Post 5: Consumption

From which perspective of consumption is more prevalent, needing or wanting? New Keywords states that early usage of "consume" in the 14th century signaled destruction, exhaustion and waste. Presently, the economical analogy between producers and consumers, where consumers purchase products developed by producers, represent the neutral or positive consumption. In addition, consumption may apply to what living organisms do every day: eating. Furthermore, before discussing "consumption" in class today, I always thought of the word representing food. However, after Smaill informed the class of his pessimistic insight, I also began to perceive "consumption" from a negative point of view.

Below is a clip from Smallville, where Clark attempts to save a drunk Santa Claus. I have included the times that are significant to this argument:
0:00-2:03
5:54-end.



How does this tie in with consumption? Santa is disappointed in the world because “it’s all take take take, bitch bitch bitch.” He is implying that people are thinking about what they want and complaining if they do not get it. Likewise, humans have become narrow-minded in desiring the best of everything and not giving back to the world. Humans have become engrossed in consumption for their own desires and not for their own needs. The last minute of the clip is the conclusion of the scene, where Santa realizes that “the spirit of Christmas isn’t dead after all” because there are some, like Clark, who sacrifice their own desires to help others. In addition, Smallville uses peaceful music and special effects to add emotion and excitement to the scene. These elements supplement the viewers to help them understand what Santa is trying to say and how he changes his perspective of the world.

I also believe that the world today is focused more on what people want as opposed to what people need. For instance, in class we talked about televisions. At one point in time, a person who owns a 30' flat screen would be of "high class." However, a few years later, owning that same flat screen would become embarrassing because others may have larger and more "advanced" televisions, such as 70' HD TVs. Yet, is it necessary to be able to see every single bit of detail on TV? Isn't a TV that is moderately viewable good enough?

Another example would be purchasing hybrid cars. I was talking to my friends once when I casually brought up my desire to own a hybrid car. They were in shock. Why? Their reason was that hybrid cars are not stylish. I retaliated by indicating that a hybrid would produce less carbon byproducts and that it would help me save money. Again, they smirked and said that they were not worried about global warming and the costs of a gasoline-powered car.

These are just a couple of examples that blatantly depict that people are more considered for the superficial than the beneficial. On the flip side, humans are programmed to take care of themselves and to appeal to others - no one is perfect. We all want to have the good things and the things that others have. Similarly, mankind wants to continue to develop technology and make new discoveries (which is not necessarily bad), but the "wants" generally outnumber the "needs." Hence, the combination of these factors ultimately leads to the negative connotation of "consumption," or the "wanting" of the best of everything.

Post 4: Memory

It is 10:50 P.M. I am sitting in a comfortable beige couch, with two pillows supporting my back. It has been nearly two hours since I first planted myself here, reminiscing about the past, listening to "Eternity ~Memory of Lightwaves~." When this fourth, random blog was announced and assigned in class in what seems like a year from now, I was adrenalized by the endless things that I could write about, whether it was about my favorite sport or my horrible addiction to Smallville. In reality, this possibly endless blog has caught me off-guard, taunting me with its blank white slate, in which I can fill with anything. And still, the memory of the past remains.

What is a memory? Is it a fantasy or a reality? Does it exist to remind one of happiness or to mock one with pain? New Keywords defines memory as "an indispensable condition of effective human life" and states that John Locke believed that memory contained "the storehouse of our ideas." Also, there is no doubt that psychologist have studied the profound concept of memory. Even movies, such as Memento, have used the theme of memory, something that is not fully understood, to mentally challenge and thrill viewers. All those things may further define and elaborate memory, but memory itself has no definition mentally or physically. Bits of memory slowly fade, but most, especially heart warming and heart crushing, memories remain.

I can remember what happened yesterday. I left class, excited about the limitless boundaries of the fourth blog, and talked with a friend (and ended up missing the bus). I can remember January 12 of this year: my heart was sweating and pounding, yet happy and full of love, while I was at the end of a 50 candle lit and flower arranged path, standing under a gazebo in the Arboretum, and dancing to Slow Jam with a special someone in what was like a heaven-like dream. I can also remember the middle of senior year of high school, when my heart was stabbed in the back, crushed mercilessly by a hand, and transformed into a heavy rock. These memories still remain.

What do memories mean to you? Are they your heaven or hell? Do you remember or try to forget them? Think of the random moments, the affectionate instants, and the painful marathons. Try to relive them and to escape from them. They are frozen pictures and videos in time in a photo album that take a form of our head. These memories will always remain.

Memories are neither fantasy nor reality. They have no physical form; they take on any shapes. Perhaps they exist in a form that reminds us that we are human, that we go through happy as well as sad times, that nothing is perfect, that things sometimes go wrong, and that we cannot always have what we want. Memory reminds me that I have been sitting on this beige compressed couch with two swished pillows behind my back, for almost three hours, thinking of what to write, only to find the answer in the form of the past. Memory is unbelievably abstract and really questions you what it is and what purpose it serves in life. Nevertheless, I cannot spend an eternity squeezing out the energy from my brain to figure out what it is; I will give up for now.















Still, my memories remain.

Post 3: Theory

In class, we initially discussed theory as a scientific term, and it may very well be. However, I was thinking of something completely different. Personally, my very first experience with theory was drawing oval-shaped bubbles with lines sprouting out of their right side. When I was younger, I would be thinking to myself, "What's the point of doing piano theory? Aren't I supposed to be practicing playing piano instead of writing out harmonic scales and drawing triads?" I later realized that, as it is with everything else, learning theory is a fundamental component of learning how to perform and perfect anything.

A definition of theory in the New Keywords textbook is "a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts." In addition, a student in class mentioned that a theory also has opposition. Interestingly, contradiction arises between opposition and theory's definition: how do these two coexist? Musicians (or at least I) take a general set of rules when writing and playing music for granted. For example, when playing a piece (on piano) in A major, there would be three sharps: F, C, and G. However, there are certain exceptions where one does not have to play these sharps, in which the F, C, or G note has a natural sign or a double sharp sign.

I admit that my idea of theory in music may appear somewhat ignorant and naive; it is hard for me to even think of music as hypotheses or in terms of rules because I am like a robot following a written code. In scientific terms, brilliant minds test out their hypotheses and, if their experiments succeed, then their hypotheses become theory or fact. However, if you think about it, these hypotheses are developed based on previous ideas, which may be true or not true. The bottom line is that these ideas are generally taken for granted; they are theories that few people attempt to disprove or not believe. Hence, the definition of theory and opposition to it coexist in a sophisticated way.

If none of this makes sense, I can at least say that our UWP 101 class is very much like theory. Unlike other mundane English classes, we are able to test out new ideas, such as writing blogs and examining key words, and see if they work. If they do work, then we continue with it. Similarly, if the ideas fail, then we find another approach. Our theory for this class, as of now, is randomly picking key words and composing a blog on them each day. Not everyone may agree with this trial and error, but this is just how it is for now - and that, in itself, is a theory.

Post 2: Race

After cooking myself a little something after returning to my apartment from class, I sat comfortably on the couch and stared blankly at the television. I let my brain rot and mold like how it should over the summer - for five hours straight. Of course, I took short 30 second breaks in between to grab some food and drinks to keep myself plump and cool. Inevitably, at the end of five hours, after finishing my unusual television marathon, I finally reached for my New Keywords textbook and proceeded to reboot my brain. I laid down on the couch, and began reading, "Race is a politically charged and ambivalent word that has evaded precise definition..."

It is profound how one word can instantly instigate a flurry of memories, is it not? Reading and thinking about race was like watching a film strip: memories of my being in different environments involving people of different races flashed right before my eyes. To be honest, I only thought of playing basketball and sitting in my Asian American Studies class. I closed my eyes and speculated on how I was to discuss race in those two different environments in a narrative...

On one hand, I figured, race is not an important factor that players think about while playing basketball. More importantly, it does not separate them from one another. In all my uncountable visits to the ARC, I have never experienced a moment where a players excluded one another from playing because of their race. On the basketball court, you may be white, black, yellow, brown, or even green. No one cares - as long as you have talent. In other words, the players are a diverse, homogeneous group.

On the other hand, my Asian American Studies class from the past spring quarter was - predictably - a class full of Asians. We talked about similar key terms in the "Race" chapter discussed in New Keywords, such as racial groups, race-mixing, racial profiling, racial stereotypes, and racial hatred. For example, we all, literally, have heard of stereotypes about different races, such as "Asians are smart" or "African Americans are good at basketball." Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to walk around and be devoid of labeling because of race. Yet, this may be either a good or bad thing; it just depends on how one perceives it. Nonetheless, race somewhat defines the identity of a person.

Having procrastinated for about five hours and working and taking a break, back and forth, for two hours, I believe that this is an appropriate and general analysis of my experiences with race. Although race is a broad topic that may be approached from many directions, there is one fact about it: race is always a part of one's identity.

Post 1: Narration

What has the world come to: hearing the flipping papers of closing notebooks and the zipping of spacious backpacks - no offense to the Professor - I assumed that it was the end of class. In addition, while the Professor added some last words, I pulled out my cell phone out of my cool, silky pocket and targeted the time: it was only 11:10 a.m. I carefully balanced myself after the class was dismissed, placed my two best friends - my left and right crutches - under my armpits while inhaling the irritating rubber fumes, and limped out.

That was just the commencement of my 30 minute trek to, into, and out of the UC Davis money-ripping emporium - I mean bookstore. I went through ten minutes of repetitive dreary motions of hopping forward and swinging my crutches out in front of me, unbalanced because of the jagged, pebbly cement, while draining myself of my breath and energy in the dry, summer air. Frustration and anxiety flowed through my mind and body, reassuring myself that in one week I will be able to walk again.

When I finally arrived at the bookstore, I had a few goals: to hop downstairs, grab the Keywords book, jump back upstairs, and pay at the register while maintaining my balance and avoiding accidental mishaps caused by my crutches. I was successful for the most part; however, I failed to find the textbook. Yet, I did bump into a friend, who happened to work at the bookstore. She was actually yelling out my name while I was going downstairs to tell me that there was an elevator that I could use. She escorted me to the mysterious elevator that I had never noticed - it reminded me of the door to the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter - and brought me back up to the first floor.

I left the bookstore empty-handed, ten minutes after I arrived, but content and sympathetic because of the help of my friend. Furthermore, a kind stranger helped me open the door so that I could walk out of the Memorial Union. I spent the last ten minutes waiting for my roommate to pick me up at the bus stop outside of the MU, thinking about how simple and kind gestures can flip one's mood right-side up, how I should do the same for others, and how much fun I would have spending time on a hobby, not a chore or an assignment.