Smartphones

Although Jean focuses on more of the negative points of smartphones compared to Sarah, I still think that we can take some points from what Jean has said in her article.

Sarah focused on the evidence and data that Jean provided being inaccurate and that there is more to it than that. There are many reasons why one parent would think that their child is ruined by technology, one of the reasons is the generational gap. There are valid points in Sarah’s article, where she mentions “the evidence that technology may be amplifying our intelligence, our productivity, and our "ambient awareness" of each other's worlds” is a really good point. Our generation improved faster compared to the older generation and we are still growing faster than ever in terms of technology, lifestyle-wise and as a community.

People used to travel distances to get a little knowledge about a certain subject and here we are, learning and researching in the comfort of our homes.  For instance, to learn a certain subject or language, many had to travel to an unknown region in order to get a glimpse of the language or get exposed to its environment, whereas our generation by clicking a few searches, can easily find out a lot and in-depth research of the culture and even the language. We are exposed to a lot of cultures and have different views and we understand and learn more, making our minds broader.

With that said, Jean has some good views in terms of the negative points on smartphones. She says, “It’s not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades.” I agree with this statement. We are exposed to the negative points as much as we are exposed to the advantages of technology. Yes, we can research more and have an easier life compared to the older generation we suffer a lot in terms of mental- health. We are exposed to our friends having an incredible holiday and although we want to be happy for them, we tend to focus on the “why can’t I go on a holiday like them?” or “She/he has a great life compared to me”, thus makes us think lowly of ourselves, slowly deteriorating our self-confidence. Jean also mentions the fact that we don’t go out more, yet we don’t communicate with our parents much and that fact is true. We feel comfortable talking to strangers more than our own family members about our problems and struggles, because “they won’t understand.” I use the word “stranger” loosely because as someone from this generation, I can say that I have met a fair share of my friends online and they are amazing.

I got my first phone when I was 13 years old and the only reason my mom gave me a phone, was to be able to contact me when she was not home. It was amazing having a phone. You can talk to whomever you want, whenever you desired to, and for that, you don’t need to dress up or go out as much anymore. Personally, I was not a person who uses her phone a lot. I use my laptop more. But there were times when I would be talking to my friends late at night because our time zones were different. I was thankful to have a phone because back in South Africa, we had “load shedding”, which is when they reduced or cut-off electricity for certain hours of the day and it is worse when it happens when you have an online exam. So, I had a habit of charging my phone several times a day for it to stay at 100 just in case we experience load shedding. If you were to tell me to put away my phone for a whole day, it would not make a difference to me. On the other hand, if you said no technology for the whole day, my day would probably feel long and dreading because I would not know how to use the time and would only wish to get my laptop back.

The ultimate lesson that I learned is that even though there are negative effects from the use of smartphones and wasting our time recording moments instead of being in the moment, there are a lot of benefits from having one too, like talking to your relatives or family who live far away in real-time and at the same time we can have a broader view on different topics and cultures. We can learn from the articles that they indeed brought some good points in terms of data, especially Jean, exaggerated or not. The numbers have some truth in them. Do not believe 100 percent in whatever article you read, just take it with a grain of salt.  

Brainstorming

 Part one- Generating ideas

First column- There are many things that I want in life. From a beautiful car to a gorgeous double-story house, to beautiful furniture and a photographic and homey backyard. An earthly-designed home with a touch of modern aesthetics, making the room glow and feel like home at the same time. 

Second column- Last night, I watched a video review on Middleburg College which is located in Vermont. The review was mainly based on learning Spanish in the institute but there are 12 other languages that you can learn other than Spanish, which includes, Arabic, Korean, Italian, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and so on. People usually join the program in the summer for 8 rigorous weeks of studying the language on the special condition that while you are there, you are not to speak any other language but the assigned one all day every day. The hardest part is that the teachers will be explaining the work to you in the designated language, which results, in many people breaking down after two weeks in the program. You should always sit with your housemates and chat with them in the designated language. This resulted in many people achieving more results at the end of the 8-week program. It is a very stressful environment, having homework day in and day out but the achievements and the results are astronomical. As a language enthusiast, this piqued my interest.

Third column- I have recently been interested in listening to the podcast either about true crime or a Korean podcast that is pretty basic for me to understand the real love stories about normal people. Some are sweet and some are sad. There is also a dating show that I have just finished about couples who are considering, breaking up with each other if they cannot solve their problems and misunderstandings.

Fourth column-  Many things bother me personally but now, I can only think of two. I don't like it when people disturb my quiet space. There will be the occasional times when I enjoy doing work in a quiet environment, but it must not be too quiet because ill fall asleep quickly, especially if I am reading a work assignment or a book. I don't like it when people touch my stuff, specifically, things that I buy personally. Now, I am not saying that I am selfish and that I don't share, I just buy an extra for those who want the stuff because I just don't like sharing specific things like my skincare products or my ice cream.

                The difference between a Podcast and a TV  

           I was old enough to remember when there were only four "real" television channels. However, Netflix did not exist ten years ago, and we had to rely on television for media entertainment. Traditional television broadcasting companies seized control of their markets, much like corporations today have built infrastructures to compete with their rivals.

Radios were obsolete, but they evolved into something that continues to entertain many people in a variety of ways. We still prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch television because it is more convenient to do so in the car or at home. We can now easily watch our favorite shows on phones with internet access thanks to new phone technology.

Pinky Pinky

 

1.      Conan Doyle failed to do good detective work by sending someone who is a firm believer in fairies to investigate the origin or “the truth". Without concrete evidence, he believed everything that Edward Gardner said. Even though he went out to investigate and found out about the two girls, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, he believed that these two young girls can’t photoshop such pictures and that it was “entirely beyond them”.

 

2.      Jane Addams discovers that all these women that visit the Hull House, have lived a depressed and harsh life. I believe that one of the stories that made my heart ache was the second story Jane wrote about. This lady gave birth to eleven children, all of whom died young but one. Nonetheless, all came crashing down one night when her husband in a drunk state, chased them with a knife trying to murder them and then die after them. The little girl named Liboucha was only twelve then, but she witnessed her father committing suicide with her mom. Her mom was really worried about her daughter’s mental state after the traumatic incident but since Liboucha did not show her any signs but happiness and innocence, she assumed she is okay. She wanted her daughter to pursue more and not be trapped like her in a house one day, with nowhere to go. Only in the second year of High School, did her mother realize that she was wrong all this time and now, her only child runs away from home every chance she gets. This resulted in the mother taking her daughter to the asylum but made sure to visit her once a week. This was comfort for her because she was still alive and she can still cook, clean, and even wash the clothes for her daughter. Now that she also died from heart failure and the fact that the asylum took their time to contact her, caused her to lose her last child. This is similar to Conan’s life where he lost his only family members both at WWI and believing in spiritual and folk tales, distracts them from their sorrowful life in many ways. Both essays depict the sadness of ordinary people, finding something to focus on, other than their harsh reality, which seems to haunt them as if they were woken up by facts. Hence, people around them let them be.

 

3.    Some of what he said is accurate, including the development of cameras and the existence of structures that appear to reach the sky. In other words, I think science has greatly advanced our understanding of the universe and how we live and yes, I believe there are mysteries beyond science, some that we might never be alive to uncover.

 

4.      As kids, we have encountered a lot of times adults telling us about folk stories and times when some rumor would spread about a certain monster living under our bed and never looking under our beds. Well, my encounter with this is when I was still in primary school, there was this mysterious door behind one of the bathroom stalls that was always locked but from time to time, you can hear something from there, or was it just our ears igniting our fears and confirming our fears even more. We kids were told that we cannot go inside the bathroom alone as a girl because Pinky Pinky would come and get us. “Pinky Pinky is a half-human half creature with claws that resides in the women’s bathroom, thus haunting the women in South Africa for generations.” A lot of people believed this was to keep the girls safe and to always travel in groups, but others believe they have encountered Pinky Pinky themselves and from then on, they cannot go to the bathroom alone. Some boys claimed to have witnessed it in the boy’s bathroom but she only attacks girls, especially if they are wearing pink. They say going as groups, makes it unable to reveal itself. Scared? Well, if you don’t take off that pink shirt or pink underwear, it is believed that she would injure and sometimes rape or murder the girls who do not listen to her. Some people claim that they have seen the worst side and barely escaped.

 

Sometimes, the children used to chant in front of the bathroom, making anyone who goes into the bathroom shake with fear but the urge to pee wins against it. Some are scared that the teacher goes with them to the bathroom. This has been a great prank, so to say, by other kids who find it funny chanting the creature’s name ten times for it to come out and scare you off and if you are not out by the tenth chant, you will likely be in there forever.

 

 Now, many of you might be curious about what was behind the scary door in the bathroom stall. As usual, I was terrified to bits, going to the bathroom alone and my mind did not give me rest. My tiny hands were shivering from the fear that I would be trapped forever because I couldn’t bring any of my friends with me. I breathed in and told myself I will be out of there in a minute. Rushing to find a clean stall to use, I found that my stall is two stalls away from the mystery door. I cleaned myself up and after flushing, I heard a door opening, and then I realized the mystery door suddenly opened. I thought at that moment, that it was the end for me, and I did not get to say goodbye to my family. I prepared myself mentally and thought of ways to run out of my stall. There, a screeching noise suddenly filled the toilet, like something is being dragged on the floor. I silently opened my stall to curiously witness Pinky Pinky but to my surprise, it was just the housekeeper dragging the bucket onto the floor and the door was just the storage room for the cleaning equipment. I believe these stories were just made up to no avail because it was just funny to watch little children run out of the bathroom screaming. I was just relieved that I was not murdered at the end of the day and for those of you who are still scrounging their nose, yes, I did wash my hands.  

Source:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/south-african-story-pinky-pinky/id1561577187?i=1000538054773

Japanese Gardens

 

There are many things that I got intrigued about in the field trip. The Japanese Garden was beautiful in many sense and truly , it felt as if I was transported to a quiet and peaceful place.

2.

The entrance gate: The entrance gate is not known by many, but it is called a torii, 鳥居. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate that is most frequently encountered at the entrance to or inside a Shinto shrine, where it serves as a transitional symbol from the ordinary to the sacred. This was supposed to represent entering a tranquil setting free from outside noises and bustling lives that happens outside the gate. It makes people feel as if they are entering paradise, in a sense.

The bridge: The act of crossing the bridge represents the transition from the physical world into the afterlife and the subsequent release from one's material obligations. Through this voyage, the traveler gains a metaphorical sense of innocence, inner tranquility, and kinship with nature.

The waterfall: The hidden waterfall represents peace and tranquility.

 

3.

The Bridge: I'm reminded of the romantic Japanese dramas I used to watch when I see The Bridge. They enjoy a day off known as a "white day," when they are taken out by their lover, crush, or other special someone. This location is typically on a bridge, beneath magnificent Sakura trees that make everything appear pink and stunning. They express their love for one another there in the cheesiest, ugliest, and most romantic way possible.

The small waterfall takes me back to a period when my mother used to take the family and I to the beach in Somalia. I can remember how it kept us cool from the sweltering sun and gently stroked our bodies, as well as how I nearly drowned several times that day hahaha.

Sunset Memories

 

 

I would say that it was a normal weekend, but it was a crazy one to be exact. I wanted to go to the State Fair as I have not gone to one before, but I forgot about a shift that I scheduled to pick up the previous week for work.

Luckily, I did not go because I heard there was a terrible thunderstorm and people had to take cover from the rain and that they left early (my source is Tok-tok). I know, it is ridiculous having Tok-tok as your source but nonetheless, there were clips that shows how bad the weather was. There was a big tree branch that fell in my neighborhood. Fortunately, as far as I know, no one got hurt and no property was damaged.

You did not think that I would continue talking about how unbelievably I spent my weekend slouching around and did not try to have fun or go on an adventure. Let me take you back a week go, this took two months of planning back and forth trying to figure out how to surprise my best friend. How did it go you ask?

Well, there has been a great deal of confusion surrounding the plan to visit her home and surprise her. From not having a car to being unable to leave because of work, the car was the main problem for us. In Minnesota, going without a car is not fatal, but it is more convenient to own one here than to take a bus that takes over an hour to get to a 30-minute stop. Imagine using a bus instead of a car to get to her location, which takes two hours.

So that we are all clear on the background, let me first say that it has been seven years since I last saw my two buddies. One of them was a childhood friend who was aware that we would be visiting, and the other was my best friend, who was unaware that we were coming. On that day, as I moved around my room, I imagined her stunned and bewildered reaction to finally seeing me there with her after all these years. As soon as I climbed into the car with my cousin, who was driving us to see them, she abruptly announced that she had forgotten to mention that one of them, our childhood friend, is an hour away from us due to her lab practical.

It is safe to say that the circumstance bumped me, but I was still pleased that I was able to see one of them today. That kept me grinning even more. We started catching up on what we had missed from each other's lives because my cousin and I hadn't seen each other in a while. As we travelled to see our childhood friend, the car was filled with laughter, and we were captivated by the scenery. We drive past her school and chuckle at how she was unaware that we were driving behind her. We laughed in the car when she eventually turned her head after what felt like an eternity, which caused her to chuckle as well.

The place where we ultimately went had adorable teddy bears and delicious boba beverages. We placed our drink orders, sat at the café table next to the adorable bears, and began catching up on each other's lives. After what seemed like a long time, we made the decision to visit this lovely garden, which was 10 minutes from the café. While strolling along the path lined with lovely flowers and surrounded by the lovely aroma of freshly watered wet grass, suddenly a path lined with forest trees comes into view. Those stunning ones that only make you feel even more alone than you already did because you wish your honeymoon or engagement photos would be taken over here. I began taking images of the surroundings, the flowers, and the sunset without giving it any thought. We sat on a swinging bench to enjoy the sunset, our laughter filling the air as the exquisite orange hue of the setting sun made everything around us gleam even more.

At the end of the day, we spoke with kind folks who were interested in our culture and history. A family was taking pictures among the flowers with a photographer, and they were very adorable. We ultimately parted ways, but on a positive one and with wonderful memories I had that day with my friends. It was a gorgeous day, and I felt as though we had returned to our mischievous youth days.

Here are some pictures and videos that I would like to share: