Introduction

In this project, I had the opportunity to write down my thoughts for a full day and reflect on how my mind worked. I was able to get a better understanding of myself and learned how and what I could do to plan my thoughts to be more effective. Aside from the notes I made every 30 minutes about what I was thinking about in the moment, I also took pictures and they helped me even more to understand that although at first my thoughts seemed to be meaningless and unorganized, I was actually focusing on accomplishing my short term and long term goals more than I had thought.

Thinking In Writing

6:00 I just woke up and today is going to be a busy day for me. I have to be in school at 8:30 to take my psychology exam and then I have to leave school early to take my road test. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it back in time to get to my Algebra class.

6:30 I barely had any sleep last night but surprisingly I have a lot of energy. I am so excited about taking my psychology exam. I studied really hard and I am really confident that I am going to do well on it. I’m going to get ready for school soon but I forgot to charge my iPad.

7:00 I just finished eating breakfast and I am about to leave my house in a few minutes. I am really excited about taking my psychology exam. I studied really hard for it and I hope to do really well on it. I also have to take my road test but I’m not too worried about it.

7:30 I’m waiting at the train station right now. I went to the station by my house and they were doing construction. The trains were going express so I had to walk all the way to Marcy Ave. I know I’m going to be late anyway and I have a long day ahead of me so I’m just going to take things one step at a time today.

8:00 I’m on the train right now and I think I might make it to the exam on time. I’m only 3 stops away. I know I have to take my psychology exam as soon as I get to school but I don’t know why I keep thinking about my road test which is a few hours away.

9:30 I just got out of school and I’m feeling confident that I did well on the test. Now I have to go home drop my book bag off and then go to take my road test. Now that I have to take it I dont know why but I don’t really feel excited about taking it. I’m not nervous about it I just kind of lost all the enthusiasm I had before. I guess its just because I’m tired.

10:00 I’m at the train and apparently there are no trains passing at Jay Street station “Due to an ongoing Police Investigation” Hopefully the problem gets resolved because I really don’t want to be late for my road test. If there are still no trains coming by 11:00 I’ll just take a cab home.

10:30 Still waiting for the train

11:00 An A train passed by and its going local so I can finally go home after all this waiting.

11:30 Waiting for the M train and then I can probably get something to eat before I take my road test.

12:00 I just got home I’m hungry but I don’t know what I should get.

12:30 I just took a picture of one of the things that I sometimes take for granted. My view of the city just makes me so excited and hopeful that one day I will go to Japan. I’m going to leave my house now to go and take my road test.

1:00 I’m waiting at the driving school and I just don’t feel nervous at all which is weird. The other people taking it today look really nervous and some of them are actually taking for like their 3rd time. I really hope I do well today.

1:30 I’m on my way to Red Hook to take my test now. This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would.

2:00 I’m waiting to take my test still so there’s no way I’m going to make it back to school in time to go to Math.

2:30 I think I’m next to go.

3:00 I’m finally next to take the road test. If I pass I can go anywhere I want to but if I don’t pass all I have to do is take it again. I am literally the last person to take it. All the students from the the other driving schools already took it including mine.

3:30 I passed the test and got my temporary license I’m happy and everything but its just me and my driving instructor here. It makes me think about how many people are around me in school and at home yet I am in a sense alone. I guess it is possible to be alone in a room full of people. I can see now that nobody can help me accomplish goals its really just me.

4:00 There was a lot of traffic on the way back to the driving school but I can finally go home.

4:30 I’m at home right now with my dog Tashi. I might seem lame but I talked to my dog and told her about all the things that happened to me today. It may seem unbelievable but she seemed like she understood what I was saying since she usually never barks and now she was barking and wagging her tail and running around me.

5:00 I called my mom and she was emotional about me getting my license. I still haven’t eaten so she said she would bring something from one of my favorite restaurants, Pollos Mario.

5:30 In the meantime i took Tashi for a walk around McCarren Park. When I got home I turned my TV on and it was giving one of my favorite shows, Attack On Titan. The introduction of the show always reminds me of how much I really want to got to Japan.

6:00 They’re giving a marathon of Attack On Titan but I’m really tired so I’m going to take a nap.

8:00 I heard my mom coming in with my sister so I just woke up.

8:30 Eating with my mother and sister

9:00 Just finished eating and we are going to go to my aunt’s house to see my little cousin Ryan.

10:00 My aunt wants to walk her dogs so I go home to get Tashi and then we all go together to walk them around the park.

10:30 we say goodbye to my aunt and go home.

11:00 I think about all the things I did today. I cant believe I actually got my license on my first try.

 

Thinking Visually

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127945462@N06/15542581075

Picture of the view from my bedroom window

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127945462@N06/15539899751/in/photostream/

Attack On Titan

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127945462@N06/15518879746/in/photostream/

Picture of my temporary license and Mishka wallet

Thinking Reflectively and Rhetorically

My name is Ivan Melo and I am a freshman student at City Tech majoring in Radiology. After a day of recording my thoughts every 30 minutes, I was able to learn more about myself that I didn’t realize before. After reading what I wrote I noticed several things like the fact that my thoughts were random and tended to focus mostly on things happening in the present but still with goals that I am slowly working on. After my day of recording I was able to find something that all my thoughts had in common. I noticed that although my thoughts seemed to be random and unorganized, they were a gestalt and everything I thought about reminded me of my long term goals which include going to Japan and becoming a radiologist . Aside from that I also noticed that I try to stay positive even though I prepare the worst.

One of the things that led me to the conclusion that my thoughts are a gestalt was that while individually my thoughts appeared to be meaningless, I was constantly thinking about what I could do to complete my short term goals and at the same time work on my long term goals. Like most people, I had thoughts that were focusing on what I was doing in the present but subconsciously I was working on completing the current tasks I had while simultaneously preparing for the next task. An example of something that made me notice that I unknowingly think and work on my long term goals was one of the notes I made that says, “I’m finally next to take the road test. If I pass I can go anywhere I want to but if I don’t pass all I have to do is take it again.” At first this note I made didn’t mean much but when I read it again I also noticed that I am always prepared to handle anything that may happen to me in a calm and somewhat nonchalant manner. I learned from this note that while I may seem like a pessimistic person, I am just down to earth and focus on the reality of things.

Another thing that made me notice that my thoughts are a gestalt is another note I made before I took my psychology exam. Most people would be nervous before taking an exam but that particular day I didn’t feel any stress at all. I wrote, “The trains were going express so I had to walk all the way to Marcy Ave. I know I’m going to be late anyway and I have a long day ahead of me so I’m just going to take things one step at a time today.” This shows that my thoughts focus on things happening in the present but since I planned my day out already I was preparing for the next event beforehand. On that day, I took my psychology exam and after I finished, I went directly to Red Hook to take my road test. Perhaps it was a way my brain was able to cope with stress but I focused on only the present task and nothing else.

I also took a picture of the temporary license which for me was symbolic. In the picture you can see the temporary license and my wallet from my favorite clothing brand. This reminded me of my goal of going to Japan since my favorite brand has a store in Japan that is very popular. To me both of those items together were signs that showed I was making progress towards my goals and also showed me that I am becoming more mature. Overall, I have a low self esteem so although to most people this might not seem significant, to me this really boosted my self esteem. I felt confident and more determined to continue to make my dreams come true since I had actually made progress. This picture reflects my idea that my thoughts are a gestalt because its just a picture of a temporary license with just a random wallet but to me that was MY temporary license and proof that I had accomplished some of my goals which reassured me that I should stay positive and keep working hard to do the things that I enjoy.

The second photo I took was of the view from my bedroom which also led me to my conclusion that although my thoughts seemed unorganized and random they were a gestalt focused on my long term goals. The photo shows the Manhattan skyline and the building that stands out the most to me is the Freedom Tower. I took the picture since it is something I look at every night before I go to sleep and in a way inspires me to keep working toward my goal. The design of the building is very modern and I thought about how much more futuristic the buildings look in Tokyo. I took the picture the same day I did my day of recording my thoughts so one note I made was,” I just took a picture of one of the things that I sometimes take for granted. My view of the city just makes me so excited and hopeful that one day I will go to Japan.” This note reminded me of one of the things that makes me happy whenever I think about it, no matter how I am feeling at the moment. I learned that from now on everything I do I have to do by myself and for myself.

The last photo I took was one of my living room TV when it was giving one of my favorite shows. It is important to me because beside the fact that it is my favorite show, it was originally aired in Japan and I am very interested in how Japanese culture is. The show is fictional however many scenes are shown throughout the series that show the cities.  That day I can honestly say was one of the most memorable for me since it seemed like everything was going good for me. I took this final photo at the end of the day and reflected on the notes I had made throughout the day. This shows that my thoughts are a gestalt because I can think and do a lot of things but I always seem to be determined and focused on my long term goals and things that are more important than the events in the present. I know that sometimes things don’t always go as planned but I think I am going to continue to take things one step at a time while still trying to plan and secure my future.

To sum up, after recording my thoughts every 30 minutes for a day, I learned that although I may seem to have random thoughts mostly about present situations, I still focus on long term goals I have and stay motivated to achieve them. I considered the collection of my thoughts a gestalt because individually the notes I made had almost no meaning but when you look at them as a whole they hold a lot of more significance. I truly enjoyed this project since it gave me time to reflect on the things that I do and think about. It allowed me to see myself how other people see me and how I am perceived. I also was able to learn how to think in a way that can help me to become more successful in the future. This project also helped me to be more assured that everything takes time and I am doing a good job at accomplishing my goals while not thinking too far ahead.

Works Cited

Melo,Ivan.”Picture of the view from my bedroom window”Flickr. 13 Oct. 2014. Mon. 13 Oct. 2014

Melo,Ivan.”Attack On Titan”Flickr. 13 Oct. 2014. Mon. 13 Oct. 2014

Melo,Ivan.”Picture of my temporary license and Mishka wallet”Flickr. 13 Oct. 2014. Mon. 13 Oct. 2014