~Fin~

Well, I never imagined that I would update a blog in place of a standard composition notebook for a journal. It was interesting to see the advantages and disadvantages of posting journal entries on the internet, where anyone can access them with ease.
I find it strange that I wrote about certain topics on a blog, where everyone can seem them, whereas in High School, I had a hard time discussing certain matters even within the privacy of a notebook. Perhaps it's a sign that I've matured. Who knows, maybe I'll come back to The Magical Incident someday, and post MAGICAL literary works of mine here...but I should probably review them thoroughly before I go so far as to put them out in the open.

True (beautiful and ugly) colors

Though I had known my classmates all too well once our high school graduation arrived (some of whom I had known for 13 years!!!!), I really began to wonder if I would miss them all, even those who annoyed me in the past. We had all seen each other grow up together, so perhaps in our final days together, they would reveal another final part to themselves I never knew.
For some, this was a true statement. Even though we had grown tired of each other, we began to express our setiments of missing one another. However, there was a RATHER vocal minority that reminded everyone how impatient and snarky they had become, which began to diminish the gravity of our graduation during practice. I wish I could say that we all showed our true colors, but it seemed as if some of us never change.

Cat litter ads that make people laugh

A series of ads popped up in the 2000s that featured cats holding their hands between the legs, a universal sign for "gotta pee." Though the image editing may not be difficult with the technology available today, the idea is still humorous, which is why Fresh Step continued to produce these ads

Post-Presentation

As much as I wish I could feel better about public speaking after the oral presentations, I believe I will have to prepare several more presentations before my confidence will increase. I did have to speak publicly in high school, but the presentations were mostly for classmates or people I at least knew; speaking in front of strangers is a challenge I have yet to face, and probably WILL face in college.
The presentations I enjoyed the most usually had a twist of some sort that was unexpected. With that in mind, Eddie's presentation had the most unexpected turns, which meant it was probably my favorite. I can't really say the others were poor, but Eddie's had a different take on the concept of a tipping point. Instead of comparing a popular character to a lesser known character, he compared psychological methods of thinking, which earns him points for creativity. Even so, everyone really brought interesting comparisons to the table that were well analyzed and explained.

Public Speaking and the New Stage Fright

     Though I believed that I put my presentation together well, I often feel the need to rely on the visual content rather instead of speaking myself.  One of my biggest public speaking fears is that my voice will grow monotone as I speak.  Unless the subject I speak about is one that interests me, and therefore I can speak more passionately about it, I will occasionally slip into a monotone voice.  The reason behind the slip may be because I just want to present the material as best as I can, so using more infliction as I speak tends to be a part of the presentation I place on the back burner.  To get over this fear, I suppose I should look harder to see if the material I'm studying can link to something for which I feel passionate; maybe then I can speak a tad more naturally.

     Another fear, which I think is a more common fear students have, is to not get tongue-tied when speaking.  The only effective method for overcoming this problem is to practice reading over the material, or if remembering it word for word is no good, solidify the basic concepts in your mind.  As long as a student understands the material well enough to tell it like a basic story, it's better than being unable to speak smoothly at all.    

Seen and Unseen

If Barnes and Noble and Borders could rearrange their books in a fashion that would potentially net more profits, they could rearrange books by popularity.  Books, plays, and series that have garnered mass popularity, both old and new, would be located in the "Infamous" section.  Any material that was popular at the time of its release but did not leave an overwhelming impact could be found in the "Known, but not classics" department of the store.  Literature that should in the "Infamous" section, but did not achieve such status for whatever reason, would sit on the shelves on the "Under-appreciated" section.  The final section, which would be reserved for books that were utter flops, would be titled "Unloved."  With this method, the more popular sections would require mass shipments and make much money while the less popular sections collect dust.   

Critiquing The Tipping Point

     The Tipping Point, while an incredibly interesting and informative book, is not without its strengths and weaknesses.  Every time it introduced a new concept, The Tipping Point would use an example of the concept and then produce to describe the concept in detail.  However, the novel would occasionally throw example after example at the readers, overusing the idea with which the book would introduce the concept.  There were even times where the examples the novel described were confusing, such as the experiment in which subjects nodded their heads while listening to recordings.  

     A few of the ideas began to also sound repetitive after a while as well.  For instance, concepts introduced in later chapters could easily link back to early concepts, such as the law of the few.  I understand the book was more research oriented, and thus required more examples and concepts to seem "complete."  However, perhaps the book may have been better off if slightly more condensed.  

Second multi-draft

The first multi-draft was difficult because I struggled before I finally had a sense of direction.  There were several issues I wanted to discuss, but I had trouble narrowing it down to the one that 

a). I could best relate to and 

b). that could incorporate the ideas of Nickel and Dimed.

One of my goals was to not fret over incorporating the concepts of The Tipping Point into the paper as much, since it hindered my progress the last time.  Thankfully, the ideas from The Tipping Point linked more naturally to the topic I chose.

My second goal was to improve the speed at which I wrote the paper.  Fortunately, the writing process the second time did not take as long, since I felt more confident on the material.  Though I made sure the first paper also stayed within territory I knew, the second paper discussed topics I felt even more comfortable with, which may account for the flow for the second paper.  

Other than classes, I...

I often hear mixed opinions about what to do in one's spare time at Stockton. "It's a suitcase college, so it gets really boring." "Nobody wants to go home on the weekends because there's always so much to do!" I feel that my opinion lies in the middle; there's nothing to do if you don't look hard enough. Though I have not engaged in every single extracurricular activity offered, I have tried my best to attend a few.
The period I was most active with campus activities was Welcome week, as was most other Freshmen. It was a time in which we were all uncertain, which meant we were all open to anything new offered to us. After that, I must admit that I wasn't as aggressive in terms of finding something to do in my spare time. I did attend events such as the Club Fair, and I have joined clubs like Hillel and the Art Club, but I know that if I make an extended effort, I could find more to do. Perhaps this is because I'm still in a period of adjustment, and I'm still looking for a balance in terms of my studies and what I do for relaxation. I figure, though, that after this first semester, I'll have a better grasp over what I want to do.

1st Conference

As I expected, I received critiques on my introductory paragraph during the first conference. I really wanted to write about positive and negative influences produced by the media and the efforts of others. Yet after discussing the opening paragraph with my teacher, I realized that my thesis was not exactly "arguable." I stated in my original thesis that American citizens should make an extended effort to help those in need, but my teacher told me that this was not an arguable thesis because "shouldn't we all make an effort?" Then, I added a twist that really made a difference; I discussed how our capitalist economy's mindset of "every man for himself" does not benefit the struggling, lower class citizens.
Though I struggled to make the thesis provocative, I understood the professor's reasons for wanting me to do so. A thesis, even in a third person paper, has to have a bias in order to really give the paper sustenance. I felt with the revised thesis, the ideas I had already written for the body had more power and flowed better. In the future, I would like my teacher to help me with the placement of my thesis. In high school, the thesis had to be at the end of the introductory paragraph, no questions asked. Though I was prepared for the fact that this rule might change once I was in college, I feel that I'll need a bit of guidance before I can master the freedom of placing my thesis wherever I desire.

College and Careers

I chose to attend Stockton college because I believe as a liberal arts college, Stockton would help me select the path I would take in the future. My goal is to take a variety of classes, which will open up two paths for me. The first is to discover a new variety of subjects that may interest me that I have never before considered for a career. I have heard stories of people that go in with no idea what he or she wants to do, and then after sampling several classes, finally pinpoints his or her career.
The second path is to select one of my current interests for a possible career and get the advice needed to further develop my skills. I believe that is one of the key purposes of any college: for its well-educated and experienced teachers to pass on their expertise to the students eager to pick up the skills.
Both paths are vital to success in the real world, and while I plan to explore both, I also plan to eventually narrow down my career choice based on my studies.

Ehrenreich's time in the lower caste

     Barbara Ehrenreich's experiences with lower class work must have been eye-opening, yet at the same time, the reader can tell that it doesn't change her views as a well-to-do American.  One of her experiences that seemed to shock her was the tutorial video on how to clean surfaces.  She is appalled to learn that no water is used in the process, which as she later confirms with housecleaning experts, is ineffective and completely unsanitary.  Small details such as the aforementioned one further proves to her how menial the lower class jobs can truly be, and thus strengthens the message of her book.

     While Ehrenreich's book has moments in which conveys its message effectively, there are moments in which the reader may question the author.  She seems to immerse herself in her work, yet every so often, she will make an offhand comment that suggests her mental views of the lower class are still somewhat stereotyped.  For instance, she mentions that at one point that "Maybe...I'm getting a tiny glimpse of what it would be like to be black."  This comment is racially insensitive, profiling all African Americans as lower class workers living with unfavorable conditions.  When she later reveals to her maids that she is, in fact, an author, she almost expects them to look at her with a sweeping sense of awe.  However, no one really seems fazed; in fact, one worker is actually satisfied with her lower paying position because it's all she's really known.  Ehrenreich's experiences, while more realistic than the reader who is merely seeing them on paper, are not genuine.   As someone who has known another life, she will never truly see the world through the eyes of a member of the lower class.  

"It's what I do that defines me."

My father works as a financial systems specialist in the McGraw-Hill company. While he basically is the image of "an office worker in a cubicle working for coporate America," he has defined himself in ways that do not include his job. For instance, though he is an office worker, his skills as a guitarist and woodworker (both of which he does in his free time) can also be recognized by friends and family. In the case of someone like my father, work is just a part of his or her personality, not the majority of it.

However, some individuals have based their entire lives around their work. For example, without the success of the Harry Potter series, I doubt anyone would be able to recognize J. K. Rowling's name. The individuals who have made a name for themselves often have done so because of the success of their jobs. It is impossible to tell if work will define a person, but if it is the thing that brings the individual success, his job is almost guarenteed to be his new identity.

When working class America becomes a joke

     Lately, Television shows centered around work tend to be dramas, focusing on the struggles that the job brings.  Yet there once was a period where these sorts of shows were shown in a comedic fashion or a sitcom.  The lighter mood of shows centered around work might have been used for an escapist approach or to just purely satirize the nature of the work world.  Back in that decade, no show could satirize the conditions of the work world while remaining appropriate for all viewers other than SpongeBob Squarepants.

     Like many other 90s sitcoms, SpongeBob doesn't paint the work world with dark, dreary undertones.  The "workforce" of the show is a fast food joint called The Krusty Krab, and only consists of three staff members: Mr. Krabs, the boss, Squidward, the cashier, and SpongeBob, the fry cook.  SpongeBob, because of his childish nature, isn't the best representation of an employee in the modern workforce; he is endlessly loyal to his job, even if the work conditions are putrid.  Squidward and Mr. Krabs better reflect the current work world that many people can relate to.  Squidward is the apathetic employee who drags his way through the monotony of his job.  Mr. Krabs, amidst his goofy character design and "pirate-talk," is the boss most employees fear: a scrooge who could care less about meeting the needs of the employees and only cares for money.  Many TV shows, movies, and books look at an unpleasant work environment with a grim, hopeless eye; at least with SpongeBob, the viewer can manage a laugh at the ridiculous and irony.    

Time waits for no one

Time is a fickle force.  When a person is eager to get out of class, time purposefully drags on, almost as if to exaggerate the dullness of the experience.  Yet when a person has too much time on his hands, if he spends it poorly, it can slip by him in an instant.  The latter statement is, unfortunately, one that some college students may encounter on a regular basis, myself included.

There are times where I am more than happy to repeatedly put off homework, but there are also times when I sit down and can't pull myself away from the schoolwork.  My current problem is that it has been tricky at times to sit myself down and plug away.

Hopefully, my successful learning strategies class will assist me with my time management troubles by offering advice or techniques that I can put to good use.  However, the only way I can truly handle this concern is to actually channel my mindset to focus on the task at hand.  Managing time is a motivational skill in my opinion, and knowing when to block off the distractions is the key I need.   

Learning style

The learning style inventory, like many inventories, provided mixed results.  Some of the results I knew were inevitable; for instance, I knew the test would indicate I'm an independent learner because, in terms of schoolwork, I perform best when working alone.  The results also indicated that my reactions to work and learning tend to be more rational rather than emotion based, which is also a true statement about myself.

The results for my pragmatic versus creative approach are harder to comment on.  I am naturally someone who needs a black and white approach when learning something new.  For instance, when I first learned algebra, I was taught "baby algebra;" while this was supposed to be an effective method for easing newcomers into algebra, I found that when I was introduced to algebra via traditional teachings, I understood the material better.  

Yet I also have a side of me that very much loves creativity, which could be the reason why the results said I am not pragmatic.  

Reading Rainbow

     Whenever I read, the results are always mixed.  At times, the words will flow naturally and strike a chord with me.  For instance, I read a book this summer that some consider a challenging read, "The Color Purple."  While it was difficult to understand at times, the words felt so real and so powerful that the flow of the story drew me in.  Other times, I'll read what I percieve as fragments of mish-mashed sentences that have little to no impact.  I had the aforementioned experience while reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter."  Though I was draw into the story on occasion, the words and sentences flowed in a way with which I couldn't connect, which meant it was more of a struggle for me the finish the novel.  Tough no one can ever predict when a novel will draw him in and when it will not, I believe that when I can not easily grasp the words of a novel, I feel as if I am almost blocked from the bare story itself.   

     When I can't fully delve into a story, my ability to read it becomes erratic.  At times, even though my eyes have captured all the words of a sentence and sent the words to my brain, the sentence will appear as an incomprehensible string of words and letter.  Other times, I'll pick up on the irrelevant details while missing out on the bigger picture.  I don't know if I can attribute this to the fact that I prefer to write rather than read, but I will try to process a read I don't enjoy the same way I process a good read for the sake of college work.  

A brutal honesty

Q: What do you expect of yourself here at Stockton?

A: Before I state what I expect of myself here at Stockton, I have something I have to get out in the open.  I'm not a neuro-typical person, or dare I say, "normal."  I have ADHD AND Asperger's Syndrome (a neurological difference that can make socializing difficult).  Anyone who reads this will probably think: "That has nothing to do with the question."  In my case, it has EVERYTHING to do with the question.  

     At this school, I was never once told by faculty and counselors: "We'll try our best to help you with the transition to college."  They told me: "We will do all we can to help you with the transition to college."  The transition is hard for everyone, but because of my differences, I thought the transition would be even harder for me.  Even before I came here, everyone I met seemed to prove my notion wrong.  Everyone was encouraging and never once made me feel doubtful of myself.  

     So with all of this encouragement from faculty, counselors, and the friends I will make, I expect myself to utilize the support of everyone to the fullest so I can excel here at Stockton.  I expect to never doubt myself, because no one else will let me do so, despite what makes me a bit different.