Who gets an “A”?

After view my classmates’ blogs, I have decided on three people who, in my beliefs, deserve an “A”.  I graded them on two factors: appearance of the blog and interest of the material. I would decide if I wanted to read their blog simply on the appearance of it. If it was plan and boring, it didn’t draw me in to read their post, but if it was creative and surprising, that alone would make me want to further on in their blog. The second factor was the material.  The appearance of the blog isn’t enough; the material that is written also has to be creative and surprising. It has to make the reader want to read further, and these three blogs made me want to do that.

The first blog I chose for an “A” was Louie’s Happy Blog Time.  At first I wasn’t that interested in his blog, I have to admit, its simple black and white. But I love those darn cartoons! When I read on, I found what Louie had to say both funny and insightful. He had me cracking up and I am very interested to find out if he drew those cartoons himself. Louie put himself into his blog, which is very important as a blogger, I think.

The second blog I chose was Dissecting the Mind of Steph. I loved the title she gave the blog, “My Metamorphosis into Adulthood,” and the picture that goes with it.  Her words more serious than Louie’s, but just as insightful, you can also tell she put her personality in her blog.

The last blog I chose was Nina’s Blog. I liked this blog because the appearance was spot on. Like the other two, Nina had a lot of good things to say, however the design of her blog is the best. You can defiantly tell she spent a lot of time and put in a lot of effort in her blog.   

    

Other Blogs that Interest Me

A couple months ago I joined a website called stumbleupon.  Some of you might know what I’m talking about, but for those who don’t, stumbleupon is website that takes you to different websites based on what your interests are. Two of my many interests are baking and photography. Through stumbleupon I have found many different blogs on these interests.

The first blog I want to talk about is the pastry affair. This blog has recipes for all kinds of baking. I love to bake! It’s my way to unwind at the end of a long day, but it dose get repetitive baking sweets all the time. The pastry affair offers more than just sweets to bake. One of my favorite recipes I found on this blog is Garden Tomato and Basil Tart. Its like a pizza pie but only with an actually pie crust. Another one of my favorites is the 3 Milk Coconut Cake. Being part Puerto Rican this recipe is not new to me; in Spanish it is called Torta de tres leche.  The only difference between this cake and my family’s cake is the coconut. I love coconut, but the rest of my family hates it. When I found this recipe I decided to make it for myself, and let me tell you, this is the best cake you will ever eat! It is so moist and sweet, it is heaven in your mouth. The style of this blog is informative. The blogger will explain where they found the recipe or how the came up with the recipe. Then of course they give you the directions and ingredients to make the item.  The blog also holds different pictures of the finished product, which makes you want it even more. I would definitely recommend this blog if you want to branch out with your baking. You will learn how to bake a lot more than just a box of brownies.

The second blog, I’ll be honest, I did not find through stumbleupon. This is the blog of the local photographer in my little town. I’ll live in a very small town, so that my high school is combined with to other towns. Combined the are called Tri-Town, (very creative name, I know!) Tri-Town is still smaller than most one-town schools. Even with the combination of these three towns, I still graduated with a class of 125. So it make since that we only need one photographer. Joseph’s Photography is a one man business that runs the year book pictures for each towns elementary school, as well as branching out with Senior Pictures for the high school and many weddings.  I am photography major so I have seen many blogs with a lot of amazing photographs; I picked Joe’s blog to talk about however because of the home feeling it gives me, and that what Joe does is exactly what I want to do.  I would take shooting portraits of landscapes any day.  Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy take photos of landscapes and do so often. But the reason I really got into photography was the feeling I got when I captured someone’s emotions so right that it makes the viewer actually feel what they where feeling. It doesn’t happen on the first shoot, but its such an indescribably incredible feeling that I would, (and have), spend hours in a studio snapping shoots of the same person with the hopes the just one of the photos does just that.  Joe’s blog is made up of his favorite photos from each of the jobs he has done. There is a short description of what the job was, how it went, and what it was like for him. His blog isn’t updated often, but I do check every once and while for new photos. He is a great photographer and I could stair at his photographs for hours. 

The Dangers of Technology

      Growing up in a technological world has its advantages and disadvantages. You can find information on anything with a click of a button. There is a constant flow of communication, which really means that there is about ten different ways, on ten different devices, that you can get in touch with some. You have constant entertainment in the palm of your hand. But are all these things really advantages? Being plugged in all the time denies your brain resting time. Take a moment and think about how much time a day you are on any piece of technology; a cell phone, computer, TV, iPod, ect. I can honestly say that I am on my cell phone or computer all day long. Subtract the two hours I am at practice and the roughly seven hours of sleep I get a night, and that leaves 17 hours a day that I am “plugged in.” I would have never thought that my life revolves that much around technology.

       Many people interviewed for the article, “Digital Devices Deprive your Brain of Needed Downtime,” had said that they take out their phone to kill time while waiting. Flurry, a company used to track how long games apps are played, found that games are played for no more than 6.3 minutes. What does this mean? I think, with the help of technology, people get things done faster. Therefore we have more time on our hands. American society doesn’t like free time; there is always something to be done. So what are we going to do with all that extra time? Fill it up with more things that have to be done! People will add activities or errands to their schedule until the point comes where the only time there is left are the short breaks between doing everything else. Constantly going, obviously, makes you tired. And even though, you might feel like your relaxing by watching TV after a long day, studies have shown that staring at a screen fatigues your brain. That’s why even after 10 hours of sleep you wake up feeling groggy.

       The constant use of technology also straightly affects your memory. At the University of California, by studying rats, scientists found that rats only commit new mazes to memory only after they take a break. This applies to humans as well. But lets hold this thought for a second and go to the article “10,000 hours for Success.” In this article, it is said that it takes a person 10,000 hours of practice over to course of ten years to become an expert at anything. It used one of my favorite bands as an example. In the early 1960’s, while still a struggling band, The Beatles, where invited to play in Hamburg, Germany. Before, in Liverpool, they only where able to play for one-hour sessions, where as in Hamburg, they had to play eight hours a night, seven days a week, for weeks on end. That’s experience helped them to reach 10,000 hours of practice, which in turn, made them the BEST BAND EVER. Ok, so now that its clear that you have to practice A LOT to become amazing at something, lets go back to the technology affects your memory thing. How much longer do you think it will take for you to become an expert if you can remember anything? If you have ever owned a dog you know how long it takes to train them. My dog, after years of yelling, he will still jump on the counter and eat anything he can grab. This is because dogs can only react to situations, not learn from it. This is exactly what we are doing to our brains by putting them in over drive for so long. I’m not saying that technology is turning us back into cave men, at least not anytime soon; it takes thousands of years to evolve. What I am saying is that we own it to ourselves to take the few hours out of the day to actually relax. Unplug yourself from the world, turn off all devices and enjoy the peace and quiet.

       One last word, it took me 2 hours to type this, and I feel more tired from sitting and staring at a screen then I do after 2 hours of intense field hockey workout. That’s enough of a reason for me to turn off technology.  

A Thinker or a Worker?

This week in my Inquiry class I was given the assignment to read a number of articles and write about them in my blog. The twist was that I could not summarize the articles. I have to ask questions. Questions that you, the reader, have to think about. So I’m reading these articles, and I noticed a similarity between them. All of them contained the ingredients, when put together, that could help you achieve your very best in college. So the question is: Are you a thinker or a worker?

      

       In the article, “How to Become a Deep Thinker at College”, (http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/10/24/how-to-become-a-deep-thinker-at-college/),

 a Princeton professor described a group of straight-A students as the following: “…they have trained their mind to think hard, produce subtle, nuanced arguments, and find deep connections between ideas.” In other words, these students have learned how to think. Each straight-A student had set enough time aside in their schedules to take the time and really think about their work, and what it means. I’ve said this before, for every hour in class, that’s two hours of work out of class. But now its not just work and how fast your getting it done, you have to become one with your work…and I know how corny that sounds. In order to get the most out of your classes, however, you have to become a deep thinker. You have to take the time to really get into the class and think of new ideas related to your work. To do this you have to find an interest in your classes. People don’t put the effort of thinking if they have no interest in what they have to think about. Its human nature, so find an interest, no matter how small, and use that one it to expand your thoughts.  

      

       All though being a deep thinker will help you to perform better in class, you also need to be a worker. In the article, “Work Hard or Work Smart,” (http://www.deliverfreedom.com/blog/work-hard-or-work-smart/), the author describes to different kinds of workers, the hard worker and the smart worker. A hard worker is the guy that keeps his head down and works really hard for 25 years, but doesn’t end up to far from where he started. The smart worker is the guy who is always looking for the shortcut. If there’s an easier way, he’ll find it. However he is spending much more time and energy on getting it done the “smart “ way than he is actually spending on getting the work done. So what kind of worker should you be? The answer is a little bit of both. To be a smart worker, make a plan. Plan out how much time it is going to take you to do all your work, as a thinker would, in a week. To be a hard worker, stick to that plan. Once you have come up with your plan, or schedule for that week, work your butt off at every part of it.

      I’ll leave you with one more thing to think about. In the article “The Myth of Multitasking,” (http://lifehacker.com/5041144/debunking-the-myth-of-multitasking), business coach, Dave Crenshaw, explains that multitasking is a lie. He actually calls it “switchtasking.” It has been proven that us, mere humans, can NOT focus on more than one thing at one time. We think that we’re being clever and faster by doing two things at once, but in reality, its actually wasting time changing attention from one thing to the other. You will actually get things done faster if you FOLLOW THE PLAN, and get things done one at a time.

      So what have we learned? The information in each article is going to mean something different to everyone. I know what I got from each article, but what about you? Are you a thinker or a worker, or are you both?

Campus Scavenger Hunt

My Interview with a CC

       CC or RA, what ever you want to call them, Community Coordinators are there for you. Amber is the CC on my floor in Farnham Hall and she was kind enough to take time out of her busy day to do an interview with me. She is a super senior at Southern Connecticut State University, after transferring here her sophomore year. After two years of dealing with not the best CCs you could ask for, Amber decided she would go ahead and apply. She went in with the determination to be the best CC she could be. She is defiantly living up to her expectations for herself, saying that one of the benefits of being a CC is “being able to help out freshman and passing down the tricks to surviving college.”

Like everything now a day, to become a CC you must first apply online. Based on your application the school will decide if they want to interview you or not. If you are lucky and they choose you, you must first go through a group interview, then an independent interview. Now being a CC is not just fun and games. Each CC is assigned to a floor and must check up on the residents on that floor. Since Amber is on a floor made up of mostly freshman, she checks to make sure we are making the transfer from high school to college alright. She will answer any questions we have or help us with any problems whether personal or academic. She also has the lovely job of making sure the rooms and common area stay in good order. Every other week there are room inspections where Amber goes through every room on the floor to make sure there is nothing illegal, dangerous, or disgusting going on inside. Besides keeping the floor in ordered, CCs have to plan and attend programs for not just residents in their building but for every other resident at the school. CCs must attend at least one Hall Council meeting per semester and at least one Residence Hall Association meeting (RHA) per semester. It might sound like a lot of responsibilities and that you are not going to have any time to do other things, but Amber is also involved in a number of other organizations and clubs. She is the Coordinator of Community for her sorority; Celta Phi Epsilon, she is a member of Habitat for Humanity and teaches kids to dance, just to name a few.

For all the work CCs put in, they get paid a very fair amount. On top of getting their own room, and their room and board paid for them buy the school; they also get a check of about $200 every two weeks. But it is not because of the money that Amber recommends becoming a CC. Being a CC comes with better benefits. It’s a great leadership role that will look great on your résumé after college, but also its fun. Being a CC gives you the opportunity to meet knew people and get involve in what’s happening at the place you will be calling home for the next few major years of your life. After talking with Amber I am definitely considering applying for a position as a CC for next year.

Before I left Ambers room, she left me with some advice for surviving your freshman year:

·       Stay organized

·       Get involved

·       Try new things

There is one more thing I would like to add to this list; have fun. These years are the time to mistakes and learn from them in order to enter the real world fully prepared for what’s out there. Get lost in a city you no nothing about, get caught in the rain wearing a white T-shirt, fall in love…a lot. Remember how high school flew by? Well college is going to go by even faster, so make the most of the money you, (or your parents), are spending and strive for the “real college experience”.   

What is College?

The dictionary defines college as the following: An institution of higher learning, especially on providing general or liberal arts education rather than technical or professional training. Yes, college is where you go to gain the education you need in the field you want. But college offers more than just an education. It offers opportunities. The first day you walk in, hundreds of opportunities are laid out in front of you. There's the opportunities in the class room, to push yourself to do your very best and leave with the career of your dreams. And there's the social opportunities. This is the first time you can reinvent yourself. Forget who you were in high school and become who you want to be. However, the most important thing that college offers you is the power of choice. With all the opportunities laid out in front of you, it is up to you to choose what ones you'll take. Do you go out to that party your stay in and study? Do you go out with a group people or stay in and watch a movie? The choice is up to you.

Hollywood portrays college as wild partying 24/7. In just about every college themed movie or TV show, I can not recall the characters doing any work, or even going to class. They sleep all day, party all night. It is the beginning of my freshman year at Southern Connecticut State University, and I went into my first day of class with Hollywood's portrayal stuck in my head. Of course I knew I would have to go to class, and do work, but I didn't think it would be that hard. I mean, I made it through high school with out studying, and doing homework five minutes before class started, why not college too? It was that same day that I realized Hollywood is wrong. For every hour in class, thats two hours work out of class, and that's if you want a B. There's a lot of work you need to put in to receive, just academically, what you want out of college. There are tons of social events around campus, just like any other college. Juggling school, field hockey, homework, and a social life is based on how well my time management skills are. This is what I think, going to college accomplishes. Obviously, I want good grades and will put the work in to get them, but I also want the Hollywood college experience. I want to go to parties, hang out with friends, make plans, and more. Time management skills are going to help me succeed in doing everything I want during my college years. Since good time management skills are essential to making it through college, I'm going to go head and assume that they are essential for the real world too. Its not how many classes you take or how smart you get during your time at college that guaranties you a good future, but the skills you take with you. In the next four years I have at SCSU, I intend to build my time management skills, and any other skills I find a long the way, in order to leave college with the education and experiences I'm paying for. 

Being in college is a breath of fresh air. I am finally my own person, I don't have to ask permission from anybody to do anything. I have control over everything I do academically, socially and personally. I'm only into my second week of classes, but I'm loving it. Nothing is really what I expected. I pictured the classes in big lectures halls, but most of mine are small groups. My professors are not cold hearted creatures that don't care about your education. They didn't assign ten page essays the first day of class that are do the next day or stand in front of the class and read of a piece of paper, putting us all to sleep. For the first time, I am treated as an adult. Everything I need to succeed is right in front, I just have to take the first step. For the first time its up to me. Nobody is going to take me by the hand and lead the way. For the first time I get to make my own path. Its scary, but at the same time, so liberating. I am excited to take my first step into adulthood as Southern Connecticut Owl.  

5 words that describe Me

Graphic Design and Photography 
I have always loved photography, but I became interested in graphic design in my junior year of high school. Its something that goes hand in hand with photography, so I picked it up quickly and fell in love with it even quicker. I plan on double majoring in photography and graphic design at Southern Connecticut State University, and hopefully one day owning my own business involving both graphic design and photography. I love to take portraits of people and would love to that for a living.  

Vegetarian
I have been a vegetarian for 6 years. I love all animals and believe they all deserve a voice. Animals like cattle and poultry are raised and slaughtered in cruel and inhumane ways. Ways that the "Big Shots" in the fast food industry don't want you to know about. I learned about theses ways.  http://www.peta.org/tv/videos/celebrities-vegetarianism/87206203001.aspx
If you want to know more about where your food comes from watch "Meet your Meat." Just click on the link above. Be warned, its graphic.

Field Hockey
I have been playing field hockey since my freshman year in high school, and absolutely love it. It is by far my favorite pass time. Being apart of a field hockey team, or any team for that matter, is being apart of a family, and thats what I love most of all about it. I am a goal keeper and through out my high school career I have won a number of awards, including 1st Team All State two years in a row ('09 and '10). Theses awards would not have come to me with out the help of my team, but I have to take credit too... I AM AWESOME!
I am currently one of two goalies playing for the SCSU Field Hockey team. Its a lot different than high school, but I wont give up. It is my dream one day to coach Field Hockey, maybe at the middle school level. There is no field hockey team at the middle I went to, and I would love to start a program there. Field hockey is in my blood, and I will be apart of it for the rest of my life.

  Trust Worthy
I am the kind of person you can tell a secret too. I like to help people with any problems the have or situations they are going through. I have have been through some tough times in my life, a victim of bullying through elementary, and other family issues, and I know that my friends listening really helped. Therefore I have decided that I would do the same for anyone who needs it. I am a problem solver by nature. I will listen to your problems, not say a word about anything to anyone else, and will help where I can and when needed. You can count on me.

Seize the Moment

I am a relaxed kind of person. I like to have fun and a good time. I am spontaneous and down with trying new things. I want to get the most out of life, you only have one. I am a strong believer in seizing every moment, because every moment matters, every moment becomes a memory. You don't want to look back on your life a remember how dull and boring it was, you want to remember an exciting life. I'm not talking about the extreme things, like sky diving (which is on my bucket list, by the way), but the little things, like laughing so hard you peed your pants, or staying up all night to go to the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter movie, or even falling in love for the first time. These are things that define how well you lived your life. When I'm an old lady on my death bed, I want to be able to look back and smile at all the little things that made me so happy at one moment in my life.