll system is an electronically software that calculates employees salary. The problem is that when employees fill in their time sheets or timecards, they easily forge their attendance of being present at work or working overtime knowing they did not, they do what is called buddy punching which is when an employee punches a time card for another person. This is done by employees reason being earning more money, or earning money even though they did not work for it, because we all want to get our hands on money this affects the companys productivity and payroll cost. However payroll specialists easily get away with fraud because, usual solutions to the problem of enhancing security is identity involve using systems that rely on what a legitimate user knows example, passwords or personal identification numbers or what a legitimate user possesses example , ID cards or keys. However, these methods are susceptible to fraud and security threats as they do not identify the person but simply identify the information that is provided by that person (Gupta, 2008). Companies need to have an absolute trust in the identity of their employees, customers, and partners that is, they are really who they say they are. Taylor Farm, a processing plant for bagging produce, was incurring 20 percent of payroll cost due to buddy punching (Gupta, 2008). Kahn et al (2002:57) found that the System provides an automated, centralized back end payroll service with a full-featured web-based payroll system. Both aspects of the system have access to a central database, which includes, for example: profile information on employers and employees; timesheet, salary and hourly wage data; employee benefit data and information regarding third-party providers and miscellaneous payee. According to Krons (2010:109), the YMCA was committed to keeping its payroll in-house and was looking for a flexible and configurable system that would enable it to do so efficiently. With Kronos, they have been able to cut payroll processing time by 50 percent largely due to the automation of payroll data from the time and attendance system into payroll. With more than 1,800 full- and part-time employees at 12 facilities across Ohio, many employees often perform multiple jobs in the same pay period. With Kronos, the YMCA is able to keep track of position management and ensure that payment is applied correctly. After implementing a new time and attendance system for its labor intensive operation, Fantasy Cookie Co. has realized a 90% reduction in payroll errors and return on investment of one year (Hitchcock, 1993:70). Some of the motivations to change payroll frequencies include best practice or industry standards, possible future sale or acquisition, cost savings, union contract requirements, or even employee requests (2010:8). My intention is to find a way by means of biometrics systems to enhance the security level on VIP payroll at The Innovation Hub and monitoring employees presence at work. 1.3.1 Goal The primary goal of this study is to introduce Biometrics System for the security of VIP payroll at The Innovation Hub. 1.3.2. Objectives To investigate the security problems being encountered at the payroll and monitoring employees timesheet or timecards of the Innovation Hub To find out what is the security system applied in the payroll of the Innovation Hub. To explore the use of Biometric technology as a security system in this company to solve the security problems discovered. 1.3.3 Research questions What are the security problems being encountered at the payroll of the Innovation Hub? What is the security system applied in the payroll of this organization? How does Biometric system can be applied to solve the security problems identified? 1.3 Scope There are three types of payroll systems the first being the manual payroll system typically serves small medium and macro enterprise (SMME), and all this is done by hand with a manual payroll system. Secondly being the In-house Payroll a company with up to 60 employees can benefit from a computerized in-house payroll system. Thirdly is the external Service (outsourcing) company with more than 60 employees usually hiring an external payroll service. They are a separate firm that specializes in payroll processing. The basis of the definition supplied by Justice Buckley is that in order for a fraud to exist a lie must be told and something tangible obtained by virtue of the operation of that lie on the mind of the person receiving the information. That premise has been extended through common usage and the media so that now fraud is referred to as the obtaining of property through any dishonest means. Those means do not necessarily include the telling of a lie and can include what is considered corrupt activity by a person in authority (Jarrod 2006). There is no easy fix for Social Security. No silver bullet or miracle accounting will painlessly fix the problem posed by our 70-year-old national retirement system. At a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., the ABA Government Relations Council reaffirmed a strategy first advocated by ABA in 1999. It calls for ABA to act as industry spokesman for reform, work with Congress on a bipartisan basis and support the creation of personal retirement accounts those special accounts that would allow younger workers to place a portion of their payroll taxes in private retirement accounts they manage themselves (Duke 2005:20). Swart (2002:5-15) found that the payroll systems are cumbersome and problematic, they require the use of a middleman payroll service to either send or calculate and send the employees net pay data to the bank, which increases costs to the employer. These cost are ultimately passed on to the employees and public, such systems also take significant amounts of time to acquire, transfer, translate and process all of the data required to determine and distribute net pay to the employee, and employees are therefore forced to wait one or two weeks before even receiving their paychecks another disadvantage of the prior art payroll system is the use of centralized data processing for calculation of net pay, such as used by ADP. The allegations ranged from accepting kickbacks, committing bank larceny against the Orleans Parish Credit Union, and forging and passing bad checks, to theft, income tax violations, insurance and mail fraud, as well as extortion.6 With encouragement from State Superintendent Picard, the New York-based firm of Alvarez Marsal was selected in July 2005, by the Orleans Parish School Board and the Louisiana Department of Education, to address and resolve the districts numerous systemic financial improprieties.7 Employees of Alvarez Marsal immediately found significant payroll discrepancies estimated to cost the district approximately $12 million per year (Pamela Frazier 2008). Systems that lack a secured authorization detector can end up being history to the owners and costly. HIGH-PROFILE payroll problems have plagued a $25 million PeopleSoft ERP implementation in the Palm Beach County School District in Florida after just five months of operation.Since the Oracle Corp. software went live in July, there have been numerous instances of employees being underpaid or not paid at all, said Mike Guay, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based consultant hired in early September to help fix the problems. In many cases, the payroll errors have caused significant hardship to workers, added Sharon Barmory-Munley, president of thse local office of the National Conference of Firemen Oilers, a union representing more than 4,000 school district employees.In September, payroll problems prompted some 300 bus drivers to picket the school board. Other employees have complained to the U.S. Department of Labor, said Barmory-Munley (Barton, 1992). Its horrible, she said. Some people cant pay their bills, mortgage payments are late, and theyve ruined their credit. This is disastrous (Marc, 2006), this report shows how serious and harmful the system can get if not resolved in time. Payroll Express Corp., a company that provided paycheck cashing services for about 100 corporate clients, has gone bankrupt, and owner Robert Felzenberg has been accused of diverting customers funds to its own uses. Payroll Express bank, United Jersey Bank (Hackensack, NJ), is being sued by some Payroll Express customers for not monitoring the business more closely and for allegedly ignoring and glossing over Payroll Express troubles. The bank says the charges are without merit (Barton, 1992). Not all of the IT specialist do the right job or what they are suppose to do, you find IT hackers who can do anything to get their hands on money, money being an object that everyone wants to get their hands on. A large local employer in a small town had its office burglarized. Nothing appeared to be taken but there was some vandalism. The company assumed it was just some kids. A few days later, on a late Friday afternoon, a group of about 20 people with heavy accents came into the local bank and cashed payroll checks drawn on the local employer. On Saturday, the same 20 people went back to each of the bank branches again cashing more checks. It was then discovered that these checks were forged. The blank checks had been stolen during the break-in. Encouraging or requiring businesses to use a Positive Pay System will prevent these losses. When using Positive Pay, the business customer provides the banks computer with check numbers and amounts before providing the checks to recipients (Towle, 2010:17). There is no end to Queenslands payroll debacle with a report finding it will take another six months to make critical fixes to the system and 18 months for it to be fully re-implemented.Queensland nurses and midwives were waiting for a formal response from the states health department after a report recommended sticking with the flawed system (2010-2011:15). No matter what industry an organization serves, there is one common element the customer. That customer can be external or internal. The key focus in having quality be part of everyones job is to make sure customer value is the primary purpose of the organization. Everyone in the organization should know the customers and what they consider important. All functions accounting, payroll, information systems, engineering, sales play a role in how these customers view the work. Tools such as customer survey analysis, best practice studies and publisher customer audits are used to determine what customers really want, as are graphs of customer complaints over a specific time period (Whitarcre, 2001). 1.4 Significant This study is very significant in the sense that there is a serious implication of financial security to the survival of any organization especially the InnovationHub. Electronic security has also become a global issue in the discourse of a virile Information System, while the biometric system is a current security application of IT in the security system. The report of this work will also add to literature on the state of the art applications of IT study while the solution can be applied in all payroll systems. 1.5 Key words Payroll, System, Access, Security, Biometric Literature review Companies need to able to have absolute trust in the identity of the employees, that they are really who they say they are. Fraud can occur in the payroll department in many ways. These can include (Journal of Trade, 2010): phantom employees being paid; fraudulent additions to approved time records; increases in hourly rates; payments of commissions, bonuses, or incentives that are added to an employees normal paycheck; deduction reversals that add to an employees net pay; illegal advanced earned income credit payments; and Child support garnishments that are mailed to a custodial parent but never deducted from a paycheck. Identification is a one-to-many matching process that ascertains the existence of an individual in a database. This process merely determines that the person exists. If access control is predicated only on the existence of an individual, then the individual is given access to the system when the required identifier is found to exist in the access database. There is no confirmation or proof that the person who is given access is indeed the person who initiated the access procedure (Chandra Calderon, 2003). Everyone is a potential fraud, and only careful hiring and strong internal control are effective in preventing fraudulent to the organization (Seidman, 1985). Payroll accounting shows another area where authentication issues assume importance. The importance for effective authentication exists in at least three processes: time-keeping and attendance records, pick-up of paychecks, and linking employees to specific tasks in the organization. Three broad categories of factors that organizations use for automated authentication-possession, knowledge, and biometrics. Authentication can be predicated on a single factor (e.g., a password, a PIN, or a picture ID) or on multiple factors (e.g., password and picture ID, or PIN and picture ID). Vertical movements within the pyramid are associated with increases in the strength and focused nature of the authentication process. The likelihood that the verified identity is not that of the true owner also decreases with vertical movements in the pyramid (Chandra Calderon, 2003). The user must present a physical possession (such as a token or a key) to be authenticated. Though visible and usually portable, possessions can be lost, stolen, shared, duplicated, forgotten, or destroyed. Possession-based authentication factors provide assurance that a user presents a valid token or card. Within the context of an automated authentication process, these factors do not provide direct assurance that a user who is allowed access into an information system is indeed the person he or she claims to be. In the second category, the user provides information about his/her knowledge (such as, password, or passphrase). Passwords and other knowledge authentication factors are highly portable, invisible (unless written down), can be changed often, and can be designed to be relatively secure. However, they can be forgotten, reused, stolen, guessed, or shared. Passwords offer assurance that the person at the keyboard knows the password. They do not offer assurance that the person at the keyboard is indeed the person he/she purports to be (Chandra Calderon, 2003). Fraud in payrolls always involves over statement of the total of the payroll, and usually involves either (1986): Padding the payroll by including names of new employees before they started to work, or names of employees who have left, or names of men who are simply non-existent, or who exist but do not work for the company. Overstating payroll footings, carry forwards etc Failure to account for unclaimed wages, overpayments. Etc. One private sector problem is what is called buddy punching which is when an employee punches a time card for another person. Taylor Farm, a processing plant for bagging produce, was incurring 20 percent of payroll cost due to buddy punching. (Gupta, 2008). People are our business and managing such a large workforce that operates on diverse client sites is a challenge. We recognized that a standard time and attendance system that could provide as many access methods for clocking on as possible biometric, internet, proximity, telephone yet could be managed both centrally and remotely, was an essential requirement for our business (Pollitt, 2008). The real cushion against fraud, however, is in the type of individual employed. This means concern not so much with an applicants technical background, as with human background. Things like his mode of living , his social habits, his family troubles, his financial stresses and strains all of these are vital in the fraud potential (Seidman, 1985). The construction foreman of a large chemical company is responsible for a maintenance crew of about fifty employees who include tradesmen and labourers. He is also responsible for the deployment of a large amount of tools and equipment for the repair and maintenance of the plant. The employees are permitted to work overtime. The foreman started his own handyman/small construction company specializing in week end work. To carry out this work he utilized the tools and equipment of his employer and the time for the labour of the employees engaged in this nefarious activity was paid for by the employer by way of overtime for working on the weekend. The foreman authorized their overtime cards, certifying they had worked the overtime for the company. Employees were paid for their work, but the foreman, who charged his private clients, did not have to pay any costs of the construction whatsoever. The foremans behaviour was such that he obtained a financial advantage because hedid not have to pay for the labour of his workers or the tools and equipment he used onhis jobs. He was convicted of deceiving his employer into paying for the labour cost (Bowditch, 2006). The paymaster of a large technical company on the north shore was a trusted and valued employee until a co worker saw him driving a brand new Porsche on the week end. An investigation revealed that he had been systematically paying himself overtime at the rate of five times his regular salary. No subterfuge, he was just authorizing the payment to himself of more hours overtime than there are hours in the week. The fact that he could have got away with this brazen fraud for over twelve months showed a lack of any sort of control by management in the running of the company, and certainly no thought to fraud control (Bowditch, 2006). The state sales manager for a leading liquor distributor was offering the clients on his run a special discount for cash. He was fulfilling the orders and obtaining the cash and writing an invoice and receipt from a loop he had installed in the company computer which had a program to generating the invoices, receipts and stock upgrades. He got away with hundreds of thousands of dollars until a physical reconciliation was done between the stock and sales figures and the crime discovered (Bowditch, 2006). American businesses lose nearly $12 billion a year to check fraud, and small businesses are frequent victims of fraud artists, who consider them easy prey (Blackwood, 1998). Dont trust any person with money, always check on them and then check more. 3. Theoretical frame work Using Autopoietic theory as a framework for biometrics Autopoiesis is a pseudo Greek word coined from ÃŽÂ ±Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ³ (auto) for self and à Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ³Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ (poiesis) for creation, production or forming that was first introduced by the Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela in 1973 to denote the type of phenomenon they had identified as a characteristic that distinguishes living systems from other types of systems. They claimed that living systems are autonomous entities that reproduce all their properties through their internal processes. Later on this term was introduced into social theory as well as formal organization theory by Niklas Luhmann who claimed that social systems are systems of communication that emerge whenever an autopoietic communication cycle comes into being that is able to filter itself out of a complex environment (Schatten, 2008). Luhman argues that there are three types of social systems: societal, interactional as well as organizational. Any social system has its respective information subsystem described through their communicative processes. Systems that are not autopoietic (systems that produce something other than themselves) are considered to be allopoietic (technical) systems (Schatten, 2008). This is how the theory of Autopoietic will be applied to my research, the theory which represents a framework for describing complex non-linear and especially living systems is described in a context of biometric characteristics. It is argued that any living system by performing an internal process of reproducing its structural components yields physical biometric characteristics. Likewise any living system when structurally coupling to another (eventually allopoietic) system yields a behavioral or psychological characteristic of the living system (Schatten, 2008). It is revealed that a system that can be considered as autopoietic can potentially be measured, authenticated and or identified using biometric method, and thus biometrics is appropriate to any autopoietic system it can be people, social systems, organizations as well as information systems. So biometric is a method of series, steps or activities conducted to practice biometric samples of some biometric feature usually to find the biometric features holder or a special feature of the biometric sample. A biometric template or extracted structure is a quantity or set of quantities acquired by a conscious application of a biometric feature extraction or preprocessing method on a biometric sample. These templates are usually stored in a biometric database and used for reference during the recognition, training or enrolment processes of a biometric system (Schatten, 2008). The diagram below illustrates how the biometric technology will be intergrated with the payroll system, and this is how the autopoietic theory will be applied to my study. Diagram of payroll system integrated with iris biometric device Back up a data center The time sheet detail is captured in the payroll system. Time sheet (time in and out) about the employee is recorded. Employee scans his or her Iris in the iris scan device. The payroll specialist forwards the employees paycheck, using timesheet information from the captured payroll. Paycheck is transferred by the finance department to the employees accounts. 4. Methodology This is an exploratory research because it is the goal of formulating problems more precisely, clarifying concepts, gathering explanations, gaining insight, eliminating impractical ideas, and forming hypotheses. The method of data collection that I will use is qualitative method as it is used when a question needs to be described and investigation in some depth, or examining the meaning of an experience (Shields and Twycross). How I will compile my research I will seek to interview those who are knowledgeable and who might be able to provide insight concerning the payroll system and monitoring of time sheets to verify employees presence at work. I will interview 20% of the staff members and all the staff at the finance department and the payroll specialist, I will use audio tapes for recording my interviews and a method of transcripts of conversation. Some of the questions Ill ask the staff members: Do you use any type of access to enter into your office or the building of the company? What monitors your presence at work? Do you submit weekly or monthly time sheet? Who witness the time sheet? Some of the questions Ill ask the payroll department: What attributes or information do you need to capture for a new employee? How do you handle information of ex employee? When do you do roll over of the payroll? How are different leaves captured? Some of the questions Ill ask the finance department: When do the employees receive their pay check? How do you monitor costs of payroll, after how long? Im going to carry out my research at The Innovation Hub focusing on their VIP payroll system, time sheets and the clocking in and clocking out of work method used. This is a brief introduction of my solution framework Biometrics refers to the process of automatically recognizing a living person using his or her distinguishing, measurable traits. Biometric systems identify the person rather that what the person has (like ID cards) or what they remember (like passwords). The term biometric refers to the statistical analysis of biological phenomena and measurements and has been widely used to describe technologies used for personal identity management (Gupta, 2008). Biometrics technology uses unique, measureable, human characteristics to automatically recognize and verify an individuals identity. Biometrics can measure both physiological and behavioural characteristics. Physiological biometrics is based on precise and accurate measurements of unique features of the human body, and includes: Finger scan which matches the minutiae, pattern, ultrasonic or moirà © fringe imprint, most common of all devices (Chandra Calderon, 2003). Facial scan is designed primarily to find close matches of particular facial features such as eyes, nose, mouth, cheekbones, chin, and forehead against a database of static facial images (Clodfelter, 2010). Iris scan technology relies on the distinctly colored ring that surrounds the pupil of the eye. Irises have approximately 266 distinctive characteristics, including a trabecular meshwork, striations, rings, furrows, a corona, and freckles. Typically, about 173 of these distinctive characteristics are used in creating the template. Irises form during the eighth month of pregnancy and are thought to remain stable throughout an individuals life, barring injury (Rosenzweig, 2004). Retina scan a digital image of the retina of the eye is created to match the pattern against a live sample, scanning done by low-intensity light via an optical coupler (Chandra Calderon, 2003). Hand geometry relies on measurements of the width, height, and length of the fingers, distances between joints, and the shape of knuckles (Rosenzweig, 2004). Behavioral biometrics (based on measurements and data derived from an action) include: Voice recognition measures the wavelengths and frequencies of the voice (Chandra Calderon, 2003). Signature recognition traditional device, a behavioural device, it checks the way a person signs his or her name, and writes letters (Chandra Calderon, 2003). Keystroke recognition a behaviourable biometric device, it measures the force applied and the pattern used to push keys on a keyboard (Chandra Calderon, 2003). I will be utilizing the iris biometric system because: Iris recognition technology is relatively easy to use and can process large numbers of people quickly. The iris is the most unique identifier on the human body. It is the most reliable form of biometrics. Iris patterns are unique and stable, even over a long period of time. Furthermore, iris scanning and recognition systems are very user-friendly. Less intrusive than retina scan, higher matching performance, works well with glasses, across ethnic groups. Biometrics

Addiction for Plastic Surgeries Essay

Plastic surgery is a medical field that deals with reshaping some body deformities that may have occurred due to birth defects or accidents. It is also used for other purposes such as treating diseases and beauty purposes. An example of a disease which can be treated through plastic surgery is melanoma. If plastic surgery is carried out for younger looks or beauty purposes, it is referred to as cosmetic surgery. This paper will directly address the issue of cosmetic surgery since it is what has caused plastic surgeries addiction all over the world. See more: Recruitment and selection process essay Cosmetic surgeries are never related to any medical condition and are normally done to enhance the physical appearance of an individual. Cosmetic surgery addicts are easily identifiable due to the numerous surgeries they undergo each time claiming that they are not happy with their looks. Many victims of cosmetic surgery suffer from a medical condition known as Body Dimorphic Disorder (BDD). This mental disorder has made people imagine that they look different from others and there is a need for surgery so that they can improve their looks. Discussion Cosmetic surgery is a major problem today as a number of people who are addicted to it are doing it repeatedly in order to achieve their imaginary beauty. This practice is becoming frequent and in many instances it is affecting women as they try to change and improve their physical appearances. The problem with such kind of people only exists in their mind because it is hard to view yourself as being ugly from others, it is only a perception. If you view yourself as being ugly from others, the problem will never end even if you undergo so many plastic surgeries. This perception will directly influence the level of your happiness and accepting yourself the way you are. The practices of undergoing plastic surgery repeatedly in order to feel happy and look like the ones you view as more beautiful than yourself is what doctors refer to as BDD. This condition normally affects both male and females under the age of 18 equally (Gorbis, 2003). People suffering from BDD use plastic surgery as a solution to their unending dissatisfaction with their body physical appearance (Gorbis, 2003). Almost all people who suffer from BDD seek solution to cosmetic surgery. As a surgeon, you should be able to discover someone suffering from this medical condition and recommend him/her to a psychologist. Any invention has both positive and negative sides but plastic surgery addiction would cause more harm to the body compared to the benefits associated with it. For instance, it can damage the skin and muscle tissue of an individual permanently. Another well-known harm caused by plastic surgery addiction is the permanent nerve damage. This may result to permanent loss of feeling and sensation in all the affected areas of an individual who have undergone plastic surgery repeatedly. Many individuals who undergo plastic surgery repeatedly to perfect their physical appearances in most cases end up with irreversible damage that make them look awful compared to their original appearances. Plastic surgery addiction cause more harm to the physical appearance of people with BDD instead of enhancing it. People suffering from BDD undergo plastic surgery so that they can attract attention from the public. They later regret when things go wrong. This is an indication that it should be discouraged and people suffering from BDD should be referred to a Psychiatrist or psychologist instead of a surgeon. Plastic surgery is not cost friendly at all. The operation is very expensive and its outcomes are sometimes not worth the price. What the addicted victims fail to understand is that, plastic surgery operation can only result to two things. That is, a great success or a failure. This means that, the more operations you undergo, the higher the risk of failure (Pruitt, 2009). Many individuals who are addicted to plastic surgery are attracted by what they see in the media. They watch successful surgeries of famous celebrities and think that it might as well work on. This is not usually the case and the individuals we watch on the media having successful surgeries sometimes develop problems at a later date. Plastic surgery addiction is very different from drugs and other things addiction in that it fulfills people physiological needs. Therefore, it is normally difficult for individuals who are not satisfied with their physical appearance to stop plastic surgery. This is something they are viewing in the mirror now and then. If they are not satisfied with what they see, they will definitely run to a surgeon so that the body part they feel is not well placed can be rectified. The problem with such an individual is that he/she is likely not to be satisfied with many body parts. Thus, resulting to a series of plastic surgeries so as to be satisfied with his/her physical appearance. In my opinion, I would only recommend plastic surgery to individuals who have a medical problem. I would never encourage cosmetic surgery because it is doing more harm than enhancing appearance of individuals who are undertaking it. Most people who are addicted to cosmetic surgeries perceive themselves in the wrong manner. They normally have their imaginary images on their minds which they think they can turn to after the operation. This normally does not happen and that is why they undergo so many operations before they realize they are destroying their images. Plastic surgery should only be carried out under medical conditions not for pleasure. Pictures are all over the internet showing how plastic surgery addiction has caused a number of celebrities to lose their good looks. Cosmetic surgery is not good at all because it has not worked well for people who have done it. They are suffering from negative impacts of plastic surgery addiction. It should be therefore be discouraged unless under medical conditions. Conclusion Plastic surgery is not bad if it is used for solving a medical condition. However, having a plastic surgery for beauty purposes or look young should be discouraged by all means. It should be discouraged because it might possibly lead to addiction. Physicians as well as public awareness concerning BDD should be increased to control the unnecessary plastic surgeries. Doctors should also try their best to identify troubled patients so that they can direct them to psychologist or psychiatrist who can advise them. There are other treatments other than surgeries which can help people who have problems with their physical appearance. Psychologist and psychiatrists can really assist individuals with plastic surgeries addiction. The only problem to the control of this addiction is that cosmetic and plastic surgery is so accessible and doctors have not provided a regulation on the number of surgeries an individual should undergo in a given period.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 29

â€Å"Oi!†Damon shouted from outside the palanquin. â€Å"Is anybody else looking at this?† Elena was. Both Stefan and Bonnie had their eyes shut; Bonnie was wrapped in blankets and cuddled against Elena. They had rol ed down al the curtains of the palanquin except one. But Elena had watched through the single window, and had seen how tendrils of fog had begun drifting by, first just filmy tatters of mist, but then longer, ful er veils, and final y blankets, engulfing them whole. It seemed to her that they were being deliberately cut off from even the perilous Dark Dimension, that they were passing a border into a place they weren't meant to know about, much less enter. â€Å"How do we know we're going in the right direction?†Elena shouted to Damon after Stefan and Bonnie woke. She was glad to be able to talk again. â€Å"The thurgs know,†Damon cal ed back. â€Å"You set them on a line and they walk that line until somebody stops them, or – â€Å" â€Å"Or what?†Elena yel ed out of the opening. â€Å"Until we get to a place like this.† This was obviously bait, and neither Stefan nor Elena could resist taking it – especial y when the thurg they were riding stopped. â€Å"Stay here,†Elena said to Bonnie. She pushed a curtain out of the way and found herself looking too far down at white ground. God, these thurgs were big. The next moment, though, Stefan was on the ground holding up his arms. â€Å"Jump!† â€Å"Can't you come up and float me?† â€Å"Sorry. Something about this place inhibits Power.† Elena didn't give herself time to think. She launched into the air and Stefan caught her neatly. Spontaneously, she clung to him, and felt the familiar comfort of his embrace. Then he said, â€Å"Come look at this.† They had reached a place where the land ended and the mist divided, like curtains being held to either side. Directly in front of them was a frozen lake. A silvery frozen lake, almost perfectly round in shape. â€Å"Lake Mirror?†Damon said, cocking his head to one side. â€Å"I always thought that was a fairy tale,†Stefan said. â€Å"Welcome to Bonnie's storybook.† Lake Mirror formed a vast body of water in front of them, frozen right into the ice sheet below her feet, or so it seemed. It did look like a mirror – a purse mirror after you'd breathed softly on it. â€Å"But the thurgs?†Elena said – or rather whispered. She couldn't help whispering. The silent lake pressed on her, as did the lack of any kind of natural sound: There were no birds singing, no rustling in the bushes – no bushes! No trees! Instead, just the mist surrounding the frozen water. â€Å"The thurgs,†Elena repeated in a slightly louder voice. â€Å"They can't possibly walk on that!† â€Å"Depends on how thick the lake ice is,†Damon said, flashing his old 250-kilowatt smile at her. â€Å"If it's thick enough, it'l be just like walking on land for them.† â€Å"And if it isn't?† â€Å"Hmm†¦Do thurgs float?† Elena gave him an exasperated glance and looked at Stefan. â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"I don't know,†he said doubtful y. â€Å"They're very large animals. Let's ask Bonnie about the kids in the fairy tale.† Bonnie, Stillwrapped in fur blankets that began col ecting chunks of ice as they dragged on the ground, looked at the lake grimly. â€Å"The story didn't go into detail,†she said. â€Å"It just said that they went down, down, down, and that they had to pass tests of their courage and – and – wittiness – before they got there.† â€Å"Fortunately,†Damon said, smiling, â€Å"I have large enough amounts of both to make up for my brother's entire lack of either – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it, Damon!†Elena burst out. The moment she'd seen the smile, she'd turned to Stefan, pul ed him down to her height, and begun kissing him. She knew what Damon would see when he turned back toward them – her and Stefan locked in an embrace, Stefan hardly aware of anything being said. At least they could Stilltouch with their minds. And it was intriguing, Elena thought, Stefan's warm mouth when everything else in the world was cold. She looked quickly at Bonnie, to make sure she hadn't upset her, but Bonnie was looking quite cheerful. The farther I seem to drive Damon away, the happier she is, Elena thought. Oh, God†¦this is a problem. Stefan spoke up quietly. â€Å"Bonnie, what it comes down to is that it has to be your choice. Don't try to use courage or wit or anything except your inner feelings. Where do we go?† Bonnie glanced back at the thurgs, then looked at the lake. â€Å"That way,†she said, without hesitation, and she pointed straight across the lake. â€Å"We'd better carry some of the cooking stones and fuel and backpacks with iron rations in them,†Stefan said. â€Å"That way, if the worst happens, we'l Stillhave basic supplies.† â€Å"Besides,†said Elena, â€Å"it'l lighten that thurg's load – if only by a little.† It seemed a crime to put a backpack on Bonnie, but she insisted. Final y, Elena arranged one fil ed entirely with the warm, curiously light fur clothes. Everyone else was carrying furs, food, and poop – the dried animal dung that would from now on be their only fuel. It was difficult from the first. Elena had only had a couple of experiences with ice that she had reason to be wary of – but one of those had almost been disastrous for Matt. She was ready to jump and whirl at any crack – any sound that the ice was breaking. But there were no cracks; no water flowing up to slosh onto her boots. The thurgs were the ones who seemed actual y built for walking on frozen water. Their feet were pneumatic, and could spread out to almost half again their original size, avoiding putting too much pressure on any one section of ice. Crossing the lake was slow, but Elena didn't see anything particularly deadly about it. It was simply the smoothest, slickest ice she had ever encountered. Her boots wanted to skate. â€Å"Hey, everybody!†Bonnie was skating, exactly as if she were in a rink, backward and forward and sideways. â€Å"This is fun!† â€Å"We're not here to have fun,†Elena shouted back. She longed to try it herself, but was afraid to make cuts – even scuffs – in the ice. And beside that, Bonnie was expending twice as much energy as she needed to. She was about to cal out to Bonnie and tel her this, when Damon, in a voice of exasperation, made al the points she had thought of, and a few more. â€Å"This isn't a pleasure cruise,†he said shortly. â€Å"It's for the fate of your town.† â€Å"As if you care,†Elena murmured, turning her back on him and touching the unhappy Bonnie's hand both to give comfort and to get them going at arm's length again. â€Å"Bonnie, do you sense anything magical about the lake?† â€Å"No.†But then Bonnie's imagination seemed to fly into high gear. â€Å"But maybe it's where the mystics from both dimensions al gathered to exchange spel s. Or maybe it's where they used the ice like a real magic mirror to see faraway places and things.† â€Å"Maybe both of them,†Elena said, secretly amused, but Bonnie nodded solemnly. And that was when it came. The sound Elena had been waiting for. Nor was it a distant booming which could be ignored or discussed. They had been walking at arm's length from one another to avoid stressing the ice, while the thurgs walked behind them, and to either side – like a flock of geese with no leaders. This noise was a dreadful y near crack like the report of a gun. Immediately, it sounded again, like a whiplash, and then a crumbling. It was to Elena's left, on Bonnie's side. â€Å"Skate, Bonnie,†she shouted. â€Å"Skate as fast as you can. Scream if you see land.† Bonnie didn't ask a single question. She took off like an Olympic speed skater in front of Elena, and Elena swiftly turned. It was Biratz, the thurg Bonnie had asked Pelat about. She had one monstrous back leg in the ice, and as she struggled, more ice cracked. Stefan! Can you hear me? Faintly. I'm coming for you. Yes – but only come as close as you need to Influence the thurg. Influence the – ? Make her calm, put her out, whatever. She's ripping up the ice and it'll just make it harder to get her out! This time there was a pause before Stefan's answer came. She knew though, by faint echoes, that he was talking telepathical y with someone else. All right, love, I'll do it. I'll take care of the thurg, too. You follow Bonnie. He was lying. Or, not lying, but keeping something from her. The person he'd been sending thoughts to was Damon. They were humoring her. They didn't mean to help at all. Just at that moment she heard a shril scream – not so far away. It was Bonnie in trouble – no! Bonnie had found land! Elena didn't lose another second. She dumped her backpack on the ice and skated straight back to the thurg. There it was, so huge, so pathetic, so helpless. The very thing that had kept it safe from other Godawful Hel acious monsters in the Dark Dimension – its great bulk – was now turned against it. Elena felt her chest tighten as if she were wearing a corset. Even as she watched, though, the animal became calmer. She stopped trying to get her left hind leg out of the ice, which meant that she stopped churning up the ice around it. Now Biratz was in a sort of crouching position, trying to keep her three dry legs from going under. The problem was that she was trying too hard, and that there was nothing to push against except breakable ice. â€Å"Elena!†Stefan was within earshot now. â€Å"Don't get any closer!† But even as he said it, Elena saw a Sign. Just a few feet away, lying on the ice was the tickle-prod that Pelat had used to get the thurgs going. She picked it up as she skated by and then she saw another Sign. Reddish hay and the original covering for the hay – a giant tarpaulin – were lying behind the thurg. Together they formed a broad wide path that was neither wet nor slick. â€Å"Elena!† â€Å"This is going to be easy, Stefan!† Elena pul ed a pair of dry socks out of her pocket and drew them up over her boots. She fastened the tickle stick to her belt. And then she started the run of her life. Her boots were fur with something like felt underneath and with the socks to aid them, they caught on the tarpaulin and propel ed her forward. She leaned into it, vaguely wishing Meredith were here, so she could do this instead, but al the time getting closer. And then she saw her mark: the end of the tarp and beyond it floating chunks of ice. But the thurg looked climbable. Very low in back, like a dinosaur halfway into a tar pit, but then rising up along the curved backbone. If she could just somehow land there†¦ Two steps til jump-off. One step til jump-off. JUMP! Elena pushed off with her right foot, flew through the air for an endless time, and – hit the water. Instantly, she was soaked from head to foot and the shock of the icy water was unbelievable. It caught hold of her like some monster with a handful of jagged ice shards. It blinded her with her own hair, it squeezed al the sound out of the universe. Somehow, clawing at her face, she freed her mouth and eyes from hair. She realized that she was only slightly below the surface of the water, and that was al she needed to push upward until her mouth broke the surface and she could suck in a lungful of delicious air, after which she had a coughing fit. First time up, she thought, remembering the old superstition that a drowning person wil rise three times and then sink forever. But the strange thing was that she wasn't sinking. There was a dul pain in her thigh but she wasn't going under. Slowly, slowly, she realized what had happened. She had missed the back of the thurg, but landed on its thick reptilian tail. One of the serrated fins had gashed her, but she was stable. So†¦now†¦al I have to do is climb the thurg, she puzzled out slowly. Everything seemed slow because there were icebergs bobbing around her shoulders. She put up a fur-lined gloved hand and reached for the next fin up. The water, while making her soaking clothes heavier, supported some of her weight. She managed to pul herself up to the next fin. And the next. And then here was the rump, and she had to be careful – no more footholds. Instead she grabbed for handholds and found something with her left hand. A broken strap from the hay carrier. Not a good idea – in retrospect. For a few minutes that qualified as among the worst in her life she was showered with hay, pounded with rocks, and smothered in the dust of old dung. When it was final y over she looked around, sneezing and coughing, to find that she was Stillon the thurg. The tickle stick had been broken but enough remained for her to use. Stefan was frantical y asking, both aloud and by telepathy, if she was All right. Bonnie was skating back and forth like a Tinker Bel guide, and Damon was cursing at Bonnie to get back to land and stay there. Meanwhile Elena was inching up the rump of the thurg. She made it through the crushed supply basket. She final y reached the thurg's summit, and she settled just behind the domed head, in the seat where a driver would sit. And then she tickled the thurg behind the ears. â€Å"Elena!†Stefan shouted, and then Elena, what are you trying to do? â€Å"I don't know!†she shouted back. â€Å"Trying to save the thurg!† â€Å"You can't,†Damon interrupted Stefan's answer in a voice as cold and Stillas the place they were in. â€Å"She can make it!†Elena said fiercely – precisely because she herself was having doubts about whether the animal could. â€Å"You could help by pul ing on her bridle.† â€Å"There's no point,†Damon shouted, and turned about-face, walking quickly into the mist. â€Å"I'l give it a try. Throw it out in front of her,†Stefan said. Elena threw the knotted bridle as hard as she could. Stefan had to run almost to the edge of the ice to grab it before it fel in. Then he held it aloft triumphantly. â€Å"Got it!† â€Å"Okay, pul ! Give her a direction to start in.† â€Å"Wil do!† Elena tapped Biratz again behind her right ear. There was a faint rumble from the animal and then nothing. Elena could see Stefan straining at the bridle. â€Å"Come on,† Elena said, and slapped sharply with the stick. The thurg lifted up a giant foot, placed it farther on the ice, and struggled. As soon as she did, Elena smacked hard behind the left ear. This was the crucial moment. If Elena could keep Biratz from crushing al the ice between her back legs, they might have a chance. The thurg tentatively lifted her left hind leg and stretched it until it made contact with the ice. â€Å"Good, Biratz! Now! â€Å"Elena shouted. Now if Biratz would only surge forward†¦ There was a great upheaval underneath her. For several minutes Elena thought that perhaps Biratz had broken through the ice with al four legs. Then the thrashing changed to a rocking motion and suddenly, dizzyingly Elena knew that they had won. â€Å"Easy, now, easy,†she cal ed to the animal, giving her a gentle tickle with the stick. And slowly, ponderously, Biratz moved forward. Her domed head drooped farther and farther as she went, and she foundered at the edge of a bank of mist, breaking the ice again. But there she only sank a few inches before meeting mud. A few more steps and they were on solid ground. Elena had to suck in her breath to stifle a scream as the thurg's domelike head slumped, giving her a short and scary ride to where the tusks re-curved on themselves. Somehow she slid right between them and had to hastily scramble off Biratz's trunks. â€Å"It was pointless, you know, doing that,†Damon said from somewhere in the mist beside her. â€Å"Risking your own life.† â€Å"What d-do you mean p-pointless?†Elena demanded. She wasn't frightened; she was freezing. â€Å"The animals are going to die anyway. The next trial is one they can't manage and even if they could, this isn't a place where anything grows. Instead of a quick clean death in the water, they're going to starve, slowly.† Elena didn't answer; the only answer she could think of was, â€Å"Why didn't you tel me earlier?†She had stopped shivering, which was a good thing, because a moment ago her body had felt as if she might shake herself apart. Clothes, she thought vaguely. That was the problem. It certainly couldn't be as cold here in the air as it had been in that water. It was her clothes that were making her so cold. She began, with numb fingers, to take them off. First, she unfastened her leather jacket. No zippers here: buttons. That was a real problem. Her fingers felt like frozen hot dogs, and only nominal y under her direction. But somehow or other she managed to undo the fastenings and the leather dropped to the ground with a muffled thump – it had taken a layer of her inner fur off with it. Ick. The smel of wet fur. Now, now she had to – But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything because someone was holding her arms. Burning her arms. Those hands were annoying, but at least she knew who they belonged to. They were firm and very gentle but very strong. Al that added up to Stefan. Slowly, she raised her dripping head to ask Stefan to stop burning her arms. But she couldn't. Because on Stefan's body there was Damon's head. Now that was funny. She'd seen a lot of things that vampires could do, but not this swapping heads business. â€Å"Stefan-Damon – please stop,†she gasped between hysterical whoops of laughter. â€Å"It hurts. It's too hot!† â€Å"Hot? You're frozen, you mean.†The deft, searing hands were rubbing up and down her arms, pushing back her head to rub her cheeks. She let it happen, because it seemed to be only sense that if it was Damon's head, they were Stefan's hands. â€Å"You're cold but you're not shivering?†a grim Damon-voice said from somewhere. â€Å"Yes, so you see I must be warming up.†Elena didn't feel very warmed up. She realized that she Stillhad on a longer fur garment, one that reached to her knees under her leather breeches. She fumbled with her belt. â€Å"You're not warming up. You're going into the next stage of hypothermia. And if you don't get dry and warm right now, you're going to die.†Not roughly, he tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. â€Å"You're delirious now – can you understand me, Elena? We need to really get you warm.† Warm was a concept as vague and faraway as life before she had met Stefan. But delirious she understood. That was not a good thing. What to do about it except laugh? â€Å"All right. Elena, just wait for a moment. Let me find – â€Å"In a moment he was back. Not quick enough to stop her from unwrapping the fur down to her waist, but back before she could get her camisole off. â€Å"Here.†He stripped off the damp fur and wrapped a warm, dry one around her, over her camisole. After a moment or two she began to shiver. â€Å"That's my girl,†Damon's voice said. It went on: â€Å"Don't fight me, Elena. I'm trying to save your life. That's al . I'm not going to try to do anything else. I give you my word.† Elena was bewildered. Why should she think that Damon – this must be Damon, she decided – would want to hurt her? Although he could be a bastard sometimes†¦ And he was taking off her clothes. No. That shouldn't be happening. Definitely not. Especial y since Stefan must be somewhere around. But by now Elena was shivering too hard to talk. And now that she was in her underwear, he was making her lie down on furs, tucking other furs around her. Elena didn't understand anything that was happening, but it was al starting not to matter. She was floating somewhere outside herself, watching without much interest. Then another body was slipping in under the furs. She snapped back from the place she had been floating. Very briefly she got a look at a bare chest. And then a warm, compact body slid into the makeshift sleeping bag with her. Warm, hard arms went around her, keeping her in contact al over her body. Through the mist she vaguely heard Stefan's voice. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?†

Graduation Speech - Original Writing - 991 Words

I had been eagerly been anticipating this day ever since . The sun was beaming. A nice breeze was flowing. It was a good summer day. There was something different though. The second I came home from the bus, I flopped onto my bed and my eyelids instantly slid. It felt as if I had just rolled up a ball of all my stress and kicked it aside. I had just finished a laborious grade 8 and an exceedingly stressful last week of final exams. I couldn’t help but succumb to after countless days of sleeping late due to studying and homework. Unfortunately, I woke up to my parents calling me to dinner. Little did I know that this was my call to adventure. Dinner was as normal as could ever be. We ate food, talked a bit about school and work. It was after dinner when the ball of stress rolled back. My dad took me upstairs to my room for â€Å"a little talk†. I had no idea what the conversation was going to be about. My dad started off by telling me how great of a year it was for me at school and was praising me for getting Distinction. I was still confused at what point he was try to come across. That confusion though, only lasted for a mere second. My dad straightforwardly told me why he wanted to talk. My 4 year old brother would normally be babysat by my grandma when I have my summer vacation. This year though, my grandma was at my aunt’s house taking care of a 10 month old baby boy. At that moment I resentfully realized that I would have to babysit my brother every single weekday untilShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech - Original Writing1036 Words   |  5 PagesIn the back seat, intently listening to the words comin g through the speakers, what is this I hear? Something so soulful, full of emotion, and life, it s as if I entered into another dimension, floating on a cloud of serenity. This feeling abruptly ended with a goodbye kiss as I prepare to enter the school building. I was enjoying my early morning schedule, learning about simple mathematics, how to get along with my peers, playing at recess, but I couldn t wait to get lost again, leave the earthlyRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing980 Words   |  4 PagesBy the time that Landon and I arrived to his mansion, the party had already started. Crazy, intoxicated teenagers were swaying their hips and doing every provocative move they could think of to the beat of the horrid, meaningless music. Guys were desperately trying to get laid and the girls were loitering around, all over the place, taking photos and slurring their every word. Nothing good ever came out of partying-I could already tell that I was going to regret my actions by tomorrow morningRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing1385 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Natalia! we have to go to this dance! Please!† â€Å"You got money Roxy? because I sure do not!†. â€Å"Well no, but your mom will buy us tickets! Ha-ha!† â€Å"Well that is true, but you are asking her!† â€Å"What why she s your mom!† â€Å"But that s your mom! Lights flashing day and night, cars and taxi’s stuck in the day rush and the night to endure the spotlight, but in North Brooklyn there was to girls, two girls who were friends since 6th grade. They went through many hardships but still always managed to comeRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing898 Words   |  4 PagesAs long as I can remember I ve never been good at writing essays, especially under a time limit. There s just something about the pressure that makes me freeze up and I end up writing barely anything. I’ve struggled with it for the longest time, and I’ve tried to get better, but it’s a challenge for me. It all started in the third grade. I was deskbound in my third grade classroom with my friends, looking at all the decorations on the walls. It was approaching Thanksgiving break, so there wereRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing953 Words   |  4 PagesIt s the minute details that are vital: the small things are what make big things happen. There are certain flashbacks of one’s childhood that stay forever in one’s mind. There is one day in particular that is still fresh in my mind. It was the fall of third grade, and I forgot to pray Shacharit that morning. My evident passion for Tefillah began at a young age. As the realization dawned on me, tears were suddenly streaming down my face. This had never occurred to me before, and I felt nervousRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing992 Words   |  4 Pagesother alumni are in jail, died in the zombie apocalypse a while back, or have been wiped off the face of the earth somehow, I don’t know, I cou ldn’t possibly care any less about those that I went to high school with and that are there after me. Graduation was one of the better days of my young life. If you haven’t figured it out, I was not a fan of high school. They couldn’t pay or beg me enough to teach at any high school here in the county, hence why I am teaching at the middle school level, asRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing943 Words   |  4 Pages It was my 5th grade ceremony at Anthony Burns Elementary School, and I was standing in line to get my certificate. The school’s principal called my name to accept my certificate for â€Å"AB Honor Roll† and â€Å"Excellence in Math.† I was looking into the massive crowd, and my mother, along with my Uncle Chris and Aunt Saundra, were cheering me on with jubilant faces. I remember how intense the moment was, and the overwhelming feeling’s of love i received; I was proud. As I made my way across the stageRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing800 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Wake up,it’s time to go to Tennessee!† my mama exclaimed.I couldn’t believe that this day had come.It felt like I had waited forever for this much needed vacation from the hectic schedule of school. †I need to make sure I have everything.† I yelled.My brother was going,along with some of the church youth group.I was so excited that I could barely think straight.We were gone from September 4-6,which was Labor Day weekend.The reason we were going to Tennessee was to white-water raft.When we got toRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing1036 Words   |  5 Pages It had been a long hot summer, and I was very excited for school to begin, I even found a new backpack on the internet that I wanted to buy, although this never would happen, I was still happy that the summer was almost over. I couldn t wait. Every day of August I had checked the mail. But one day when I saw the mail truck, I sprinted down the driveway, I would ve been hit by a car is one was there. I opened the mailbox, grabbed the mail, and ran back up, well I should say tried. I trippedRead MoreGraduation Speech - Original Writing1311 Words   |  6 PagesSetting my suitcase and bags next to my bed, I glanced around seeing that most of the things I kept here were where I left where I ha don t them two months ago. summer break recently ended and class was scheduled to resume on Monday. It was my last year here at Maxwell College of Arts and I could already tell that this year was going to be stressful. Being 21, almost 22 in September, I was ready to take on life. Ever since I was 15, I knew I wanted to be a singer. I wanted to share my music with