Through the archives of this blog over the course of a year, I've truly come to express myself through my writing. Whether it be conveying my adoration for films or sharing my opinions about a wide variety of subjects, I've become attached to this inter-web abode that has documented nearly every passion and frustration I had experienced in the last twelve months. With that said, it is time for me to bid farewell to my Creative Writing II course that has prompted me to write as often as I have. It's been a pleasant experience to get me out of my shell, and I'm confident to say that I will attempt to continue writing on here in the future (But perhaps not as often as I'd like to – it's hard to say at the moment). My Junior year might have been a busy, strenuous time to be alive, but I'm satisfied with all that it has taught me. My fall courses are already approaching in a few months, but until then – happy summer!
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If you ask me, education and technology have gone hand in hand ever since high-tech gadgets and mechanisms were first in the making. Technology is more of a tool than anything, and this can be further illustrated by how we utilize our computers and internet usage in school. The purpose of school is to prepare us for whatever may come our way in the future, and with that said, technology is something that is inevitable to encounter while searching for jobs. Linking the two has opened our eyes to new things that previous generations didn’t have the chance to experience.
There are people who take technology for granted, and those who aren’t as fortunate to access it may have better motives or ideas on how to use it effectively. This is a part of the reason why today’s employers tend to look at an individual’s work ethic more closely than one’s specific grade point average. Technology is certainly a prominent thing in our world, and it will continue to incorporate itself into nearly every field of study. While I am sometimes guilty of having a “but when am I ever going to use this?” viewpoint towards elaborate algebra equations, I think it’s something that teaches us much more than what meets the eye. School, intwined with technology, serves a purpose. That purpose is to help prepare us for our future in the best way possible. Perhaps your career won’t handle such high amounts of mathematics as others will, but challenging tasks and the ability to handle them are crucial. You cannot just bypass difficult things because they deal with math or technology because it will just make it more troublesome for you to find a sufficient job in the long run. I've come to the realization that most of the topics I have wanted to write about to serve as potential blogposts I have already done as such. With that said, I thought I'd go out of my comfort zone and share an excerpt of something that I had written over the summer – but I won't, and let me explain. Seeing that I'd developed an intense admiration for a short-lived television series, I attempted to begin a somewhat sufficient conclusion for the story arc. Now, I certainly don't find what I had written to be anything spectacular, but perhaps why I haven't shared any of it is because the characters are not of my own creation. I can tell you that the word "fan-fiction" gets a poor reputation and is constantly being criticized by my peers for it's mere existence. I'm not going to lie – the majority of the content I've inevitably come across on the internet can be extremely cringe-worthy for its vulgar attention to certain detail (you know what I mean). So yes, I can understand why any affiliation with the topic of fan-written stories may be of questionable and controversial thought. Yet, I do want to express that there are indeed some works in the depths of the internet that are written exceptionally well. In essence, I find the whole concept of studying the presence of on-screen characters and adapting them into one's own image to be a unique feat to achieve. When handled in a mature fashion, the concept of fan-fiction can be a great way to study your favorite books and films in an innovative and creative light. Individuality is what shapes the world. In a modern, and rather censorious world, it can be rather difficult for people to be accepting of this concept. The process of acculturation, or adoption of cultural ways, has been an increasing problem in today’s society. In order to advance successfully in the United States, it is often a priority for immigrants to conform and adapt to the American way of life, primarily that of the education and skills necessary for living. However, these subtle changes should not come across as though immigrants are being forced to deter away from their heritage. It is also evident to note that assimilation is often misinterpreted as integration, which is merely the opposite – Integration allows a new culture to be retained while accepting the new culture. Assimilation, on the other hand, is the rejection of the original culture. A clear understanding of these differentiates the two, and provides a greater insight as to how immigrants should be treated with courtesy, rather than the sense of ignorance they have been subjected to in recent years.
Immigrants usually have high hopes when first moving to a new country, but that only lasts temporarily. Native peoples need to learn the principles of acceptance. For one, the American culture may frown upon the ample modesty in which Middle Eastern women dress. Yet, this is also the case vice versa, particularly for these Middle Eastern women who scrutinize the ways in which American women dress. An example such as this truly emphasizes the reality that immigrants feel out of place in these new atmospheres; therefore, it should be in the natives’ best interest to make them feel welcome and accepted in society, and to honor their rights – not just as a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, etc. – but as a human being. When does our right to freedom of speech and expression surpass its limit? Where does one draw the line between personal judgment and the infringement of safety? Some people may argue that the limitation and censorship of such controversial matters is of utmost importance, while others fail to consider its potentially tragic consequences. Undoubtedly, the significant increase of exposure to violent film and video game content in today’s popular media has played a huge role in normalizing aggressive behavior, all the while promoting the concept of violence to be of more acceptance.
One particular issue that parental guardians often face is the exposure to violent and disturbing behavior through means of film media and how it influences the upbringing of their children. What is the appropriate age for a child to be first introduced to such violent content? By exercising common sense, parents simply need to be confident that their child, no matter what the age, can properly distinguish fact from fantasy before exposing them to the violent content at hand. Although the attempts toward decreasing the negative consequences of watching such extreme content haven’t proved to be successful, the management of self-control and limitation is perhaps the most logical solution at the moment. While it is justifiable that the prominence of graphic content isn’t the only catalyst of violent behavior, it cannot be denied that it has been more and more difficult to abstain from seeing it in today’s films than those from a few decades ago – film content has become significantly more graphic than it ever has been. If the subtlety of violent media from twenty to fifty years ago was heavily influential, what does that say about the intrigue of today’s extreme content? How will graphic content evolve over the next fifty years? With puzzling questions such as these, only time will tell. While the recurring, thematic script writing of female characters has been seemingly consistent over the years, it has opened itself up to new, innovative, and perhaps more favorable topics. One of the most stereotypical roles – the damsel in distress – has been progressively deteriorating in the recent decades. Instead, today’s female characters whose purpose is to be rescued also end up being a rescuer themselves, whether it is by means of empathy or sexuality. Since the number of films comprising strong, independent female leads is increasing, the strict gender boundary between masculine and feminine roles has been blurring, leaving a more positive outlook for the years to come. With the expansion of American cinema never ceasing to subside, the significance of the female role in these artistic film mediums is a true reflection of the exemplified cultural norms of society, a textbook definition of what the perfect female should be.
Hmm, what to write about? As I found myself scrolling through some endless blogging list ideas this past weekend, I thought I'd might as well compile a selection of songs from a few of my favorite Bollywood playback singers. Well, why not? The end of the school year is near, and what better way to procrastinate than to listen to foreign film music all day? Judge me all you'd like. I guess this is what my life has come to. A majority of these songs are from the ‘90s, so I might have to make another list sometime soon of the more upbeat, contemporary tracks that I love. (And don't take the title of this post too literally - I have some pretty great friends, I can assure you.) With such a deep, resonant, and poignant voice, one simply does not exclude mentioning Kumar Sanu as far as Hindi soundtracks are concerned. Regarded as one of the most accomplished singers of his time, he holds the Guinness Book World record for recording the maximum number of songs in a day – 28.
Okay, now I’m going to admit it: Lata Mangeshkar's voice is extremely unique – so distinctive that I couldn't form a coherent opinion about it the first time I had heard it. Did I like it? Did I loathe it? Especially Western audiences who are not familiar with Bollywood film music, her soprano voice may come across as hefty, or even nasally; and especially today, being a playback singer for actresses significantly younger than her may appear a bit unfitting to the female characters being portrayed on screen. But if I am to be honest, Hindi film soundtracks would not have reached their heights without her. Being involved in the film music industry for over seven decades since 1942, she is easily one of the most recorded voices of all time. You slay, Lata. You always on fleek.
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— Initially, this page was where I documented my daily prompts for a writing class in high school, but I'll continue to post my thoughts here every once in a while. I might also post some dissertations / research I've done here in college. categories:archives:
April 2018
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