Week Twelve

While revising my work I always like to get feed-back/advice on my work and see how I can improve my writing in a different perspective. Just like in issue 7, they go over how asking for advice is needed to improve. I also always repeatedly revise my work like issue 7 brings up. In order to improve and get the most out of your writing you need to keep on changing it to make it into a piece you will be proud of in the end. Hard work pays off eventually. Another thing I do is eliminate from my writing, sometimes things that aren’t need can be in my writing so I will take it out or sentences that don’t sound right. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given is to not worry about your first draft being perfect and ironically one of the worst is that first drafts need to be almost perfect (high school teacher’s kind of sucked sometimes). Using a first draft as a started or game plan just to jot down what I intend on writing on is essential for me now in order to write a good paper or compose. In the past, I was taught that first drafts need to be almost perfect or perfect. First drafts only were allowed to have minor errors and writing wasn’t so enjoyable for me then cause of all the pressure. I think everyone shouldn’t stress over first drafts as much as they are in high school. Revising is important and there should be multiple drafts until the final finished product is completed and handed in when required.

Week Eleven Blog Post

In this collection, the authors do not argue that digital technologies (such as audio and visual composing) and an emphasis on multimodal composition are going to be a catalyst in revolutionizing writing instruction. Instead, we argue that opportunities to think and compose multimodally can help us develop an increasingly complex and accurate understanding of writing, composition instruction, and text. It is only teachers’ learning about new approaches to composing and creating meaning through texts that will catalyze changes in composition classrooms. (Takayoshi and Selfe, 2007, p. 6)

           In this week’s assigned reading, Takayoshi and Selfe discuss multimodal composition and its prevalence in today’s writing. As time goes on and the web/internet becomes more and more important, the more students/writers will use digital technologies to compose. I have used technology for all my writing throughout my life, I never really had to use just text for a writing assignment. In all the assignments, I have been assigned I would use the internet for more evidence or more content to add to my composition, most times I got all my information from the internet. Teacher in my old high school always recommended using technology and adding pictures, links or videos to the writing assignment because it makes the assignment more interesting or entertaining. Today’s society seeks for entertainment in all we do, no one wants to be bored.  I think using digital technologies helps advance our writing and make an argument or the piece you are writing a lot more complex. If teachers don’t “believe” in multimodal composition then they will be left behind with the last generation. Multimodal composition is the future and we all should learn to develop our writing.

Week Ten Blog Post

           In Riverdale episode 13 (SPOILERS) many important arguments happen. This one specific argument runs the whole first season, who killed Jason Blossom? Since no one knows until episode 13, many people have been blamed such as Jughead’s dad, FP Jones, Cheryl Blossom, sister of Jason Blossom, Betty’s father, Hal Cooper and many more. In episode 13 Cheryl figures out that her own father, Cliff Blossom killed Jason. Before Cheryl told anybody, Cliff had hung himself leaving people to ask why had he killed himself and more importantly why had he killed his own son. It turned out Cliff was a major heroin dealer and his maple syrup business was just a cover up. Jason was killed because he wanted to expose his father for all his wrong doings. Jughead’s dad, FP was forced to hide Jason’s body due to being blackmailed by Cliff. FP was also put into jail and accused of murdering Jason by Cliff and FP agreed to these accusations because Cliff threatened to kill his son, Jughead. FP is in a gang and they are not liked by anyone in Riverdale, since Betty is dating Jughead, she is harassed and treated poorly by outside forces. Her school locker was vandalized and she gets threatened by people because she stands up for the gang and the good people in her town. Another event that happens in episode 13 is Archie’s father gets shot by some outside force because Archie is one of the people that found out about Cliff Blossom and his bad intentions along with Cheryl. Most of these events are shown through visuals, sound, movement and through storytelling. All of these factors take play in showing all the arguments in this show’s episode.

Week 8 Blog Post

In the past when researching I always looked thoroughly on the web for hours till I found data and information worth writing about or using for an assignment. I always think of key words to use and reliable sources to use. To check if certain data or information is reliable I look at other sources to see if the data or information is repeated. When it comes to deciding what phrase to use or what keywords will be helpful I always start with a very generic term and look more in-depth of the topic. I try to see what words would be helpful if its repeated often and seems like it has weight to the subject I’m researching on. Based on Losh and Alexander Issue 6, I have been doing my research just as they were telling me to do so. I was taught in high school how to properly search for data and information for any subject. I think that my process might change by going even more in-depth and looking at/for more sources.

Week 7 Blog Post

           Throughout Chapter 5 in “Understanding Rhetoric” the characters in the book interact with different social media platforms to collaborate and build knowledge. Personally, I have developed insights and ideas via social media platforms that I otherwise might not have had or known about. For example, on Twitter and Instagram I see a lot of different insights on global warming. Learning all that I have learned from other people on these social media platforms I try to make a difference myself with these other people. I help spread awareness about global warming to others and try to give people the same insight that I have been given. My life style has been changed, I eat a lot less meat because eating a lot of meat increases human carbon emissions. Changing your diet makes an impact on this world. I have reduced how much I have driven, I carpool as much as possible, I use public transportation, and if I can walk, I walk. I have planted trees and donated money to different organizations. I use energy saving light bulbs and waste less water while brushing my teeth, showering etc. If I hadn’t been on social media sharing insights with other people my life would be completely different and I would be a less conscious person of what is going on with the world.

Week Six-  Personal Narrative Reflection

For a while I had no idea what to write about since I don’t really consider myself to be part of any collective activities such as sports or clubs. I was asking everyone around me for advice on what to write about and every response that I got back was on how I blog. I never thought of blogging as a community thing until I really paused and thought about it. When I started writing I realized that there are many problems with in that community but one of the biggest problems is based on authentic content and personalities. Over time bloggers tend to lack it or lose it. Till the very end I figured out what experience I wanted to write about, what I wanted my whole narrative to be about. I think I saved the main idea till the very end because it took me awhile to even think of what specific story I wanted to focus on. I was anxious the whole time because I didn’t know if others would see blogging as a community and whether blog and personality authenticity was even that big of a deal, I didn’t want to seem shallow while talking about shallow people. While I was in journalism in high school I always wanted to write about fashion and not many people cared for it where I went. I also didn’t want to sound shallow when there were other more pressing current events going on in the world. For my first article, I wrote about a Supreme X Louis Vuitton drop and how it was a big deal for the high-end fashion and street style enthusiasts. My editor loved it and I was surprised how much of a positive response it got. From then on, I wrote for the Arts & Entertainment section and I also wrote for my school’s current events. In my essay, I am very proud of how my personality shows through my writing and how much I genuinely care about blogging. It may seem shallow to others but it’s a part of my life and I’m proud that I was myself

Week 5 Blog Post

An argument that I always come across on social media is between hypebeasts and people who aren’t. Hypebeasts are people who follow with fashion, particularly street style and high-end fashion. Hypebeasts are very into rare/limited edition and authentic fashion. A huge topic of discussion is on a particular sneaker that’s always causing controversy, Yeezys. Whether they are worth the money or not is a very difficult decision to come down to. People (hypebeasts) who want Yeezys think that they are worth the money because they are rare and they could be a devoted fan of Kanye West’s. That’s the pathos for the hypebeasts but people who don’t like them could possibly not like them because of Kanye West due to his sometimes immaturity with the media and not knowing how to self-manage himself. For example, the Taylor Swift drama at an award show was very uncalled for since he took her award away from her and said Beyoncé deserved the award instead but at the same time, he was very unstable mentally and emotionally since he lost his mother during that time and people make mistakes sometimes, nobody’s perfect. The logos for hypebeasts is that Yeezys are very rare and they are a collector’s item but to others they are too much money for something that’s going on your feet and they are just going to get dirty/ruined. The ethos for hypebeasts is that they know their sneakers and it’s in high demand for people into fashion while for others they are just sneakers, no big deal. I think that both sides have very valid points and I can’t pick a side since I’m in the middle ground. I want a pair of Yeezys due to the fact that I’m a hypebeast myself but the cost that they are priced for is hard for me to afford. Both sides are both convincing, it all depends on whether you are into fashion or not.

In Class Writing 9/18

One kairotic moment I experienced is when my best friend was being harassed by a kid from her school. We were at the boardwalk at night hanging out with some friends at the beach when this other group of kids joined our group. Most of the kids were really nice and pleasure to be around except for this one guy. He was making fun of my best friend and belittling her to be funny and “cool”. I did not like it all, I was the only one not laughing or acting like he was funny and he noticed. I was the only person he didn't know and since I was enjoying myself of his presence he asked me rudely who I was. That was my kairotic moment. I told him who I was and stated how I didn't appreciate how rude he is towards my friend and myself. He couldn't believe I said something, he was in shock and so was everyone else. Later I learned that nobody ever stood up to this guy or called him out on his shit. He totally blew up on me, making fun of my physical features. After I let him go off, I told him that my appearance has nothing to do with the problem and that he should be the one apologizing even more so. All the people around me were sticking up for me even though they barely knew me. I never got my apology but I said the right thing at the right time. I had my friends back and everyone else’s because nobody deserves to be treated unfairly or made fun of for any reason.

Rough Trade, Williamsburg Brooklyn.

Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village NYC.

Two Hands, Mott St.

Prompt Uno

When it comes to writing, being creative, or trying to get any work done for any class, I believe that your geographical location, environment, time of day, company, and the state of mind you are in is very important.  

One of my favorite spaces to compose my work is in WSP (Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village). The environment there and the energy I get from being there is so relaxing yet exhilarating at the same time. I love being around NYU students and all different types of people whether they are tourists or locals. Whenever I go to WSP, I meet up with my friends from Jersey and Brooklyn and we just all share ideas, talk about what it is we are composing or working on, and listen to our favorite music while sitting or lying on the grass.

Another location I love is Two Hands Cafe in Little Italy. It’s my favorite australian restaurant in the city. The interior design is simplistic and a modern rustic vibe. The food there is delicious and in order for me to really compose something good (to my standards) I need to have a full stomach, being hangry (anger or frustration from hunger) is not a pleasant state to be in. The music they play is calming and inspiring. The waiters and waitresses are very friendly and mindful when I work while in their presence. I tend to go alone to Two Hands so that I can really concentrate.

If I want to be in a really creative atmosphere and need to dig deep or search for inspiration I go to Rough Trade in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I meet up with my friends in Brooklyn and we just chill upstairs by the venue spots or downstairs on the couches. We discuss what it is we are doing with our lives and all that’s going on around us, take breaks to play table tennis, and listen to all the different genres of music they play in Rough Trade. The environment is dark, rustic, and grunge but cozy. Being surrounded by all different people is inspiring and comforting. Also when you walk out of rough trade, there is a spectacular view of Manhattan from Williamsburg Park. It’s very comforting to be surrounded by those two places that I love.

One location that I can always go to if New York is not possible to get to, is my room. Being somewhere familiar and cozy really eases me into the process of composing quite quickly. I compose the best at night in my room because it’s quiet and calm. No one is talking, texting me late in the night, or nagging me to help them with something. I enjoy streaming music to help inspire me with words and thoughts, music sets the vibe. I usually sit at my desk/vanity and lay out all my essentials: laptop, phone (to stream music), vanilla candle, earl grey tea (my favorite beverage in the whole world), and a pen & paper just incase I want to sketch something or write down some ideas.

Everything that surrounds us impacts our writing. Noise, sounds, aromas, location, time of day, etc. It’s all that inspires us and helps us move along with our composing. If you’re in the “perfect” location then writing or working won’t be as hard to do/accomplish. It won’t be as much of a hassle for you.

The most comfortable space for me to compose is most definitely WSP when the weather is agreeable. I always meet new people there and I feel like I am at home. I also love being outdoors to compose, I feel more free and relaxed. When I take breaks from my work I watch other students work, play their instruments for practice, or people skate around the fountain. There is a lot of places near to pick up some food and eat at the park while working...just in case I start to become hangry. I always feel I do my best while being surrounded by all that comforts and inspires me.