Blog 12: Reflection on BloggingTell us about your blogging experience. Start by taking a look at your 11 blogs. Then take a look at the questions below--they are meant to help you think about things to say (I'm really interested in your answer to the last question):

* The blogging experience was nice! It open my mind to things I never thought about or really cared about. After this class and doing these blogs, I have made some minor changes in my everyday living to help the environment. I have started brushing my teeth without the water and at work I go a little out my way to recycle items in the recycle bin. There’s only one and it’s not near the kitchen. So I’ll walk down the long hall to throw it out. Usually I would say " I don’t feel like going down there and I would let my laziness take over. As far as the brushing I would say " yeah I know I shouldn’t let the water run but I don’t like that sound" Now, I am able to stop. Feelin’ a bit proud!


-How easy/difficult was your experience working with Blogger? Did you feel frustrated at any point with the technology or the kinds of knowledge you had to have to blog the way you wanted to? What was inetersting or fun about working with Blogger?

*At first I did have a hard time with blogger. I didn’t really know how to navigate around the site too well and that frustrated me. What I found to be fun about the blog was making it my own and personalizing it.


-Was writing the entry relatively painless or kind of a pain in the neck? Why or why not? Was it hard to write at least 250 words?* For the most part it was painless writing the entries the only time I found it to be a pain in the neck was when I got stuck on a topic. Overall I think that 250 words is a good amount; not too much or not too little. (Especially if it was a good topic that I liked, the words flowed easy for me.)


-Was it easy/difficult to meet the deadline for the entry and the comments? Why or why not? Do you think there may be a better way to set up a deadline? (If so, what is it?) Should there be a deadline at all?

* It the beginning it was very easy for me to meet the deadline because everything wasn’t at fast paced and I was able to remind myself. Now, all my work for all my classes are due around the same time and things get very hectic! I like that the semester is coming to an end but also hate it because it’s the toughest for me. Due to so many deadlines, I found my self forgetting to do my blogs. I would get so mad because earlt in the week I would remind myself and then I would be doing another assignment that is due sooner and end up forgetting my blog. BUMMER! Yes I do think that there should be a deadline because it probably wouldn’t get done.



-Discuss your experience interacting with other class blogs. Did you learn anything in special that you think you wouldn't have if we didn't have blogs? In general, were comments useful or just kind of pro forma?

* No I don’t think I learned anything special that I couldn’t have without the blogs; it’s just a different way of learning. I did find the comments useful. Writing these blogs pushed me to deal with computers; I try to deal with them as little as possible (we just don’t mix very well together) I know this is bad and I’m trying to get out of this cycle.



-Compare blogging to other kinds of writing you have done in previous courses.

* Blogging is similar to some of the journal writing I’ve done. Where I create or am given a topic to write about.



-Do you think you would like to keep on blogging on your own?

*When I was asked this same question by a classmate, my first response was "HELL NO!" lol, I was only joking. :) In the beginning of the course I was really inspired to began my own blog and I was going to start with myspace to see how it goes. I put it on hold because I want something really good that will catch a lot of peoples’ attention; so I’m still contemplating.
In the near future when I get some time I might post my poetry up on my page. Those of you who are interested, Emerged_Beauty@yahoo.com. Check it out!

*How easy/difficult was your experience working with Blogger? Did you feel frustrated at any point with the technology or the kinds of knowledge you had to have to blog the way you wanted to? What was inetersting or fun about working with Blogger?

*For the most part working with blogger was easy. At first I really had a hard time navigating around the site and this began to frustrate me. There were some topics that I didn't like. I found them boring or I simply didn't feel an urge to so them because they didn't peek my interest.

Was writing the entry relatively painless or kind of a pain in the neck? Why or why not? Was it hard to write at least 250 words?

* It wasn't hard at all for me to write 250 words. I think this is the perfect amount (not too much or too little). The topics that didn't seem to peek my interest had me feeling at times "Oh boy, how will I write 250 words? I don't even know what to write." But once I was able to flow, it wasn't bad, especially with the topics I liked. The one that comes to mind is the one where we talked about liesure activites and I spoke of shopping!


*Was it easy/difficult to meet the deadline for the entry and the comments? Why or why not? Do you think there may be a better way to set up a deadline? (If so, what is it?) Should there be a deadline at all?

* At first it was very easy for me to mee the deadline. As time passed, i found myelf always forgetting to do them; I would remember at the last minute. Once I didn't realize that the deadline had passed and I was writing the blog and during to be informed that they were already due! Lol ,so tired having a hard time keeping up with the days.

Discuss your experience interacting with other class blogs. Did you learn anything in special that you think you wouldn't have if we didn't have blogs? In general, were comments useful or just kind of pro forma?

* No, I didn't learn anything special in other class blogs. Yes, I did find the comments useful. I also liked that it allowed me to know small facts about my classmates. I found it a bit interesting that alot of us never spoke to each other and still I know little facts about where they come from.


*Compare blogging to other kinds of writing you have done in previous courses.

* In other courses I have done blogs, research papers, and creative writing.

Do you think you would like to keep on blogging on your own?

* My first response when asked this question from a classmate was HELL NO! lol. I was kidding!
When I first started the blogs for this class, I was like "yeah, Ill start my own blog! Um what should it be about?" I haven't decided on what topic Ill write about sooo... Also my time is extremely tight, but when I get some extra time I will sit and do one. Maybe I will start a poetry blog! Ill have a topic posted, for example "anger" and we will all post anger poems. Thinking will start with myspace. Those who wanted to hear my poetry, Emerged_Beauty@yahoo.com. Hit me up!

While reading the "Green Book" I kind of became interested in the topic a bit. The way the book breaks the information down. It is very clear; straight forward; black and white.

So let's see... If I can pick 5 things that I would change or make an effort to practice in order to help the environment, I would say... One. I could adjust my thermostat. This would be easy for me because it is very minor chance that will help the earth and it will also help me save money in my pocket.

Two. Using water filters. I think this is a very good idea to make a change because I will be using less plastic and again it will enable mme to save a little more money.

Three. Putting a stopper in the drain before running the water. I never thought about how much water gets wasted for those few long seconds or minutes. 3-5 gallons of water per minute,; that's alot of water so quickly.

Four. Using fluoresent light bulbs, which will increase the energy effiency. By doing this, I will be eliminating green gases into the air. In time this will create a more cleaner air.

Lastly, five, being mindful of how long we are searching for something in the fridge. I already do this. I have a small habit of when I am very bored, find that I open the fridge a lot!

There were a few suggestions that had me a bit boggled. One was the microwave. The book says to microwave all your food. i don't see how that's possible when we have been taught not to use microwave mostly to cook food because it sends off raidiation into the food, which can be harmful.

Secondly, not using a shower curtain. This will be totally inconvenient for people which will result in ahving a very small chance of people making an effort with this one. I wouldn't want to try this one because If I used no shower curtain, The floor would most likely get wet and honestly, I wouldn't want to mop everytime I take a shower.

Well overall, I think I just may continue to read this book a bit.

"Open topic"

Awwww! How sweeT of the professor to give us such a light topic! I really appreciate that. Thank You Dr. X!!!

It's funny how when you're given a change to write whatever you want and a person still gets stuck from time to time; I tend to do that. I'll sit there like "Ummm, what should I write about?" because I believe that although the topic is open, there are still some sort of hidden expectations.

I consider myself and have been told that I am a good writer, but I always get "writer's block" before my pen begins to flow or the keys start sounding. I hate this! gets on my nerves and it frustrates me to the fullest extent. I often find myself also getting stuck when I have sooo much work to do in an assignment. I don't know where to begin. Does this ever happen to any of you? When I have this feeling of not knowing where to start, I start with what I already know and then come back to a specific area later. I'll usually leave a note to myself in parenthesis so i do remember to come back to it. When you look at my research paper so far, you'll see that I have this in there (just so none of you are confused).


In choosing to talk about Polar Bears being affected severely by global warming , something they have absolutly no control over, I got very worried. I feel like if this problem isn't stopped fast, they will become extinct. I will a part in a portion of unique history; I will be showing (if I make it that that far), my great- grands pictures of polar bears telling them "yeah, back in 2008, global warming was so terrible and this is why they no longer live today or they're very, very few left". I actually thought about it and I think it's so sad. :(

Again, as I have in an earlier blog, It also makes me a little scared because it's going to take a lot of team work for us all to pull together and make a change.

My reflection

When I first enrolled in this class I had no idea what to expect. Honestly, I didnt really know what ecology was about. I thought "Oh boy this is going to be boring!" then I decided to give it a chance and see what it's about. I knew a bit about global warming, knowing it was an issue, but never looked into it. After watching the Al Gore film It enabled be to really see in depth how serious it is.

My research

I have to decided to do my research on global warming in greenland, the melting ice and the affects it has on polar bears. I think that Greenland is definately going through a very serious crisis right now. So many people and animals are dying as a result of this and it's really sad. I also chose this topic because polar bears are one of animals. I find it amazing that our actions here in the states are severely affecting their environment. They don't have green trees, grass, plants; all the nature necessities they need. The place is called "Greenland" and they have nothing green. It's saddening and unfair to them that they're suffereing tremendously because of us.

Well let me see... reflection on this class so far, I would say that it has definitely opened my mind to things that I wasn’t aware of like the severe crisis of global warming. I never took a real look at how serious the issue was until I saw the Al Gore movie. It really had me in WOW!
Out of all the topics that were discussed, I really found the " The Story of Stuff" video very interesting. It’s crazy how much waste we all create without even realizing it. We as Americans are so obsessed with materials and having the latest that we must run out and make many purchases. It’s like we’re programmed to think "Out with the old and in with the New" and it’s incredibly sad. This video also expresses how we are very robotic in which we are spending too much time with things that shouldn’t matter as much as we allow it to. Such as t.v, shopping, and the internet.
Also I enjoyed doing the research on the Hindu relation. Most of all, I had the opportunity of visiting a very beautiful temple in Elmhurst, Queens. The woman that Jamie and I spoke to was very friendly, open and supportive. It was indeed a pleasure for her to allow us into her circle of living.
As far as the environment itself I have definitely been exposed to some things that have opened my eyes in a better light. For my own part, I plan to make efforts in helping the environment. I start off with the little things and as I become more knowledgeable I will try my best to increase my actions in going green. My only problem is that I’m about convenience. Going green takes a lot from this. For example, Not letting the water run too long while taking a shower. Most of the time I don’t but when I’m grooming myself I take a bit longer. Sometimes I take so long that the hot water starts to run out and then I’ll turn it off for about two minutes or hurry it up.

Blog # 4

We enshrine the self as the unit of ethical account, separate and distinct not just from the natural world but even from a sense of obligation to others--not just others in future generations, but increasingly even to others in the same generation."

Five things that I did today that made me feel obligated to another human, I’ll start with the abstract. First, I ought to be thankful to the people who have created the clothing that I’m wearing today, tomorrow and so forth. If I didn’t appreciate their skill and talent and I didn’t feel somewhat committed to acknowledging this fact
that they actually put effort into making my clothes. The material is good quality and comfortable, with a nice fit.

Second, when I got off the ferry this morning I went to McDonalds and there’s a man who’s always there to open and close the door for people and although I didn’t feel the action was necessary, I politely replied “Thank you!” … Well I didn’t want him to think that I’m rude. Was he really holding the door to be a gentleman? No, he wanted me to put some coins in the cup in his hand. We are all out for self (I’ll explain that later).

Third, yesterday I missed a business call and the message said to call them back when I received it. Since this is what they were expecting and I didn’t want them to perceive me as someone who lacks good follow-up skills, I felt obligated to return the call.

Forth, due to unavoidable circumstances, I was told that my son couldn’t return to school until he had a certain medical form filled by his doctor. The director of the school then told me that if I were to get a note stating that his appointment is coming up he could return. I felt obligated as a responsible mother to take care of that with a sense of urgency.

Lastly, While I was waiting in line to use the computer today. I would have much rathered walking up to any computer and doing what I need to do. Well I couldn’t do that because I must follow the rules.


So the question is: Why are we so “I” fascinated? I believe it is just the way we’re programmed to think. It is the animal inside of us the makes us think “Me”, “I”, “what I want”, “what I think” etc. It’s like we say “Me first and you later” in order for us to step out of this paradigm and way of thinking it takes time, self-training and alteration. But first before all this it takes place, one must realize this way of thinking and probe beneath the surface. The majority of us think of ourselves before we do others; it’s either done directly or indirectly, but it is always linked to ourselves one way or another, deep in the root of our true intensions.


I’m not trying to change your opinion on this. I am only aiming to open your mind to a new thought. Here is how it was presented to me. A few semesters ago I took Intro. to Philosophy and the professor said to us “Each and every one of you are selfish”. We all were confused thinking “what?!”. Then she explained that even when we claim to want to do something nice for someone, it also plays a part in what can we can out of it. We are always looking at every situation from all angles seeking hot to benefit. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean when I say this. Let’s say you see an elderly lady trying to cross the street by herself and you being the nice person that you are, rush over to help her. When you’re done you walk away feeling like “Well I did my good deed for the day!” Good right? Let’s probe a bit. Look at the word “I”. It’s like you only helped the woman to do a good deed.


You’re out shopping for yourself and you see a shirt that you know your new friend would like. You buy it. You may think to yourself “ Ill get this shirt so she will see that I am a sweet, generous, thoughtful friend.” you wanting to make a point to her. Or maybe you’ll say “Ill get the shirt because I think she looks nice in this color”. Again there’s that “I” word. No matter how you twist it and turn it, some way shape, or form it pops up.

I’m sure you get the point. Or at least I hope I did give you some interesting food for thought. When the professor taught us this I was like “WOW”!!! I found myself more aware of my true intentions and always probing to find ways not to crash into “I”. I did this for a long time until I came to the conclusion for self that it’s almost impossible and if I did find a way, I wasn’t being true to myself. With that being said, I’ll sign off with my signature “The Truth Hurts. Can you handle it?"

blog 3

What's my passion? My passion has changed once or twice in my lifetime. At this point in my life, I would say that I have two. One is writing poetry, which I am highly skilled at(if I may say so myself. Lol) The second is is dealing with the pregnant population, focusing on teen girls.

The way that I plan to follow my passion and obtain sucess in it is to consistantly place myself in these environments. As far as the poetry I will surround myself with people that share the same interest, I will introduce my poems to different people and I will read all my poetry focusing on the growth of my style from then to now. In doing so, I hope that someone will have some useful information that will help me in getting one step higher in accomplishing my goals.

When dealing with the pregnant population, I plan to get as much experience as possible. I want to be able offer emotional support and form bonds with these young women. I feel that I can relate to them in several ways and that I have a lot to offer. I plan to try my best and excel in this field so that it enables me to feel joy and excitement when I am going to work. This is very imortant to me; that I am happy with my career.  

Using my education at laguardia, I have learned that some of the simple things we do everyday can effect our overall quality of living. Having the true knowledge of what can help and also knowing how far the problem has come, In my opinion the issue of global warming is almost irreversable.

The America's Next Top Model

girlfriends

The game

all of us

Blog # 2

Annie says that, in the U.S., most of our leisure time is used to watch TV and shop. How much of your time (per week, say) do you spend watching TV? How much do you spend shopping? (Be honest!) And, for you internet junkies, let?s include another anti-social activity in this one: how much time (per week) do you spend surfing the web that you could spend with friends, family, being creative, being in nature, reading a book?
When you think about the leisure time activities which bring you the most joy and rejuvenation, what are they? Does your leisure time schedule match your priorities?
So how much time do I spend glued to the t.v. and/or shopping? That is the question. What is the answer? Lol. I will be as honest as possible. I’m not much of a t.v. person. The only times that I watch t.v are on Mondays from 9-10 and Wednesdays from 8-9. This two evenings are consistent. On these nights I must see these shows; Mondays I watch “girlfriends” and “The Game” and Tuesdays it’s “America’s Next Top Model”. Occasionally, if I am home and not doing anything, I may watch an episode of “All of us”. Mondays and Wednesdays are a MUST! I make sure that everything that needs to be done is done and taken care of. I don’t even engage in any conversation until a commercial is on. I have a saying that I use if I am interrupted, “I.T.C” This means invisible til’ commercial” YES, it is that serious!!! LOL. I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but when I am into something, I am just that. Into it and the people in my circle understand that. Thank god. So I would say overall, in a week I spend 2 ½- 2 hours watching t.v. Not bad huh? Actually that’s pretty good. I’m proud of it too!

Now as far as shopping, I don’t shop very often. But when I do, watch out! Sometimes I don’t know how to act. I tend to overspend, I have no sense of time, and I have a hard time making minor decisions. “Should I get the shirt in black or in white? I like the black, but I already have several black shirts. Maybe I should get the white. White looks good on me.” I’m a pain, right? Lol. No, I exaggerated a bit. I’m not that bad. When I do shop I leave early and I’m gone for about 4-5 hours. Due to this factor I usually go alone. I hate to be rushed so I eliminate the cause. The other scenario is that I will go shopping with someone who takes as long as I do and who’s opinion I very much value because of their style. I love shopping! What girl doesn’t? One of my shopping rules is “I don’t go with men”. They just seriously lack patience. Ladies, if you’ve ever been shopping with a man, you know exactly what I mean. They’re okay for a bit then as time goes and you ask their opinion, their response will be a lot like this: “Yeah, that one is nice. Uh-huh, I like that one too. Just get one so we can go!”). Am I making this up? No, not at all. It’s the truth and the truth hurts. (More so than others, but that’s a whole other story).
Also I am a woman who loves shop therapy. If I have a little extra cash and I’m feeling down, I’ll go buy something to put a smile on my face. Majority of the time it works for me. (This are one of the causes I over shop, but I’m getting better, I swear). To close this up, I can’t say that I spend hours a week shopping, but I will say for the weeks I go without it I definitely make up for allll of it!
These leisure activities don’t interfere with me spending time with family because I don’t overdue it. The good thing is…. What’s mentioned above about being creative and reading a book, those are also apart of my leisure activities. I’m knocking them all out with one stone. Being creative, I love to write poetry and I’m into fiction novels. I like novels that are relatable to situations people in my society deal with. It gives me a chance to sort of escape my stresses and problems and get into someone else’s drama, It gives me a break mentally. Sometimes I am able to make connections and come up with a solution to what ever I’m facing. Well thank you for reading my blog and I hoped you liked it. I will leave with my signature “The truth hurts… you asked 4 it? Handle it”

Environment and me

Many of us not realize how the very small things we do in our daily lives affect our environment. I’ll start by analyzing the basic things that we all do in the morning. How many of you leave the water Now that you know a bit about me let’s get down to the topic, shall we? Most of us may running while you brush your teeth? Probably quite a bit and we do it almost as second nature, without thinking twice. I know I did this morning. I took a shower for about fifteen minutes and then got dressed. I made sure that I had everything that I needed in my purse, throwing away unnecessary scraps. Then I ate a half of cup of applesauce and styled my hair. After doing my hair, I selected a pair of earrings which are made of metal. I got thirsty so I went to the bathroom to wash my hands before getting a drink. Time was running short so I began my long journey to school. I took a bus, a boat, and two trains. You’re probably thinking “Where the heck does she live?” lol I am now sitting in my school library enjoying the central air conditioning.
Now these all seem like very normal things that we don’t think hurt or affect the environment, right? Wrong! Everything does. Let’s probe these actions. As I brush my teeth, leaving the water running that’s water that someone could be drinking. Also how many apples were pulled from a beautiful tree to make the applesauce that I ate? Maybe.... I am not sure, but it has crossed my mind, This could have affected the environment by manipulating the natural form of the apple by thinning out the consistency. No I didn’t do it, but it was I who ate. Another thing I’d like to point out is that since I was in such a rush, I only threw out my scraps instead of recycling them.
This next one is a very simple one that I do a lot that I never thought about until now. I’m talking about washing my hands. This morning I only washed my hands once, but usually it’s 2-3 times and don’t get me started on how many times I wash my hands in a day Lol I tried to keep track one time and lost count after 8! (just aiming to prove a point).
These are things that I do to help the environment. I recycle, I never litter, and I don’t smoke cigarettes. I just recently started recycling, ever since I stared seeing the blue and green bins everywhere. Before I never really paid any mind to it. As far as littering goes, I hate it!!! It bugs me so much. Whenever I have trash, I either stick it in my pocket or in plastic bag until I reach the right place. Smoking? Thank god I don’t smoke. Not only is it harmful to our environment, but scarcely harmful to our bodies. You know those commercials that aim to get smokers to stop? The one where the man has the chord to his throat, he says “Nothing will ever be the same, not even the simple things” is my favorite. Well America let me know what you think! **