Haiku Guy

Haiku has been something that I've always ignored. I don't enjoy reading it; I always feel like I'm missing something that everyone else can instantly grasp. The meaning of the haiku? Perhaps. I can read the words and the sentences and see that it's a haiku, but I cannot for the life of me enjoy it. It's too short, too clipped and the imagery and details just aren't poignant enough for me. At least, that was how I've felt about haiku ever since my fifth-grade self was introduced to it.
When I was given Haiku Guy to read, it was hard for me to stay open about it-I was inclined simply to dismiss it as more haiku nonsense and get through it as quickly as possible. However, as I began reading it,  I became more and more surprised. I liked it. I even liked the haiku in it (even the ones which Cup-Of-Tea deemed unsatisfactory). The way it was written reminded me a little bit of a book called The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. Something about the way the book is written made it easy for me to read. The writing, while still being professional and retained the ability to create the vivid imagery that all good writing should, also had a simplicity to it that set it apart from other novels.
But more than just being a good book, something about it reminded me so much of haiku that it was almost (almost!) easy to write haiku while reading it. Something about the way the characters were described, the way they interacted with each other and the places they went and their reactions to these places was just... For lack of a better word, nice.
I found myself beginning to enjoy haiku. Not reading haiku (I don't think any amount of good writing could do that), but I enjoyed the challenge of writing haiku; of making my point in less than seventeen syllables, and making it sound pretty.
So for me, even more so than the book being a really great novel, it taught me to appreciate the art of haiku, and to even enjoy how challenging it is to write it. Any book that can do that has to be pretty good.

Hahaha.

How do people like this think they have a shot? I'm not sure... But everyone has to turn on the T.V to watch auditions, at least once, because who would want to miss this? As awful as that is... It's true.

The "Hidden Curriculum"

My mother has a Ph.D in the sociology of education and for as long as I've been alive, taught teachers how to be teachers. She currently teaches (among others) a course at the University of Rochester called Race, Class, Gender and Disability in American Education. The course is designed basically to open student's eyes to the problems in education; the biases they have and need to overcome in order to be better teachers.  I've been to many of her classes (she's taught it for a while now) and I've seen and heard many of the racism, sexism and other biases that her students carry into the classroom. Hidden curriculum is basically what students learn in school that isn't part of the curriculum. How kids learn to interact with each other, how girls and boys learn how they're "supposed" to act and how society expects them to act with each other and with the world. My mother's library is right next to my room and it's filled with books all about this and about education in general.
There's a lot of good things about this, but there are also bad sides-the main thing being that every time a teacher says something that is (whether blatantly or not) disrespectful, degrading or just rude to a certain group of people, I definitely notice.
This happened a lot in a certain class yesterday. I'm not going to name the class or the teacher (although most of you will figure it out on your own), just out of courtesy. We were discussing immigration and the teacher was talking about the benefits and problems that comes with people moving in and out of different countries. He was discussing the problems with it, and then said something along the lines of this, "Immigration does bring a lot of problems; drugs, guns, they all come from these people moving into the country." I suppose that some drugs and some guns do come from other countries, but the Europeans, who came to America before anyone else; they brought the guns. There are so many different types of drugs that I think it's impossible for immigrants to have brought them all over. Even the day before, when the teacher was explaining the "push-pull" factors of immigration, he was using a picture of a truck in the mud. He asked how someone would get the truck out of the mud and someone said "Hire Mexicans to push it!" He burst out laughing and even after he recovered, simply said "I don't think there were any Mexicans around."
Sure, it was a little amusing, but he is a teacher. His job is to create a safe, healthy environment for kids to learn in, and if someone goes to class and not only hears a stereotype or degrading comment about their ethnicity or their background, but hears that it is enforced by the teacher, it just engrains the idea that it must be right into themselves more and more.
When we get packets and articles to read, the majority of them refer to a collective group of people as "him" and "he" opposed to "them" and "they."
People spend thousands of dollars trying to fix the education system; fixing students grades and behavioral problems and their self esteem and confidence in themselves and their education. But someone, please explain how these students, whether they come from a privileged or impoverished homes, who already deal with almost crippling self esteem issues are supposed to thrive and learn in an environment where the stereotypes they try so hard to get rid of are reinforced in their daily life?

Last Class Requirement

Today is the last day we were required to post anything on this blog. Although I used to think of blogging as something that people only did when they had a ridiculously high opinion of themselves. Through reading blogs I do think that this is true, but I also have come to deal with that there are bloggers with interesting thoughts and opinions which really are worth reading.

I'm not going to stop blogging, although I must admit that I won't blog as much; softball season is starting soon and once it does, I don't have time for anything. But until then, I won't stop blogging whatever thought I may come across.

Ten Questions

1. If you could be born in any country (besides wherever you were born), where would it be and why?
2. What T.V show that you watch now would you want your kids to watch when they're growing up?
3. If you could retire anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
4. Fried dough or cotton candy?
5. If you could choose any time period to grow up in, what would it be and why?
6. What is your snack of choice?
7. Do you think it's reaaaaally possible not to regret anything in your life?
8. What is your opinion on onions?
9. If you could be one superhero, who would it be and why?
10. Would you ever want to be a dinosaur?

2021

 Anything that anyone thinks is important can be broadcast around the world with nothing more than access to a screen and a keyboard. Almost anyone has the capability of becoming a "celebrity"-look at Justin Bieber. Whether this is good or not-we either end up with people who have more talent than usual or people who have fans that carry talentless people into the already overly untalented pop industry; is debatable. However, the production of music is far from the biggest concern with this changing technology.

In my opinion, the scariest thing about how technology is the rate that technology is developing. It used to take people years to come out with the "latest" technology; people spent years doing nothing but working on something to show the world. Now, however, there are thousands of people whose job is nothing but to sit in front of a computer and write new programs, new software; new products to provide us with. Similarly, the public requires more and more products. Waiting years for the next iPhone is simply preposterous. New iPads, iPods, iPhones; they all come after mere months of their predecessors. 

What doesn't concern me is that people are made to adapt; the only way people even consciously recognize how much their world has changed is when someone asks them to think about it. People will always adapt and change, and people will continue to become more and more technologically capable. That's just how the world works. Not only do people learn quickly to take advantage of new products, but the marketing geniuses of the modern world have thousands of brilliant ways to make us feel like we need this new technology more than anything in the world.
I think the problem with new technology and the world is where they meet. Outside of Silicon Valley, the world operates much differently. When people from the world of technology-where people are constantly changing and evolving and updating things and making them more and more accessible and easy-to-use meet the people of the rest of world, things can get messy. Take WikiLinks for example; and that's only one website.
I don't think technology will ever advance beyond the point of something we can control. Humans are all about control-we need it. What I do think is a problem is the difference between the world of technology and those that create it and everyone else.

March Fourth, Twenty Eleven

On that date right up there in title, I'm going to a Lady Gaga concert (with the fabulous Hannah MacLagger). To say I'm excited is kind of an understatement. So much of pop music today is nothing more than a heavy bass and some intense autotune that it's overwhelmingly refreshing to see someone who not only can sing, but is intelligent, active and aware of the goings-on of the world and still able to produce hits that the general population can enjoy. I think one of the most unique things about Gaga is that she's able to attract more than the kids/young adults that the entire pop industry is marketed to. Sure, you can find Poker Face, Paparazzi and Alejandro on almost any radio station's playlist, but she's also recorded songs like Speechless, No Floods and Wonderful. Admittedly, those aren't the ones released as singles, but the fact that they're out there and she writes them is still nice. Oh, and writing. That's another thing she does. You know, because the majority of singers should be able to have enough interest in their careers to write the songs they sing...
There are plenty of artists I admire and listen to, but Lady Gaga has to be number one. I get that perhaps she's not completely unique; traces of Madonna, Christina Aguilera and almost anyone who's in the business of putting on a show when they sing are evident in her "persona," but I still can't help but label her as "unique."
She almost reminds me of that guy who was going to run for governor of New York State... The Rent Is Too Damn High guy. Completely opinionated and almost in her own world, yet she has the sense to collaborate with music's stars; Akon, Beyonce, etc.
Opinions aside, I'm just really super duper excited to see her in concert. Her new single comes out this Friday, so I'm also excited I get to hear that live. Also, I spent ridiculous amounts of money on those tickets, so it better be good ;)

Valentines Day and the Concept of Indifference

Yesterday marked a week before February 14th. Valentines Day. And thus began the obsession once again. And I'll admit to being slightly annoyed by the "Valentine's Day is so romantic, I have the best boyfriend in the world" sayers, but nothing can compare to the people who take to the opposite extreme-"I hate Valentines Day, it's so stupid and pointless." Really, guys? I suppose I can understand why you're upset that you don't have someone to spend Valentines Day with, but feigning anger and mocking something that really has very little impact on your life is, in my opinion, simply ridiculous. I'm not going to comment on people who are excited for Valentines Day and like their significant others; that's great and I'm glad you're in a happy relationship and quite honestly, I can't make a valid argument against something that makes you happy and influences your life on a daily basis. However, those who make it a habit of reminding everyone how awful their life is around Valentines Day not only confuse me, but make me really kind of annoyed. I suppose that wanting a boyfriend is something some teenagers want in their life-peer approval is just part of life, right? But why spend so much energy denouncing something so insignificant in the grand scheme of things? The word "indifference" exists for a reason. If you don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever you may call someone you have a relationship with, what's the point of telling everyone and their brother your version of Valentines Day? Calling it stupid won't make it any less existent. It'll always be there and there are so many more things you could do with your time and energy than complain about something that no one really wants to hear you talk about. What you want is called indifference, and it's really a nice thing.

Ten Reasons Why I'm Adriana and You're Not

I Googled "ten question survey." Here it is.

1.) If you could give the world one piece of advice, what would it be?
Reeeelaaaaaax!
2.) If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Skittles.
3.) What do you value most in other people?
Respect
4.) If you could only see black and white except for one color, what color would you choose to see?
Blue!
5.) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
The fact that my hair grows reaaaally slowly.
6.) If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass on to your children, what would it be?
Not to take life so seriously.
7.) What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Jetskiing.
8.) Would you rather teach a young child to read or have to learn again for yourself?
Teach. It'd be more interesting?
9.) What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
I don't remember getting a memorable piece of advice, mainly because I don't usually ask. Given, though? "Get yourself together, honey."
10.) How would you like to die?

Without a heart attack.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures ever. Why, I'm not exactly sure, but for some reason, I just adore it. It's not from Vogue, they're not wearing great clothes, but I still like looking at it; a lot. I originally used it for the iMovie project I had to do for a Creative Writing class, and it's continued to be one of my favorites, even though there's nothing incredibly special about it. I wondered at first how they managed to get a bed with a person to float in the water, but then I remembered those handy things called rafts... So that  erased any sort of musings about the structural devices that otherwise would've been under the mattress. I can't really explain what draws me to this picture. Maybe it's the angle, or the water, or something as abstract as what I was thinking about when I found it. I'm not sure, but since the blog assignment was to find a picture that I like, here we are.