During class today, you will spend the first ten minutes of class writing a summary of your reading of the “Long-Term Memory” chapter from John Medina’s Brain Rules (or the second half of the “Memory” chapter if you have the updated edition). Before our next class, type up and revise your summary. Copy-and-paste a copy of it here in the comments of this post.
Introduction
For the last couple of weeks I was able to reflect on my personal thoughts. I did this by recording one day of my thinking and documenting it. I also took pictures to represent my day of thoughts. Doing these things gave me a chance to identify my current thoughts and plan how to think more effectively in the future. This project opened my mind to a new way of thinking and analyzation.
Thinking In Writing
MY DAY: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
8:00am- WHY AM I AWAKE, oh I remember I have math at 10:00am.
9:00am- Thinking about this long train ride to Brooklyn.
10:00am- I am surprisingly on time for math.
11:50am- One class down one more to go but it’s 3 AND A HALF HOURS!!!
1:00pm- I was lucky enough to be granted a break that I would use to just stretch and try not to face the fact that I had 2 and a half more ours in that class.
4:00pm- IM FREE!!!!!
5:00pm- I’ve got some work to do so lets get that out of the way.
6:15pm- just finished work so I guess I could go workout for a bit.
8:30pm- Worked up an appetite, thank God dinner is ready.
9:30pm- Something good better be on T.V.
10:30pm- Should I stay up or be the responsible person I’m not and get some rest? Ill stay up a little longer.
11:00pm- Good night America.
Thinking Visually
My Perfect Push-Up and Basketball – “Workout Toys”
Some Of My Books For Homework -“Working Hard”
Me Taking A Picture During Class – “Stuck In Class”
The Time I Would Stay Up To -“Good Night America”
Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively
There is a young, charismatic, industrious kid, which happens to be me. I am a 17-year-old teenager from Brooklyn who’s still trying to find his through life. I love sports; I play basketball, baseball and football and also loves the game of chess. On the academic side of things I am a mechanical engineering major at New York City College Of Technology. I am a freshman and am very new to college life. With this being said I’ve found myself lost in my thoughts. I realized that instead of me focusing completely on my academic goals I found myself in the beginning of my day thinking about things that are secondary to my future, personal and academic life. I began slowly getting my priorities straighten out. I believed that my thoughts were all over the place and I understood that I should focus more on my future. Any other things that aren’t essential to my future personal, academic and or professional life should be secondary majority of the time.
My thoughts tend to be more about things that are subsidiary to my future personal and academic life. During my day of thoughts, I wrote,“One class down one more to go but it’s 3 AND A HALF HOURS!!!” (Mmiller par.4). In this example I was quoting the forth item from my day of thoughts. I took a picture of my sneakers and was more focused on if people would like it on Instagram (Miller, “Stuck in Class”). I was lucky enough to be granted a break that I would use to just stretch and try not to face the fact that I had 2 and a half more ours in that class.” I had thoughts about getting out of class. Instead I should have been focusing on the instruction I was being given in the class. I was so all over the place. This shouldn’t be the thoughts of someone who is fixated on planned personal or academic lifestyle. I actually thought to myself well since this class is so long I should entertain myself via social media. Proving that my thoughts aren’t what they should be and that they were disorganized. I spent almost 1 and a half hours not thinking about the criteria but social media and getting out of the class. If I continued to think with such immaturity and disorderliness towards education I won’t succeed academically in the future.
Oddly enough I sometimes think wisely and take the initiative towards my destined personal and professional life. In This quote shows how I can also think about the important aspects of my life. This includes not only my education but also my time management. By me thinking to myself that I have work to complete and taking the initiative to do my work I am showing that my current thought process can be off task but also, put me in a position to have a successful academic life. In the photo “Working Hard” shows my thoughts of me completing my assignments and habits that I need to be successful in life. The picture gives a snapshot of what I pictured when thinking about completing my work. This singular thought is helping my scrambled thoughts slowly become focused on getting me where I want to be in my future academic life.
Now that work is done I’m thinking about play. In “My Day: Friday September 19, 2014” I realize “Just finished work so I guess I could go workout for a bit”. So I now realized that I worked hard and finished my work so I can do what I like to do. Me thinking about working out is closely related to my future personal health, skill and life. I am not just thinking academic I am also thing about me as person and how I would like to see myself in the future from a physical standpoint. This is a sign of self worth, which is what I would like to promote and would relate that to my future lifestyle. In the photo “Workout Toys” It shows a basketball and a workout accessories “The Perfect Push-up” these are what I use to workout with and plan to use these in my future personal life. I am beginning to become a better thinker and to make better decisions for my future life. I am starting to mature as the day progressing as I am noticing how much better it would be when I think on the essentials first and put everything else second.
Moving on, during my day of thoughts, I wrote,”Should I stay up or be the responsible person I’m not and get some rest? Ill stay up a little longer… Good night America” (Mmiller par.11 & 12) . In this example I was quoting the eleventh and twelfth item from my day of thoughts. I took a This quote showed how I contemplated about whether or not I should stay up all night or get some rest. Even though I decided to stay up I only stayed up a half-hour extra before deciding to get rest. This shows that I didn’t let my poor judgment in the beginning cause me to make a decision that could have became a bad habit for my future academic life. Also in the photo “Good Night America” I took a picture of my cable box clock and the time I would have been up if I wasn’t being responsible. This action relates smart thinking towards successful future personal, academic and professional life.
Now there can be arguments about my thoughts and if my thinking pattern is what I believed to be. Some people would say that instead of my thoughts improving they’re all over the place. I disagree. I feel this way because if you read you will see how my early thoughts weren’t that future based due to my ignorance and impatience. But after that I did my work and made time to do some personal things I love. Which shows that I began to think about the end result of success and a better future personal and academic life. Now my last thought could be debated as a digressing one. Due to me staying up relatively later than I planned. But I didn’t stay up so long that I didn’t get enough sleep or can’t function the next day. Therefore that argument isn’t valid which would be the reasons my argument is the legitimate one to support.
Finally, with all of the information I have previously listed I have created a plan for how I want to think and how I can reflect on my thinking moving forward. I have established that I would like to think ahead of my present actions to see if what I am about to do will benefit me in the long run. What I mean by that is improving my thinking to make me think to do the extra or work harder instead of dazing off or not caring. By me changing my mindset to this one I would also want to reflect on such thoughts. I want to reflect to see if my thoughts are realistic and will help me succeed. Moving forward I hope to open up my eyes to thinking differently and improving myself so I can become better in the future. If I can do that then I should be able to reflect and build on my thoughts and ideas that I come across during the course of my day.
Work Cited List
Mmiller [Marcus Miller]. “Re:Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” Openlab. ENG1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 19 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Miller, Marcus. “Stuck In Class” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Miller, Marcus. “Working Hard” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Miller, Marcus. “Workout Toys” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Miller, Marcus. “Good Night America” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Introduction
During the past few weeks i was given the opportunity to take a day and write down my thoughts every 30 minutes. i also had the opportunity to go back and reflect on what i had written to see if my current level of thinking relates to my future career. As i did so i took some pictures during the day in order to show the relation to my thoughts visually. At the end i realized that my thoughts where more significant than what i thought they were going to be.
Thinking in Writing
11:40- just woke up lol
Thought- I wonder if it’s cold or warm outside
12:00-Ate breakfast (cereal)
Thought- I think they are putting less sugar in this cereals nowadays
12:30- playing video games
Thought- When are they going to add the new update to this game
1:00- waiting for my sister to bring me Chinese food on her way home from school
Thought- my mom told me to fix my room, should I fix it now or 10 mins before she gets home
1:30- on amazon trying to find the cheapest way to buy my architectural college books
Thought- should I get the good condition one which is cheaper or should I get the very good condition one which cost more
2:00-4:00 went outside to play handball with my friends
Thought-On the way to the park, saw a crane on top of a building and thought about how the heck they get cranes off the buildings.
4:30- continued my lettering homework/ architectural draft
Thought- I’ve never imagined to find doing architectural letters hard to do
5:30- went to my grandmother’s house to visit her
Thought- here she goes again cooking food for me when I am already full
6:00- finishing movie I started watching on HBO(twelve years a slave) thinking about how this guy must’ve felt being in slavery for twelve years without knowing nothing about his family
Thought- thinking about how this guy must’ve felt being in slavery for twelve years without knowing anything about his family
6:30- checking for any hidden food or snack in my refrigerator
Thought-my mom is probably hiding something good from me somewhere
7:00-watching baseball game (Mets vs. Braves & Yankees vs. blue jays) HR DUDA Lets go Mets
Thought- I wonder who is going to win the World Series this year
9:00-researching building renovations in NYC for engineering technology project
Thought- I found out 432 Park Avenue is going to be the tallest building in Manhattan without measuring the antenna on the freedom Tower
9:30- Dinner (Mangu con salami)
Thought- I am thinking about repainting my shoes, what color should I repaint them
10:00- on Facebook
Thought- scrolling down my newsfeed thinking about what I am doing with my life
10:30- Netflix trying to catch on my missed episodes
Thought- Netflix should add season 2 of this show
11:00- Again on Facebook watching funny vines and videos
Thought- how do this people get these crazy ideas to do pranks
11:30- More food
Thought- I think should slow down on food a little
12:00- Reading john Medinas book
Thought- just remembered about john medinas 7th rule-“sleep well, think well” and realizing the reason why I am being less productive
12:30-sleep
Thought-I am really tired I think I should go to sleep now
Thinking visually
Eating Breakfast in the morning
Crane i saw on my way to the park
Park that i went to play
Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively
My name is Antony Frias; I was born in The Dominican Republic and moved to the Brooklyn when I was 9. I am currently a freshman student at New York City College of Technology and I am doing a major in Civil Engineering. The reason why I’ve chosen to do a career in civil engineering is because ever since I was little I have been around a hard working family that works in the construction field and I dream about one day making my family proud by they noticing that I want to follow the same steps as them. This year is a very important year in my life because I have to adapt to life in college and I also have to make sure if the major that I am doing is really the major that suits what I like and that I want. As part of a project I was asked to write down my thoughts for a whole day every 30 minutes. Most of the thoughts I wrote down where about food, Technology, school, and sports. Then after writing my thought, a week later I decided to go back and reflect on what I wrote. As I reflected on what I wrote I discovered that although my current thinking is unrelated to my future career it somehow reflects on the way I would be thinking on my future career. And for that I argue that my current thinking is focused on the things that will enable my future success.
When I went back and read what I had written on my day of thoughts I thought that only a small portion of my thoughts where related to my future career and the rest was just nonsense and time consuming. But after thinking deeply I realized that most of my thoughts where really related to my future career thinking. My first example that shows how my thoughts reflect on my future career is” I think they are putting less sugar in this cereal nowadays”( Frias.par4). What I meant by this thought was that cereal that they make now taste less sugary than they did years ago. This thought seems really irrelevant for someone that wants to be a civil engineer in the future but after thinking deeply I noticed that it does relate. The reason why I think it does is because a lot of civil engineering has to deal with discoveries and In this case I am discovering a difference in the way things are made which leads me into trying to research more about the reason why they change certain things, in this case trying to find out more about the reason why the cereal companies are putting less sugar into their cereals. For this thought I also took a photograph of the cereal box when I was eating cereal (frias,” cereal box”). The reason I used this picture is because looking at the box also made me come up with the thought about cereals with less sugar. The reason that it helped me come up with the thought was because when I looked at the box I noticed a sign that said “only 110 calories per serving” this automatically made me notice that there was difference in flavor and allowed me to come up with the thought about change in flavor.
Your surrounding might affect the way you think about things and shape the way you might think in the future. One of my thoughts which I wrote when I was on the bus going to the handball park was “how the heck they get cranes off the buildings’’(Frias.par.13). This thought came to my mind after I saw a crane on top of a building and I started thinking about how they get cranes off the buildings after they finish a building it. This thought is related to my future career because it involves thinking considerately how things are done and in civil engineering, it is necessary that you think a lot when it comes to finding ways you can solve a problem involving in a project. For this I also used one of my pictures of a construction site with a crane on top of a building (Frias,” Crane on construction site”). I used this picture because it show how came up with this thought by looking at the crane. This picture also made me think a lot about how a lot of are done in constructions and how they manage to do it in a way that leaves people questioning about how they perform such great skills. This also inspires me more to continue the career path that I am taking in the field of construction.
A big part of civil engineer has to deal with decision making. Some of this decision might be, finding the best way for something to be more useful and efficient. Some of the thoughts I had involved decision making but there was one of them that linked more to what I will be doing in my future career. This thought came up to me when I was on the internet store looking for books for drafting class and I thought about what book I should get “should I get the good condition one which is cheaper or should I get the very good condition one which cost more”(Frias.par.10). This thought was one of the thoughts that I wrote which involved decision making and in this case that would be both getting a cheaper and older book or a newer and more expensive book. When I was having this thought I did some deep thinking and I thought about the importance of the book and whether or not I really needed to get a good copy of the book. Thinking like this helps me keep my mind more in shape to when I have to think about big decision makings in the field when it comes to finding the best way to get a project done more efficiently. When I went back to reflect on this thought, I noticed that it related to some of the things I read in Gary Marcus book ‘’Kluge’’. I noticed that my mind is kind of like setup to question things I see and find solutions to problems that I face in my everyday life.
In the end there’s something that all my thoughts have in common, they are questions that build up in my mind and triggers me to try to find an answer or meaning to them. Even thought my thoughts are really time consumer and might end up distracting me from getting work done I think that all I have to improve is thinking just a little more relatable to my career. Other than that my thoughts are on the right path, I think that if I continue that way I will succeed in my future. I think that if I keep asking myself questions about how things work or notice changes in things around me I would succeed in sharpening my mind and be able to use it as I achieve my goal of becoming a civil engineer. Because without you knowing your thoughts might be in the right path but by you thinking too hard and might not even know it.
Work Cited List
Frias0206[Antony.Frias].“Re: Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” OpenLab. ENG1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA2014, 05 Oct. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014.
Frias, Antony. “Crane” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Frias, Antony. “Cereal Box” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Introduction
This project opened my eyes to knowing what I want to do with my life and the future education wise. In this project I really felt like I had the opportunity to reflect on my thoughts and understand what I want to look forward to in the future. In this project I argue that my in my day of thoughts I am going to become successful. While writing out my thoughts in this project made me really think “what do I want in life?” , “ Am I just coming to college to get my degrees and put it up on a wall ad call it a day or is it more than that ?” . While writing this paper I answered all of those questions.
Thinking in Writing
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
9:00 am – Time to wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face, and get ready to start my day.
10:00 am – finally done getting ready now let me make my daily cup of coffee so I can be mentally awake and not get hit by a car on my way to school.
10:30 am – oh great I missed the train now I have to wait another 10-15 minutes for another train to come.
11:00 am – Just another few stops and I get off the D train to transfer to the R train, then I will finally arrive at school
11:30 am – Thank god I arrived to class before the professor did now let me sit in my seat next to the outlet
12:30 pm- Uggh already the first draft of project 1 is due Monday , where did summer go ? the last thing I remember was being at the beach in July and now I am in school getting ready to hand in project 1.
1:00 pm – Oh great psychology class, when can it be 2:15 so I can eat already I am starving!!
2:00 pm – the joy of having another project due on Monday for psychology, did my English professor and psychology professor have a talk and decide to torture me and make both projects due the same day?
2:30 pm- Finally time to go get me some food and worry about Spanish class at 6
3:30 pm- this 4 hour break is killing me ….. time is running by so slowly
4:30 pm – let me go hang out with my friends so I can waste time
5:30 pm – time to head to class although I am 30 minutes early
6:30 pm- I am exhausted all I want to do right now is be in my bed sleeping.
7:00 pm – can we leave already I cant wait another 15 minutes this is exhausting and trains come so late during the evening times.
8:15 pm – home sweet home , coming home to a meal made by mama has to be the best after such a long day.
9:00 pm – Time to do the dishes , I hate having to do dishes on days I come home late
10:00 pm – dishes are done now time to take off make up and go to sleep.
11:00 pm – I have been in my bed for the past half hour
12:00 pm – I am going to close my eyes and try to sleep.
Thinking visually
Waiting for the train to go to school. (Tous, Raya ” The D train”)
An office that some day I can have one of my own but bigger ad more prettier.( Tous, Raya ” The office of success”)
Studying for my exams and midterms . (Tous, Raya ” Hard work and dedication”)
An A on my psychology paper that I worked on for days. (Tous, Raya ” On the road to success” )
Thinking Rhetorically and effectively
The day I chose was last Wednesday the 24th of September. During this day from the time I woke up till the time I fell asleep I had a lot of thoughts going through my head. When I woke up I said to myself “I’m blessed to be awake and see another day but to be spending it at New York City College of Technology is not exactly how I would like to spend my day”. So I got up, got dressed and was ready to head out to start my “wonderful” day at school. I mean you can sense the sarcasm of my meaning of wonderful because when is it really wonderful to wake up 9 in the morning and go learn? While heading to school that day I missed my first train and I thought to myself “wow what a great day to start this wonderful day, hope I don’t arrive late to class’’. Thank god I arrived to school early that day. While sitting in class and my English professor started talking about project 1 and other projects that were going to do in class it hit me the thought of “wow time goes by so fast it was just a week ago I was enjoying my time overseas in Palestine”. It came to my realization that there’s a time to be serious and there’s a time for games. Then right after that moment I had the thought of the day that was stuck in my head. That thought was that I don’t come here to play around I come here to become a successful human being and make my parents proud of me. I didn’t only come for a degree to put up on my wall I came to be that person that everyone remembers her name.
Later on in that day when I had Psychology and my professor also gave us a page paper that was due next class and I had to get 3 journals for it. Oh and did I mention that I was the team leader of my team which means that I had so much responsibility to do. I had to make sure that not only I got my paper done I had to make sure that everyone that’s in my Team knows what to do and that they actually do their paper. At that point I was determined to not only get my work done but aim for that A. At that point of the day I was determined to be successful with everything I do. I wanted to become a therapist and I am going to major in Psychology. When I become a therapist I want to become an amazing therapist I want to help out my clients and be there for them not only as a therapist as their best friend. I have always been the most helpful friend to all of my friends. When my friends would be in such a bad mood and they’ll be in need of advice I will be the first person they come to. From that moment on I have always been determined to be there for everyone.
In The beginning of my paper I explain how sometimes I go through struggles when coming to school. The picture of the train at the 18th ave train station in Bensonhurst Brooklyn symbolizes that no matter what struggles come in my way or come at my face that doesn’t stop me from doing what I want and heading to success. When I’m determined to do something or get it I will put all my effort into what I want because I was always born to strive for what I want. I was always taught that when you want something so badly it’s not going to come easy you’re going to go through hardships to get what you want. I was always told that in the end it will be worth it and I hope so.
In the picture of me with all the book next to me in New York City College of technology in the library symbolizes all the studying and work I will do to get a step closer to success. The picture symbolizes me because in college that’s how I am, surrounded by textbooks, my notebooks and just work. It’s stressing and overwhelming because I don’t have only one class to worry about but I have four classes. As long as I’m determined to get all A’s in my classes then I know that these stressing and overwhelming times I will eventually overcome. The picture of the A symbolizes that I’m willing to put all my effort into all of my class to be the best, to be successful and most importantly to reach my goal.
In my last picture of the office in the Muslim American society youth center in Bensohurst Brooklyn symbolizes my future goals. That picture symbolizes future me and how I become successful. This picture also symbolizes the fact that if you’re really to determined to get what you want you will get what you want no matter what you face. In that picture I can imagine myself as a future therapist and a busy one. It also symbolizes that instead of just putting my degree in a frame and hanging it up on my wall I’m doing something with it. Successful to me is not becoming a millionaire it’s doing something you love and putting your all into it. In other words, not letting anything stop me from doing what I love to do and just striving for it. Being successful to me means that I can help as many people as I can becoming therapist.
In conclusion, my thoughts lead me to think about the future and I how I want to become successful. I didn’t think that one day of thoughts can lead me to think about the future and change my perspective on my education. It also changed the way I view having struggles in life. In life everyone’s going to come across some struggles but it should stop someone from doing what they want to do. To become successful it takes determination and effort. I can truly say that this project has opened my eyes to thinking ahead of my future and trying to perfect as possible as I can. I always knew what I wanted to do with my life but education wise was a struggle for me because I always had these negative thoughts in my head such as “why am I waking up this early for an education that I don’t know where it will take me ?” I realized that its more than just getting a degree and putting it up on my wall it’s about knowing what I want to do with that degree. This project really opened my eyes to what I will be looking forward to in the future. Maybe my day of thoughts can affect you in a way that will have you thinking of your future and will have you questioning yourself.
Work Cited
Raya Tous [Raya Tous] “Re: Project 1: Thinking in Writing” Openlab. Eng1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA2014 1Oct.2014. Web 14 Oct.2014
Tous, Raya ” Hard work and dedication” Flickr. 9 Oct. 2014 Web 14 Oct.2014
Tous, Raya ” On the road to success” Flickr. 7 Oct.2014 Web 14 Oct.2014
Tous, Raya ” The D train” Flickr. 8 Oct.2014 Web 14 Oct.2014
Tous, Raya ” The office of success” Flickr. 10 Oct.2014 Web 14 Oct. 2014
Introduction
For the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to reflect on my thoughts and plan on how to direct my thoughts towards my future career. This project allowed me to take a step back and actually see how I think and what my thoughts are focused on. At the end, I realized that my thoughts were very random and not all of my thoughts are relevant to my career. However, my thoughts are focused on big ideas and topics that are important to me which I believe will help me develop my personality as well as enable my future success.
Thinking in Writing
Friday Log :
6:30 ish – should I get up now? it’s too early but I cant sleep.
7:00 – I love cheerios. I should watch a movie or should i just finish all my homework so i don’t leave it for Sunday? ehh..I’ll just watch a movie.
7:30 – Movie!!
8:00 – I have to grade my students paper for the tutoring center! stop the movie!
8:30 – Grading. I think grading keeps my mind working. it’s good for me.
9:00 – it’s so boring grading! but I have to do it!
9:30- finally finished grading. what can I do next?
10:00 – I should finish reading my book. but lets see what’s going on in Facebook..
10:30 – I miss high school. teachers there let you off easy which isn’t good. students struggle in college because its so different from high school teaching.
11:00 – thinking of drawing a new portrait of one of my idols iisuperwomanii
11:30- I honestly really need to gain more confidence and try to find myself. need to know more about who I am and what I really want in life.
12:00 – I don’t know if graphic designing is for me because it’s so competitive. there’s so many creative people out there.
12:30- thinking of changing my major to become a registered nurse. the feeling of knowing you’re saving people’s lives would be great. I would want to know that people in need of help look up to me.
1:00 – I need to find a way to eat healthy. I’m way too small for a 18 year old.
1:30 – My book for English class hasn’t arrived yet. I need it for Monday! I hope I can share with someone for now.
2:00 – I wish I could help all the people in need out there. you don’t really know what this person may have gone through.
2:30 – Got to go tutor the little kids. I like teaching.
3:00 – 6:30 – creating tests for my students is hard work! the upcoming tests are getting harder and harder each year!
7:00 – I need to have a full meal but I feel like having fries and soda..
7:30 – I wonder how people who make funny vines get their ideas. they really go far to show something funny. but it makes people laugh so I’d call it a talent.
8:00 – I’m not sure how to finish my art project. lost the sheet for my measurements!
8:30 – time to catch up on my shows!
9:00 – I sleep too early. I don’t think I’ll be able to stay up when I need to study for finals! this is bad.
9:30 – I wish I could dance.
10:00 – I really need to do good in all my classes. I want to make my parents proud. they’ve worked really hard to raise me. Enough of thinking about life. I should sleep.
Day of Thoughts: Saturday, September 27
9:15 – I was supposed to wake up early today! Damnit! I have to go to the post office now to renew my passport. ugh why do I always leave everything for the last moment!!! I have today and tomorrow for hw. watch me leave it for tomorrow….
10:00 – its interesting to see so many kinds of people on the train. I wonder what their occupations are. there are a lot of unique people out their. unique personalities interest me. uhh why is this creep staring at me?! ok look away.
10:30 – this worker at the post office is really rude :/
11:00 – cant even say anything right now. I did not know they did not take credit cards at the post office and I had no debit card or cash. I have to come back later on this week. my morning has been wasted!
11:30 – thank god I’m noting down my thoughts for today. had a really bad weekend, didn’t think I’d do it. but I have to retype this on openlab!
12:00 – I should do my hw right now no time tomorrow. but my best friend wants to hang out. I’ll do hw later. I’m going to quickly run to her house to watch a movie! yay!
12:30 – loving the movie so far and the food
1:00 – the Bollywood movie we’re watching is so sweet. only if things like that occurred in
1:30 – the movie was great. now time for a second one! should I go home and get started on my hws? its okay I got all day tomorrow.
5:30 – got caught up in the movie! forgot to note down my thoughts :/
6:00 – why am I laying down? get up! get up! I walk to the refrigerator but close it and come back. these vines are so addicting!
6:30 – thinking of opening a new page on fb where I will post some of the little artworks I’ve done. I need a really catchy name though..im not so good at that.. lets see what my friends say.
7:30 – I honestly feel if a guy loves a girl that means he’ll respect her way of life. if she’s a good girl he shouldn’t try to change her to what he wants her to be like. relationships are way too complicated.
8:00 – so I didn’t do any of my hw yet. this break went by really fast.
8:30 – some people need someone to help them take a step back and tell them to breathe and live for once!
9: 00 – I think Facebook is where all the nocturnal humans live lol
9:30 – dinner! no matter how much I eat I never gain. which is an advantage but I’m too tiny!
10:00 – doing this project for English really reminds me of how much I actually think. wow I think about a lot of stuff. What if we were to write what we thought of every minute? wow that’d be crazy
10:30 – so many people texting me.. so many notifications!
11:00 – I play too many games on my phone and this phone’s battery dies too fast
11:30 – I remember from psychology class in high school. our brains combine different kinds of memories in our brain to create a dream. no wonder I have such weird dreams!
12:00 – sleep
Thinking visually
Working on my Raster & Vector Graphics class homework.
The finished piece of my first art project.
My drawing of an eye.
Me watching a YouTube video of a magician helping a homeless veteran.
Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively
At the age of eight, my family and I migrated to the US in hopes of a better life. I come from a very small, not so wealthy and densely populated country known as Bangladesh. Growing up in an underdeveloped country and then moving to a developed country was life changing. It was like a whole new world. This affected the way I viewed life and the way I carried myself before and now. Many people in Bangladesh struggle but here it’s all about freedom. This advantage always made me want to do something more and something big using my artistic talent. I wanted to be successful and end poverty and make my country a better place. I’ve recently started college at city tech and my first project for English was to reflect on our thoughts for a few days. After examining my thoughts, I argue that my current thoughts are random but they allow me to grow and think freely.
One of the many thoughts that I’ve reflected on was related to what I would want from the classes that I am taking. On my post I wrote,” I don’t know if graphic designing is for me because it’s so competitive. There’s so many creative people out there.”(Rahman,”Working on my Raster & Vector Graphics class homework”). One of the classes was Raster and Vector Graphics where we learn to use Illustrator and Photoshop. It is a very long class and there’s a lot that you have to take in during that one class. While thinking about this class, I began to question weather I really wanted to do graphic designing. I love drawing and everything about it fascinates me but I keep thinking of how much I enjoy it. I realized that if I wanted a career in graphic arts, I’d have to be very serious and I would be only doing things as someone else wanted them to be. I wouldn’t be able to create something out of the random and the joy I get from making something with my bare hands would be lost. I am stuck between pursuing a career in art while being serious or keeping it as one of my special talents and as a hobby so I can enjoy it. Thinking of all of this, a thought came to mind that if I really was sure I wanted to do graphic designing I wouldn’t be questioning myself. I am not a professional yet but I know what I want to do with my talent. My talent describes me and its a part of me and I don’t want to sell that to a job that may or may not make me happy. In the future, I want to be happy and successful.
Another thought I reflected on was “I’m not sure how to finish my art project. Lost the sheet for my measurements!”. (Rahman, “The finished piece of my first art project”).Thinking of how specific my professor was with the project, I think it was hard and it didn’t let everyone show how creative they can be. We were only allowed to use four squares all of the same size to show what the words bold, congested, playful, and etc. means in art. After we were done, the professor was very strict with the grading as well. I believe that when someone puts their best in to their drawing, the drawing is the best they can do and its perfect for them.
Another thought that I had during my graphic principles class was that why does art have to be perfect? I understand the measurements should be exact and the way you do it should express an idea clearly, however, what you make or paint has a different meaning to everyone. People look at it differently than you do and that’s why others should understand how you chose to express yourself with the artwork. When all the students finished the project, everyone had similar work because there were so many restrictions set up. Mostly, everyone had the right idea but the best were chosen from the artworks and others showed no importance. I realized then that, that’s how Graphic designing would be. Any job is stressful but if you are trying to please someone through art, they should have an open mind which may not happen all the time.This may lead to many times where I will feel like giving up and I wont be happy. Learning to express yourself is important but people will always misunderstand you.
While watching a video about a magician helping a homeless man, I thought ” I wish I could help all the people in need out there. You don’t really know what this person might have gone through.” (Rahman, “Me watching a video of a magician helping a homeless veteran”). In the video, the homeless person was a veteran who wants to make people smile. It’s very hard for me to not give them money because I know they may misuse the money for drugs but they need to live. We cant just assume they will use it in a wrong way. We need to do something for them and try to give them a second chance in life. If we don’t do it, who will? We need to stop passing our responsibilities on to the next person. This really got to my head and I thought why poverty exists even now? So many of us can keep people off the streets and maybe try to help others to get back on their feet. However, those kind of people aren’t around anymore. We are so busy in our own lives that we forget many people need a hand and that someday it can even be you. We have many opportunities in America that lets you get up on your feet. There are tons of jobs, even if its something small, that get you started. We need to step up and show others the importance of life. Some people get off track but that’s because we had influential people in our lives to guide us while they didn’t. So we should reach our hands out and try to guide those people to make a change. If I had the power, I would help everyone as much as I could. It’s sad how we let poverty grow and only give importance to people who are higher than us. We get so caught up trying to reach higher that we forget that we also start from the ground just as the others.
Of course homework is not fun and I have complained many times about it but when it has to do with sketching, its not homework. It is a great feeling when you realize you just hand drew an image that was in your head and that you gave life to an idea. I drew an eye and made it in different shades of green and blue to symbolize my love for plants and the earth. This reminded me of why I wanted to go for graphic designing in the first place. Despite the negative sides to it and not being sure if a job in that field will make me happy, I know I’ll be able to draw, develop many ideas and skills that I can cherish for the rest of my life. (Rahman, “My drawing of an eye”).
I am still undecided about my major and I have yet to experience the many things that I am capable of doing. My personality and who I am as a person drives me to success. I am sure I will be very successful in whatever I put my mind to. I believe my strong beliefs, they way I view life, and my background will definitely play a huge role in discovering who I am meant to be in the upcoming future. I may have to change some of my views, take up many challenges and will be disappointed and put down but I know I’ll gain more confidence as I begin to understand more about what I am doing. I am happy about the way I think because it lets me have many options open for me. At last, it’s all about being happy with what you have accomplished by yourself.
Work Cited List
Farzanarahman ( Farzana Rahman). “Re: Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” Open Lab. ENG 1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 5 Oct 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
Rahman,Farzana. “Working on my Raster & Vector Graphics class homework.” Flickr. 5 Oct. 2014.Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
Rahman,Farzana. “The finished piece of my first art project.” Flickr. 5 Oct. 2014.Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
Rahman,Farzana. “My drawing of an eye.” Flickr. 5 Oct. 2014.Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
Rahman,Farzana. “Me watching a YouTube video of a magician helping a homeless veteran.” Flickr. 5 Oct. 2014.Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
Introduction
Doing this essay has made me realize that my thinking is not where it should be in terms of being more focused towards my goal. During time I was reviewing my thoughts I have really been thinking too small and thanks to for this essay I have started to be even more open minded to get to where I should be going.
Thinking in Writing
– Can’t wait to go to Basketball practice, I should take my nephew with me
-Thinking how I should make him more vocal and be more a leader
-So far I like the energy he’s putting out, i guess the talk we had worked
– This pick up game is going to so much fun all i have to do no work
– I can’t believe i’m getting no calls i guess Kevin has something against me
– I like what i’m hearing about my nephew being a good shooter and good defense
– I can’t wait to come home it’s pizza/movie night
– I can’t believe that they did not order the pizza yet
– I hate how long pizza hut takes
– I can’t believe that they now show up
– Everyone got together, love spending time with them
– I hope these two movies dad got are good
– The watch was a very good movie i could not believe who was the real threat
– The hike sucked why people always fall down when they are chased
– why does my sister have to give me trouble every time I bathed her
– Now time for bed
Thinking Visually
The sky is the limit
my addiction
My Nephew
Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively
In my life I have had a lot of things that set the foundation of my way of thinking. My thoughts have always been that “Where can I lead” or “What are my weakness that I need to work on”. Some may see that as a weak minded thinking but I think personally this makes some one well planned for the future instead of just rushing into things they have a plan and a back up for just in case. I argue that my thoughts are focused on important things in my life in the present and I argue that my thoughts are all over the place and I need to work on focusing them on the things that matter.
On my day of thoughts I wrote “How should I win against my opponents, what can I do”. By having that certain mindset it makes me not only at times match my opponent shot for shot in basketball, while I can just outsmart the other player by being two steps ahead of them. Most if not some would rather charge blindly without considering the consequences after it , its all about being perceptive you can’t see the whole picture until you look at it from the outside. This goes very well for people who have minds set on nothing else but the top, people who are in engineering majors, health majors need to carefully plan and prep themselves or that the patient or project will fail. I consider heavily on engineering because it requires a lot of planning at a steady pace.
Another day of my thoughts is “What are my future goals from now” this quote to me makes someone stop and think about what’s next after you have obtained it .Everybody at one point wanted something, either to win or to get it , over a period of time the feeling subsides and you are not satisfied and want more . So when you have reached a goal set various other ones after it , you will always have an ambition for more until you satisfy your desire . In my honest opinion most people should agree to this kind of thinking because why would anyone settle for less than success. If I am an engineer I won’t stand for building something that will stand for only decades i would want it to last if possible a lifetime.
Another one of my thoughts is “Everyone got together around the table , I love spending time with them” . I think this quote is very beneficial for me because they are what I think set the foundation of my way of thinking as they are the ones who keep telling me to do the right thing and treat others they way you would like to be treated thanks to them for teaching these values into me. This is great for my future success because I know I won’t be all work and no fun and have a certain code to live by . Without their encouragement there are some things in life I would not be able to accomplish on my own.
My other thoughts are “ Can’t wait to go to Basketball practice, I should take my nephew with me” and “So far I like the energy he’s putting out, i guess the talk we had worked. This way of thinking is inclined to the present because I have not spend time with my nephew lately and it would be good to take him to where I play and learn something. To me its not a bad way of thinking because I know it will make feel joy that thanks to me he is excelling to what i am telling him to do and not being depressed about every fault that he has done.
Another quote I take pride in is “thinking how I can make my nephew more of a leader”. I like this quote because as a uncle I wanna know how far I can push him more than anyone else could, what I was seeing from him that he has so much potential with the way he is always active on the court . For my future I can want to be in a situation where I can inspire young kids. Some people would just donate money as charity which is nice but some of the providers need to be there and interact and I am aiming for that.
Another one of my thoughts are “that I can’t wait to come home it’s pizza/movie night” and “ I hope the two movies dad got are good”. This thought is very random and out of place what I need to do is take a step back and realize that things are moving very fast and I can’t really afford to have the luxury of taking it easy. Thinking like this is very useless in my life and I need to think about things that will make me very successful, I have to be focus on what can make me pass and think about on what can lead me into my career path so I can have a beneficial future. Opportunities sometimes appear only once so i will have to cast aside watching movies instead of saving the work for last minute , I’ll have to work on school and pass my classes and standout more than other people.
What I see when I read these thoughts are a lot of distractions and hindrances that I am placing myself are really going to slow me done in the long run. I do agree that lack of motivation in class plays a key role to why I may fall behind, no else is going to do this for me if you I don’t put in the effort that I am supposed to show I won’t get far. Usually I should spend my weekends for more school instead of wasting time because my test before hand were not where they were expected and I am someone who likes to achieve the highest of my class.
With one of my picture with me looking outside the airplane I see the sky’s the limit and let nothing stop from accomplishing whatever you want in life. With that said I need to really put in the work to accomplish my goals , it won’t just come into my lap. Things like that hardly ever do, so no matter what I have to strive and desire for more than just average .People all over will most likely now need to be determined to find your niche, or where you are going to fit into this world and how you are going to survive it .
In conclusion The thinking that I have been moving on with is very fluctuated with alot of nonsense . I have never thought about anything wrong or doing anything wrong . I have always been focused on the important present things in my life. There is a lot that I would have to change myself about or change while moving ahead in my life. My thinking is too small but the only things I would like to focus on by moving forwards is becoming a doctor or something in engineering , which aligns in my future. My thoughts are focused on important present things in my life. I have to fulfill my family dream being a successful guy because all of the sacrifices that they have made for me will be for nothing and prove to everyone that she did not raise a failure.
Work Cited Page
Malik Barrett[Malik Barrett]. “Re:Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” OpenLab.ENG1101 D346 English Composition 1, Fall 2014, 21 Sept. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014
Barrett, Malik “Airplane.” Flickr. 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 14Oct. 2014
Barrett, Malik “Basketball Court” Flickr. 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014
Barrett, Malik “My Nephew.” Flickr. 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014
Introduction.
I was given the opportunity to do this project to better understand my self by understanding where my mental thoughts are right now. Is it in a state of readiness for college? Questions like this is answered further in this project along with visual aids using pictures to relay my thoughts along with a log of my daily thoughts. In which every half hour i recorded my thinking.
Thinking and Writing
My Friday Log
6:00 -I woke up
6:30 -I wondered how to bathe and brush my teeth
7:00 – i wondered if I will get to the train station on time
7:30 – In a train thinking about if I have any home work due for today
8:00 – The next stop I will get off the train
8:30 – In circuitry class trying to learn OHM’S LAW
9:00- Trying to stay awake in class
9:30 – Cant wait to get that new I phone though 
10:30 – Wondered if I should buy lunch or just save money
11:00 – Class is over, should I take the elevators or the stairs to the first floor.
11:30 – Remembered I have an assignment to write a log of my thinking for English class.
12:00 – Went to the library and slept.
12:30 – Friend woke me up so I thought why do you hate me
1:00- Went to the electrical laboratory
1:30 – Thought about how I should connect these resistors to this circuit correctly
2:00 – Measured the amount of current going through the circuit
2:30 – In my head I calculated the color codes for three resistors to see if they have the correct value
3:00- DAMN my group member is cute, but she got herself a boyfriend already… oh well 
3:30- I packed up my bag and walked out because I finished early
4:00 – Met up with my friends in the library
4:30- Thought about my plans for the future to make a good living.
5:00- Thought about getting that new i phone again
5:30- Got on a train
6:00- Two more stops and i get off
6:30 – Wondered if any of my friends were online
7:00 – Played my friend in fifa 14 and defeated him 6-0
7:30 – Turned off the ps4 and called my girlfriend
8:00 – BED LOL
Thinking Visually
College is life.
Circuits class.
The library where i spend most of my days.
The book that opens minds.
Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively.
My name is Norman Levy and this essay is about the reflection of my thoughts. I argue the fact that the current state of my daily thinking is lacking any constant drive towards my future or the successful completion of my major. My major is Computer Engineering in which I love very much. I have an associate’s degree in Information Technology and I want to pursue a deeper career in technology. You could say that I’m in love with it. There are multifarious reasons why I argue this fact and I will draw examples from my daily thoughts log post from open lab that I did earlier this semester.
The first reason why I support my argument is the thought I had in the morning at 7:30am, “in a train thinking about if I have any home work due for today?”, I should not be thinking about that, but not in that context. I believe that if I should have a focused mind in which in every course I do at city tech I should have some sort of checklist for all possible assignments or tests in each class. So when I get an assignment it’s already done so that worrying will not be needed as it’s already been taken care of. I should be thinking about, “I hope all my assignments are correct or will I be able to get more assignments so I can practice and be better at what I do”. In doing that I am setting up my-self in a state of mind to be ready for extra work so when I do get it I am not surprised or turned away from it.
My thinking is somewhat how you would say mixed up because don’t get me wrong I love my major and I want to learn and do much as possible so it’s good when I have thoughts like, “in circuitry class trying to learn OHM’S LAW” meaning I want to, and is trying to learn this new topic in circuitry class but when I have thoughts like this after “trying to stay awake in class” and “can’t wait to get that new I phone though” it makes me think and ask my-self, “am I serious about learning or not? I have always been a good student, I am always asked if I like school, I always reply with “I love school!” I am never late and I am trying my best to maintain an A average at all times but with this type of thought process I do not see myself succeeding any further, not only academically but mental wise as well. This can be fixed by simply staying focused in class and always remember why I am in college. If I can do that at all times I believe that I can go down the right path of truly becoming whom I want to be.
I love all my classes but the one that stands out the most in my perspective is my Electrical Circuits class where I make or build circuits and measure the current, voltage and resistance of it. In this class my thoughts are some-what professional as some of them are, “thought about how I should connect these resistors to this circuit correctly”, “measured the amount of current going through the circuit” and “in my head I calculated the color codes for three resistors to see if they have the correct value”. Thought processes like these I am proud of to call my own as I am literally looking at myself being very focused and hard at work but drawing near to the end of the class I find myself with a thought like “DAMN my group member is cute, but she got herself a boyfriend already… oh well” I am not saying this thought is wrong but I would be more impressed or would like to be thinking about did I understand the material that was taught today in class, am I satisfied with my readings/ results, do I have any questions I can ask my professor to make clear for me, but no. I waste that time to think about other things that will not help me in the long run or towards my future career.
I’d like to use this paragraph to comment about this essay being written. As I am writing this I am realizing more and more that my thought processes needs to improve and can be better. I know by reading this you have some questions why I’m not optimistic or is this a sad story, it is not. I’m really evaluating my-self to see areas where I can improve on mainly in factors of my thinking. In your quiet moments, what do you think about? How far you’ve come, or how far you have to go? What are your strengths or your weaknesses? The best thing that might happen or the worst that might come to be? In my quiet moments, I pay attention to my thoughts. Because maybe, just maybe, the only thing that needs to shift in order for me to experience more happiness, more love, and more vitality, is my way of thinking.
In an ideal world, my thoughts, experiences and beliefs would remain in a continuous state of refinement and renewal. I would frequently be exposed to new and interesting people and situations, and I would constantly discover and enhance new aspects of my emotional and intellectual life. However, this is rarely how life progresses. For many of us, personal ruts and situational repetition are the norm. Our focus narrows to daily stressors and events outside of our control. Our careers slowly push ahead, our circle of friends holds steady or shrinks over the years, and we content ourselves with familiar forms of recreation, mental stimulation and social interaction. Then, one day, we wake up feeling we need something … different. Perhaps we tire of dwelling on old worries or lost opportunities. Maybe we get bored of doing the same thing day after day. Or possibly we just want to see the “old” world in an entirely new way. Whatever the reason, it’s not hard to change the way I think but it does take some effort.
My thinking is ok, but it can be better. I realized that after coming to New York City College of Technology, my thinking was all over the place because for one, I am in a new country and I am going to be enrolled in college. That was a big leap for me towards my future. I just finished high school and with the mentality that I had, that if I continue how I did my school work I will continue to succeed. This is not the fact. I am not in high school anymore I have to work harder at everything I do and with the help from my professors and my peers and my family I know I can be successful at being the best engineer I can be. My thinking has changed to a great extent than before. But I believe and want it to be improved a lot more. This is my second semester at this school and I want to make sure that I do not waste any time that I could be using to further my development mentally and further my skills that will aid me in my studies in this College. I am very great full to be given this opportunity to reflect on my thinking as I am learning where is it I need to improve on and where I am proud of at where I have improved on already.
Work Cited List
Norman [Norman Levy]. “Re:Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” Openlab. ENG1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 21 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Levy, Norman. “College is life.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Levy, Norman. “Circuits class.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Levy, Norman. “The Library where i spend most of my days.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Levy, Norman. “The book that opens minds.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Introduction
This project hasn’t been just any essay but instead it has given me a chance to reflect better on my thoughts and think deeper than just going along with my days blindly. From writing down a day of thoughts, to taking pictures, and finally to writing an essay about each and its meaning, has helped me better understand where I stand as of now.
Thinking in writing
6:45 am: I am really tired; I wish I could sleep earlier.
7:30 am: Oh I need to leave the house now before I’m late and write this down.
8:30 am: I should study for a few, but for some reason I seem to not care.
9:40 am: Wow that test was confusing, I should make some time to study next time
10:30 am: Finally time to go home, I like long train rides I get to think.
11:00 am: I really dislike school but I know without it my future wouldn’t look so good.
11:30 am: I should try sleeping so I’m not tired for my next class.
12:00 pm: Can’t sleep I’ll just go out and eat with my sister.
12:30pm: It’s crazy how my sister and I are so close yet we think so differently
1:00pm: Next semester I need to make sure my schedule is good so I can have time for a job.
1:30pm: Happy I ate well so I should be good for class now.
2:00pm: Just thinking about class makes me lazy to go but…. I have to.
2:30pm: I like writing down notes.
3:30pm: Yes! Class ended a bit earlier today.
4:00pm: Almost home
5:00pm: Time to nap
7:53pm: Just have to type this up and I could go back to sleep if I can.
Thinking in visual
School books
Exercise
My sister
Thinking rhetorically and reflectively
A lot of people aren’t aware of their thoughts and how they either shape you or influence your future. Up until I actually wrote my thoughts down on a piece of paper I was able to read it over and reflect deeply into what were the causes for these thoughts. Does some of my thinking contribute to my future success? or are they just random irrelevant thoughts that should be pushed aside for things that matter and need to be focused on. After these observations I was able to link my past experiences along with recent conflicts, then to the corrections I’ve made and finally to my way of thinking now. Although my thoughts seem to be all over the place I know that each one of them has a purpose in making my life including myself better. Overall I argue that my current thinking is focused on the things that will enable my future success.
A sad memory I think will always be engraved into my mind is my childhood days when I just started school. I remember these days perfectly well because they often replay in mind especially at this time since I just started my first year of college. When I was younger I didn’t have my parents to share all these activities I did in school like my classmates did, so I always thought “What’s the whole point of trying”, with this thought in my head I hardly cared about school and was quickly discouraged. I got accustomed to people constantly reminding to do my work; even then I saw that putting a little bit of effort was good enough to go to the next grade and didn’t bother to try harder. As the years went on school wasn’t as simple anymore but on the bright side I was reunited with my mother. She has helped me a lot in making sure I improve in school. Although I have made it far, I often think back and just feel like giving up because all this college work isn’t something I am used to doing. As I walked to class I remembered of my first college test, after remembering that I thought to myself “I should study for a few, but for some reason I seem to not care” (Lopez, par.3) I still have this sense of carelessness in the back of my head so I usually think to myself “I really dislike school but I know without it my future wouldn’t look so good”(Lopez, par.6) I think a lot about the future as well so I can focus on the things that will be important later on and should be worth putting my time into. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my mother who cares so much and has bought me all these supplies to see me succeed in school (Lopez, “School”). School is stressful but I always remind myself that it will be worth it in the end. I am also content that I have been putting a great amount of my time and thinking into different ways I can accomplish my goals of obtaining a degree.
To start off I been thinking a lot on practicing to overcome my shyness. I look up to my older sister (Lopez, “My Sister”) who is much more talkative and knows exactly what to say when it comes to having a conversation. She’s had every job she applied for and I believe it is because she’s outgoing. We went out to eat on a Thursday morning and as she was talking I started to think “It’s crazy how my sister and I are so close yet we think so differently” (Lopez, par.9), why was this? After taking the time to think I figured it was the different ways we were raised and how the people we were surrounded by influenced our personalities. She grew up with my aunt who is cheerful, talkative and outgoing meanwhile I grew up with my grandparents who focused on hard work and only did what was important. Not having anyone to talk to especially not my parents has made it difficult for me throughout the years to express myself and feel comfortable around new groups of people but this is something I have to change. School will require a lot of presentations, meeting people and even working with them and it is why I have been thinking on ways to improve my way of presenting myself, being more confident, less shy, and improve my speech. One method I’ve tried was going out more and trying to meet new people, ask questions and be friendly. I’ve also met up with a couple of my old friends and caught up on a couple of things that’s going on with our lives. They were willing to share their personal experiences which made it easier to talk to them and made me realize that talking to new people isn’t so bad, you can even relate to them in many ways or share the same experiences. This is something I have been working on really hard on because I know it will benefit me both as a student in city tech and in the future especially with the business career I am going for.
After reading the book by John Medina Brain Rules I learned the importance of getting a good night rest, along with exercising. Almost every morning I wake up with this thought “I am really tired I wish I could sleep earlier” (Lopez, par.1). Therefore I’ve been putting an effort in trying to sleep early so I could be more attentive in class, understand more and perhaps remember better. Exercising is as important as getting a good night sleep but I do not play any sports or do any type of activities. I figured that by not exercise I wasn’t doing any good to my health but I never really had anything or anyone stress the importance of it until reading this book. Finding out exercise both benefits your physical and mental health I decided to try a sport, soccer. From all the games or tournaments I have been too I noticed this sport requires a lot of running and really good ball control, so I thought soccer would be perfect. Well another reason would be that everyone in my family including my friends play this sport so I could have more than one person to practice with. On a Friday morning I decided to stop lying around and asked my friend if he can teach me more about this sport. Arriving to the park I took a good look around at a beautiful sight and thought about the things I have been missing out on. As I was waiting for my friend to prepare himself I remembered to take a quick picture (Lopez, “Exercise”). If I continue exercising it will not only help me at the moment but will also help me in the future physically and mentally.
These past weeks my thoughts have been mostly focused on school and on ways to improve my academic skills. Your thoughts are very powerful especially at this time of your life were you will be choosing a career or if you even decide to continue with school. Given the chance to reflect on my thoughts and write about them I can see clearly on what I am doing in life. I do not wish to change these thoughts but instead find even more ways to develop better habits, enhance my writing, and be more productive.
Works Cited
Lkatherine11[Katherine Lopez].”Re: Project 1: Thinking in Writing.”Openlab.ENg1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 2 Oct.2014.Web.14 Oct.2014.
Lopez, Katherine. “Exercise” Flickr. 3 Oct. 2014.Web.14 Oct.2014.
Lopez, Katherine. “My Sister” Flickr. 15 Oct. 2014.Web.15 Oct.2014.
Lopez, Katherine. “School, Books, Stress” Flickr. 4 Oct. 2014.Web.14 Oct.2014.
Medina, John. Brain Rules: 12 rules for surviving and thriving at work home school. Seattle: Pear Press, 2008.Print.
Introduction- My project is about realizing all my daily thoughts, tendencies, and patterns of actions. This project will show me everything I really think about opposed to what i want to think about idealy. All my photos will have relation to my essay topics such as cooking, art, soccer, video games, and education.
darynhw September 21, 2014 at 7:51 pm
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Daryn Hamilton-Ware English 1101 D346
Professor Ellis Cuny Tech
Project 1 : Writing the Brain Essay
My name is Daryn-Amel, Im eight-teen years old and daily thoughts that run through my mind on a constant basis that I would like to dissolve because they upset, frustrate me are ( what is my talent ?, what is unique about me ?, and who am I ? ). These three questions/ thoughts run through my mind on a daily basis constantly when I truly want to be thinking positive uplifting thoughts like ( Im good at many things like art, cooking, soccer and more so it doesn’t matter that I don’t excel at one specific talent, I should just be proud of myself for this one accomplishment ).
My dilemma in my thoughts are that I can be playing soccer, cooking, or doing art, and instead of being completely satisfied or content with those hobbies Im good at, Ill let my mind naturally go to a place of unconscious thoughts racing about the topic of ( excelling greatly in one talent ) when I want to be thinking ( Wow Daryn, you have many fascist of your personality and natural abilities, feel content ). This is a true example of how the brains neurons, cells, and memory take over subconsciously of your mind instead of focusing on your present.
In John Medina’s ‘ Brain Rules’, Medina explains many times how your thoughts whether conscious or subconscious are all affected by your past, present, experiences, traumas, and memories. This concept leads me to believe that I feel the way I feel about wanting to have one specific great talent I could find in myself while in college because I have many memories as a child of my parents saying ( you have to find a great natural talent like your cousins ) or your not going to truly know who you are ever and people wont take you seriously. These words my parents installed in me as a young child are forever drilled inside my brains memory I realized, causing me to sometimes doubt myself and my abilities/decisions. Although realizing that my parents harsh/strict words were meant as guidance for me as a child in hopes of me being successful in life, the way I perceived them as a child has caused me to always subconsciously doubt myself and not truly enjoy ‘ being in the moment’ of good events in my life.
After reading Medina’s ‘ Brain Rules’ about memory being connected to present day thoughts, Ive realized that most of my thoughts are impacted, affected , and constructed by past events. To take my mind completely off of my past I play video games because it requires attention on a mental level completely and even physical because you have to make sure you press the correct buttons for specific functions or you could lose a level or virtual life. Video games has always been something im good at and that puts my mind completely at ease from everything in my past because when I play video games I feel a sense of control, power, imagination, and like since im looking at a whole other virtual world its like a sense of a real world although its pretend. Video games has always made me feel like ( I may not be able to control the chaos in the outside world, but I can control this one virtual world whether its being a pretend hero, princess, or have super powers) or the ( occasion of wanting to be the villain for once ).
John Medina’s ‘ Brain Rules’ has really changed my life and the way I think about things, realize things, and put things in perspective because now I can really rationalize why I do certain things whether its actions or opinions. I was never really able to explain to my parents my video game obsession, soccer playing need, or constant abstract drawing because I never understood until now after reading ‘ Brain Rules’ why I was so obsessed with these juvenile hobbies. The reason im so obsessed with cooking, playing soccer, video games, and art is because whenever I was surrounded by chaos, stress, darkness, constant change of scenery or surrounding, I always had these hobbies to count on as happy moments or a sense of ‘ constant’ or ‘ always in my life’.
While attending college I hope to expand and broaden my horizon of knowledge, understanding, and self-exploration. I also hope to understand the world more and find my way in it. Medina’s literature is just a big first step in understanding myself giving me a basic few facts about my brain which resulted in me understating my actions, thought process, patterns, and my coping mechanisms.
Introduction
During the last couples of weeks I have been reflecting about my thoughts. I only not record them by writing but I also made the decision to show the visually. I realize that my thoughts show more that I was expecting, I realize that my mind and brain has an immense amount of power and we don’t know all about it.
Thinking in Writing
1: Can wait to see my girlfriend
2: Why am i the only one without an iPhone ?
3: I’m Bored.
4: Music is my passion
5: I need write something on the English’s Posts.
6: Now Play some games.
7: Would I pass all my classes.
8; I would like to buy a pizza.
9: Finally get the book.
10: Is time to cook!
11: I can’t wait anymore to eat.
12: The iPhone 6 bends!
13: Big screens are better?
14: Call of Duty is not the same.
15: My obsession is the music. I live for the piano. But I’m still learning.
16: Why do I have to walk so far?
17: The Walking Dead is coming.
18: Ufff..! I’M BORED!
19: I wish I was rich.
20: I wish I could live where there’s always rain.
21: Getting ready to Go!
22: Good Night Everyone.
Thinking Visually
Listening to some music.
Looking something to play
Biggest disappointment
Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively
My name is Christopher Mena, I was born on February 6 of 1997. I am the type of person that is afraid of many things as public speaking, but although it could be terrorizing, I always try my best. The human’s brain is considered the most powerful machine in the all known universe. It is capable to go beyond our understanding and even now it is hard to explain certains functions or how it works.The human brain is powerful but at the same time is out of our common understanding . I’ve been reflecting my thoughts, and found ideas that I never imagine of our brain.I argue that my current experience are shaping my future goals and thinking.
I am obsessed with music. While thinking I said “Music is my passion”(CMena0602 par.4). It is incredible how a person can love such beauty and being unable to play. Classical Music is one of my favorites, I’ve been trying to be a pianist from along time ago but help never came. My passion for music started 2 years ago. In the photograph “Music” (Mena, Music) we see some of the most beautiful piece of music created by Frederic Chopin . Music for me is the representation of what is really beauty, but it was rejected for me. For the last couples of years I told my music teacher who is a principal of a music school that I wanted to go to his school, but of most of the time, if not always he said “………..” nothing. I just get ignored. But that did not end at that point. There was a classmate name “Josue”,we can see him seated with his hand on the piano. He is the most talented student in the whole school. In a couples of months he was well known in the school while I had spent 2 years in the school some people just realize I have been there. My music teacher saw his talent and he did not twice to get him in music school, not his own but one even better. Disappointment and depression got into me. “Why?” I asked myself several times. But then it came again to me “Music is my passion”. I could not let go off my dream. Every Time I’m listening to music I think “One day I will show Him”, although I had this experience, I told never my music teacher how I feel. Instead I joined a choir. I took AP Music with him and improve my musical skills. As a person, I wasn’t the most romantic guy, but even if I wasn’t I always give the best impression of me. Love was something that I felt for sometime but it always end up breaking my heart. I hid my emotion from the world, nobody knew my deepest feelings. Frederic Chopin is considered one the best, if not, the best composer from the romanticism, he became of my idols. Chopin’s music make him the greatest, it was music like nobody else. But despite his music Chopin died alone. As the time was passing by, I realize the same thing would happen to me. No one would like a honest guy, I asked myself “Why?” I could not understand why did that happen. But suddenly everything changed. “Can wait to see my girlfriend”(CMena0602 par.1) . As a matter of fact is rarely to find someone with your same values. As most people see females as objects, I see them as the greatest creation ever, while most people take advantage of females, I wasn’t, I was not everybody. My girlfriend was the same person as me, I even called her my “ twin angel”. It seems that everything could be possible in life, from the lonely person to the the happiest of all.
As a teennager I love videos games. That is the main source of entertainment that any teen can use. But compare to my parents, they think the other way around. In the photograph “Games”(Mena,Games) we can see the interface of an Xbox 360 with some the games rated for a mature audience. But there is a problem when ever I say “Now Play some games”(CMena0602 par.6). My parents had differents beliefs when it comes to videos games. My parents grew up when consoles like “The Super Nintendo” were the future of games, and for them videos games were created for kids. They grew up their whole lives with that idea that videos games are for children. In our generation games are made for everyone, kids, teens and adults. But my parents won’t understand that. It is hard to explain to them, games could be rated “E” for everyone and also can be rated “M” for a mature audience. We are growing up in a society that is constantly changing, in a future we are going to disagree with our children in some of the aspects of life as we do with our own today. Games can be the greatest experience to play but some of them were greatest at its time, now are just declining. “Call of Duty is not the same “(CMena0602 par.14) the Call of Duty franchise is one of my favorites. I remember I used to enjoy playing this game with my friends. In the photograph “Ghost”(Mena, Ghost) we see its last game. Call of Duty ghost is the worst game in the Call of Duty franchise. I rather play any older game that this, because of declining of this franchise I’m very aware that the franchise would have a soon ending. For this reason the developers of Call of Duty game had made a lot of difference. Some people argue that the game is dead but it is not. Although its bad reputation Call of Ghost had a good audience. Most of time I am alone, I mean being alone does not mean not being social but I am one of those person who likes to be in quiet places, but has been changing
My future goal and thinking is now moving forward,and even now I realize that I changed they way I think, most of the time I was afraid to go first, now I am the desperate to go first. My thoughts are moving the best direction, moving in the right path, my goal are clearer than ever. If everything goes right in college, I’ll see my mind in stable position, not to full of ideas but with unforgettable memories of my classmates, professors and friends. My past had shaped the way I think, my thoughts are very positives, and if I continue with this not only my personal life would be affected but my academic and professional life would change for the best
Work Cited List
CMena0206[Christopher.Mena]. “Re: Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” OpenLab. ENG1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA2014, 29 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014.
Mena, Christopher. “Music” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Mena, Christopher. “Games” Flickr. 05 Oct. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
Mena, Christopher. “Ghost” Flickr. 05 Oct. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014
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