Roller Coaster of Love: What I Learned While in University

After four years of an incredible journey of ups and downs, today I sat and reflected after my best friend just moved out. It’s been a long four years, but when I think about it, it has been so short because it literally feels like yesterday I was walking the halls at Brock overwhelmed with how large and new it was. Now I walk the halls thinking “how was I ever confused about this place at first” as each wall holds a memory, a thought, an experience from countless days walking the halls to go to class, to meet my friends and to talk to my professors. The past four years I grew up more than I ever though possible, don’t get me wrong, I’m still an immature party animal but that will fade as my twenties do. Over the past four years here are some things I have learned while at University:

1. Intelligence is unique, it comes in many forms, while knowledge comes from many sources. Be open to explore those outlets- the Library is your friend 🙂

2. Friends come unexpectedly, from people you may never have thought possible. So make sure to allow yourself to let those people in your life.

3. With that being said, growing up means changes, changes means busy lives, so although you may not see your friends everyday, when you do it will feel like those two months of not speaking never happened.

4. Growing up is hard. From first year to finally being independent, to second year and learning how to cook for yourself, to third year and having to find trusting and worth while friendships, to finally fourth year and figuring out what to do once you graduate.

4. As the years progress, school doesn’t get easier it gets harder, but in a good way, in a way where you are allowed to push yourself, to challenge yourself to see your full potential.

5. With that comes many all nighters, but oddly that is where some of the best ideas are created.

6. You will choose friends and drinking before your paper, but other times that paper will come first.

7. You will learn from your mistakes and you will laugh at your mistakes. So don’t take first year to harshly, everyone was a ‘wooo’ girl at least once in their life.

8. Professors are there to help you and they actually like to sit and chat with you, even over a tall glass of beer.

9. You will fuck up, it comes with learning how to be independent, but you will bounce back.

10. Some friendships will be the wrong friendships, there will be fights, tantrums, stolen items, name calling and hair pulling, but those ‘friends’ will help you figure out who you actually want to surround yourself with.

11. You will have your heart broken and you will also break someones heart. Remember, do what’s best for you because you are who you have to live with for the rest of your life.

12. There will be moments where you want to quit, where you sit in your room crying, where you hate every god damn professor who makes you read 300 page novels about lap dogs, but that struggle is worth it. That struggle shows how much you are willing to do to get that diploma.

13. You will have classes where you do the bare minimal and you will have classes where you will go above and beyond, these will help you find what you like in life, what actually interests you.

14. Drunken nights with the closets friends can either go entirely right or entirely wrong.

15. You will lose things, but things are material, so get over it.

16. It’s hard to speak up in a lecture that sometimes hold 200 people, don’t be afraid to ask a question, or at least speak to your professor after class to help you out.

17. Girls are bitches, guys are assholes- don’t let people bring you down or stand in your way. Let the haters hate and the lovers love.

18. Those who really care about you will actually show it so don’t waste your time chasing things that wont matter a few months from now.

19. Your family supports you and your decisions, even though it may take time for them to understand. Remember, to them you will always be there little kid so you have to understand that all they want is the best for you.

20. If you really want something go after it, you are your worst critic so don’t let yourself stand in the way of something you may be to afraid to catch at first. Take those leaps, step past that line that you haven’t crossed, burst out of that bubble because there is a whole world out there that’s ready for you and what you have to offer. It may be a challenge to get to at first, but in the end it will be worth it.

There are so many other things I learned in University, it is an experience I would never regret and never do over. Every moment, every decision made is a step in a direction of your adult life. You learn a lot about yourself and a lot about others. There will be people who hate you, and people who you hate, but all theses obstacles that we face are there to challenge us to get to where we need to be. Screw the haters, screw the people standing in front of your dreams. Go for what you are after and knockout those bitches in the way.

 

A Blog to Remember (M8.1)

Social media has become a large part of my life since I grew up in the generation where computers and more specifically the Internet age is a blooming fad. As more and more apps and web sites are designed to keep you posted and connected to the world more people feel inclined to contribute to that content. Those contributing to the content on the Internet are not always considered “produsers”, although we are composing tweets and sharing information, we don’t own the rights to that content, it becomes Twitter’s, Instagram’s or Facebook’s.

Throughout the majority of this course I was introduced to new ways of sharing information on the Internet or by a click of your cell phone. I’ve never been the type of girl who cared much about social media as I mentioned in previous posts. Twitter just recently became a frequent used app for me and I would say it’s my second most used social media outlet now after taking this course. I don’t believe I’m a “produser” at the moment, “unless we regard every twitter and facebook update as an act of creativity” (Bird 512), which we don’t.

I’m in the English and Writing program in hopes to get into the advertisement business later in my career. Next year I will be attending Humber College for a postgraduates program in Copy Write Advertisement so after taking this course I noticed how useful social media and the Internet can be (if used proactively that is). “Produsing” content via the Internet and smart phones creates a quick and instant connection to what the user needs. By having to keep up with a monthly blog contribution and actually taking interest in posting blogs my self, I have realized that I would like to engage in the “produser” age. Also, since I feel inclined to be apart of the advertising sphere in my future career, I feel like I would eventually contribute to being “produser”, creating advertisements, or social media outlets for companies to acquire ways to get their business out there.

Although there are many benefits that come with being apart of the information age and having the opportunity of “produsing” there are some aspects of deprival. In the article “Are We All Produsers Now?” Bird states, “we must not forget that online produsage is not the only way to engage actively with media; action spurred by media takes many forms other than the creation of more media” (Bird 512). Although we have easier access to information and content we must realized there are other outlets that may be more trustworthy or helpful. We must not forget about offline information that can also be accessed. Even though it’s easier to turn on your computer and type into a search engine what you are looking for, going outside the sources of social media and online outlets can benefit your self as well. We must not be totally consumed by the products of the Internet and we must focus on other aspects. Another issue that may arise is the notion of whom you can and cannot trust on the Internet. “Critical consumption, or what Ernest Hemingway called “crap detection,” is the literacy of trying to figure out what and who is trustworthy—and what and who is not trustworthy—online” (Rheingold). Sites like Wikipedia offer information that can be changed frequently, so you must make sure to double-check your sources when using specific sites like that. Overall, for me the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, but it is all solely on how you choose to use your information productively, which is always a challenge now-a-days

Works Cited

Bird, S. E. (2011). Are We All Produsers Now? Cultural Studies. 25 (4-5), pp. 502-516. http://bit.ly/1a8JmGh

Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and Other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies. EDUCAUSE Review. 45:5. pp. 14-24. http://bit.ly/S0yO1z

Ooohh the Irony

Side note: I’m starting off by saying I know this seems a little harsh and immature of me, but I feel like it’s somewhat deserved. So here I go:

I have always been one of those outcasts, never popular, where most of my friends throughout high school consisted of boys who either played too much video games or smoked too much pot. Being on the rowing team never helped with my social status either, a team filled with social outcasts and nerds so to to speak. In ways you can say I never tried to be more out there and open to others conventions of popularity, but that was because I took one look at those “it” girls and rather being envious of their skinny bodies, long perfect hair and precise makeup, I laughed at it. My face was bare and my hair was usually a shaggy mop of brown, golden frizzy waves. I had braces on and off due to my father’s constant battle with my pip squeak, little nuggets of teeth (he’s a dentist) and I suffered from the normal struggles of acne as a teen (as most of you probably have). But rather being focused on my looks and having more friends, I focused on forming bonds with people through their personalities rather than their beauties (along with the constant shit disturbing tendencies I caused around the school and my neighbourhood– but that was all fun and games).

So as their beauty fades and their bodies grow increasingly large, I’m still the one laughing. Instead of focusing on the materiality of the world as a teen (as they did) I decided to pursue the insight and inner beauty of others. Just because they do not have that perfect facial feature, I don’t toss them on the curb and refuse to try to speak with them, I become more inclined to want to create a friendship. I’m not saying I only make friends with ugly people, because if you take one look at my friends you would know how untrue that is (as they are some of the most stunning individuals I have ever encountered). All I’m saying is I take time to get to know someone for their inner self rather than just their outer self. Because what lies on the outside is not the only thing that matters, it’s what lies on the inside that counts. SO before judging a book by its cover, realize that that ugly duckling may grow into a beautiful swan.

I write this because as I was sitting on the bus ride home two of my former high school classmates came sauntering on the bus. And let me tell you, the past four years have not been well for them. They have gained at least 20 pounds and have stopped putting effort into their appearance as they once did. These girls judged and dismissed others who did not meet their social standards and now they have become those girls they use to judge. Irony at its finest. 

 

Linked In and Connected Around the World (M7.1)

Social media provides many opportunities, but whether those opportunities are proactive or digressive is up to the user. Now that the Internet has created a way for people to connect and contribute to newsworthy events citizen journalism has become a popular hobby taken up by many individuals. Through Twitter and Facebook citizens are able to connect and contribute to current news and events taking place in society. By interacting with others through social media sites it allows the opportunity for commentary and discussion which “compiles information and can therefore be seen as a form of news curation: of tracking a story and highlighting its origins and implications” (Burns 6).

The article “Blogs, Twitter and Breaking News” talks about how the community is able to engage and learn newsworthy events by posting their own thoughts and contributions through social media sites like Twitter (Burns). By sites like Twitter, the ability to connect with others on specific topics is easier because of trends and hashtags. Hashtags keep the discussions and topics connected and easy to find by being linked through a common trend everyone is aware of.

In some ways this New Journalism is beneficial to allowing the community and others to engage in what is happening around the world, but it also leaves room for problems. Sometimes people may take things to great lengths such as Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 crash that recently took place. I recently heard on the radio (102.1 the edge) that people are searching Google maps and finding pictures of planes that have crashed and claiming that it is the Flight 370, then posting it on Twitter. When in fact those picture could have been taken many years prior. Thus, allowing the online community to spread false information leading to the notion of conspiracy theories and other improbable events.

Yet in a more productive sense, Twitter is allowing others to connect through the hashtags #MH370 and #MASalert. Here people are able to follow the news and keep track of any leads and updates that may occur. Also, people are able to contribute with commentary and communicate with others on the tragedy of the event. This allows others to be involved in what is taking place around the world and informing themselves and others through the information they may have more access to then others. In the following picture there are multiple tweets that show how the community is engaging in citizen journalism.

“Traditional and New Media Coverage” notes how “Twitter describes itself as ‘a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting’’” (Hermida 660). Twitter is a space to connect with others that share similar interests all over the world and allows others to be active in participating in journalistic qualities such a reporting and informing.

Overall, citizen journalism is seen mostly through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. I would say that I probably don’t contribute as much to citizen journalism as I liked too seeing as I want to get my self more involved with what events are happening around the world. I was never a big fan of Facebook so inevitably I never got involved with understanding how it worked and how it connected with others through news worthy events. Through Twitter I would say I have actively involved myself with citizen journalism, as I tend to look through popular trends with events that are taking place around the world through news room social media sites. I feel that I am more likely to contribute to social activism through Twitter and Facebook as it is a place where it can reach millions of people so important things like Tsunami reliefs and Mental Heath awareness can be raised. In recent years a girl committed suicide at my high school and as a school people created a page on Facebook to raise awareness and commemorate the girl and her family. This is just a small contribution in how social media can affect opportunities for citizen journalism and social activism.

Works Cited:

Bruns, A. & T. Highfield. (2012). Blogs, Twitter, and breaking news: The produsage of citizen journalism.

Hermida, A. (2012). TWEETS AND TRUTH: Journalism as a discipline of collaborative verification. Journalism Practice. 6:5-6, p659-668

Music to my Mood (M6.2)

I have always been a fan of listening to music and when I find an artist that I truly appreciate I tend to get a little obsessed with having to listen to every one of their songs. Over the years I have downloaded hundreds of discographies through Torrent sites, but now that I have been introduced to sites that are used to share music I have fallen off that horse. One website I was introduced to by a friend was Groovshark. At first I wasn’t a fan, back when I was in the stage of constantly downloading. As I got more accustom to it I began to appreciate how easy is was to listen to any song a band has through simply going to their Groovshark page. Another aspect that fascinated me was the song recommendations they gave you based on songs you have previously listened too. I have always been a fan of finding new music, but never knew where to look, yet it was right underneath my nose.

Music helps me cope, it helps me focus and also helps distract me. When I need it, it is always seems to put me in the place I need to be at that moment. Jazz helps me focus on readings, rap gets me pumped when I exercise, punk/ rock (more specifically Blink182) lifts my spirits and I’m instantly in a better mood. I don’t know what it is about music, but it can completely change the mood I am in. A great app I have been a little over indulgent with recently is Songza, which is a great site in creating a playlist that caters to the mood your in. Songza gives you a selection of playlists based on the time of day (which can easily be changed, manually, through you). There are multiple playlists, with multiple genres, specifically designed for what you are doing and what your wanting to listen to at that moment.

Streaming and sharing music has grown more and more popular over the years and although some believe it can cause a decline in the recording companies, it also shows a spike in artist publicity. My favorite thing that comes from Groovshark and Songza is the ability to find new artists and songs that I would like and be able to share with friends. In the article “How Social Media and Streaming Have Influenced the Music Industry” it states, “Streaming vastly improves the listening experience, making listeners much more likely to engage for longer periods of time and to share their experiences”. Social media and streaming sites also give the ability for artist exposure creating a new way to “discover and enjoy music”. I believe that artists can thrive in reaching out to their fans, which is a very important platform since fans want to feel a connection with their favourite band.

To illustrate the connection artists and bands have to their fans through social media I will create a slideshare on Blink182 and their use of social media like Twitter and Instagram, which you can find here: (http://www.slideshare.net/see_bomb) 🙂

Cheers.

The Day Lady Died –By Frank O’Hara

It is 12:20 in New York a Friday

three days after Bastille day, yes

it is 1959 and I go get a shoeshine

because I will get off the 4:19 in Easthampton   

at 7:15 and then go straight to dinner

and I don’t know the people who will feed me

I walk up the muggy street beginning to sun   

and have a hamburger and a malted and buy

an ugly NEW WORLD WRITING to see what the poets   

in Ghana are doing these days

                                           I go on to the bank

and Miss Stillwagon (first name Linda I once heard)   

doesn’t even look up my balance for once in her life   

and in the GOLDEN GRIFFIN I get a little Verlaine   

for Patsy with drawings by Bonnard although I do   

think of Hesiod, trans. Richmond Lattimore or   

Brendan Behan’s new play or Le Balcon or Les Nègres

of Genet, but I don’t, I stick with Verlaine

after practically going to sleep with quandariness

and for Mike I just stroll into the PARK LANE

Liquor Store and ask for a bottle of Strega and   

then I go back where I came from to 6th Avenue   

and the tobacconist in the Ziegfeld Theatre and   

casually ask for a carton of Gauloises and a carton

of Picayunes, and a NEW YORK POST with her face on it

and I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of

leaning on the john door in the 5 SPOT

while she whispered a song along the keyboard

to Mal Waldron and everyone and I stopped breathing

 

– I was introduced to this poem in my creative writing class and even though I was never a Billie Holiday fan, this poem in someway made me remorse her death. When a poet is able to evoke emotions, even for something I have no idea about, it really showcases their talent. The last line is a great wrap up to the poem and truly hits home.  

Chemoreceptors: An Urgent Hunt

Flapping and gliding through plants,
vivid colours,
up, down, side to side, back and front.

Floating North,
greens and browns
kaleidoscope eyes,
hoping for purples anywhere around.

Drumming my legs against each plant
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, next.

Again the wind takes me
flapping and gliding through the smooth air.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, my time’s running out, only a day to live
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, my time’s running out, only a few hours to live
1, 2, 3, 4, my time’s running out, only a few minutes to live
green, it will have to go here.

1, time’s up.

Cathartic Memories

I was discussing music that brought up a cathartic experience and one of my friends mentioned Cat Power, and my obsession with her from grade 11 came flooding back, full force. Her music evokes a sense of emotion that most artists can’t portray, especially with the music that is released in todays culture. I wanted to share this experience to bring back what music actually is about, rather then the common; sex, drugs, money, ” I’m big pimpin’ ” genre that’s floating around on the radio now-a-days. So, for all you Miley Cyrus fans, here’s what music SHOULD sound like. A short yet friendly rant 🙂 ENJOY!

A Jungle of Pollution

I walk through the doors, a gush of warm wind hits my face.
My ears fill with noises of liveliness,
My eyes, dizzy with the motion of back and forth.
I close them and my head swims with colours of greens, yellows, purples and browns.
I walk through the jungle of busy bodies,
Making sure not to disturb the chaotic commotion that’s in front of me.
A flock of birds moving quickly to get to their terminal.
Rushing to check in, wanting to skip the line ahead.
I close my eyes, a herd of predators racing for their prey.
Security holds us in lines, a stream of people ahead, moving slowly like flowing water.
Bags checked, picked threw, like monkeys picking out the bugs deep within the fur.
No bugs. All-clean. Time to move on. Quickly paced.
I closed my eyes a panther races by chasing it’s young.
A monkey swinging through the trees looking for food.
A herd of rhinos walking peacefully to the water.
A lion yawning, tired from the long day ahead.
Sitting, waiting, anticipation sits within me.
My flight is called we board the plane, a heard of animals ahead of me.

I close my eyes,
I look around and see desolate faces
Animals in cages.
Suffocating, confining.
Away from their natural habitat.
Pollution filled the once clean air,
A habitat now tainted with industrialization.
Suffocating, confining.
The wilderness of the jungle
Once untouched by man
Now filled with exhaust,
Suffocating, confining.
A layer of grey surrounds you
Trapped like an animal in a cage.
A hostage in a zoo.
Suffocating, confining.
A barrier of shelter releasing toxins.
Man made shelters meant for realism.
Trapping, conforming for pleasure.
Suffocating, confining.

I open my eyes, the commotion of animals buzzing around me
Wanting to escape their busy lives.
I look around at similar faces, waiting, anticipating their journey to the jungle.
Little do they know, it’s right in front of them.

A night out in Toronto

I recently took a trip to Toronto and had my first night out in the crazy, chaotic city. The night was young and beautiful and my friend and I decided to go explore with no plan in mind. I remember the walk there and getting into the club and ordering a drink, but shortly after that my entire night was a blank.

The city is large and you will never know who you might encounter or what type of people are around you. I made the decision to place my drink down and turn my head for a split second and soon became the victim of a date rape drug. Random people separated me and my friend and I went missing for at least 20-30 minutes. When she found me I was disorientated and had no idea where I went.

The next morning I had a vague memory of a man taking me somewhere off limits and having his hands on me. I was lucky enough to have escaped and gotten away, but some victims are not as fortunate as I was. Anyone can be targeted so this post is a reminder for everyone to watch your drink and be careful when going out to the clubs. Never accept a drink from a stranger and watch the bartenders when they make yours. And my number one advice for everyone, never place your drink down, keep it in your hands at all times! 

None the less, even though I had a misfortunate encounter on my first night out in Toronto, I’m not writing this to encourage people to never go out! I am writing this to share my experience and to inform others about the dangers that lurk around every corner. I had a great time when my friend and I finally reunited. I was a little more loopy than normal because of what was in my system, but now I know how easy it is to be targeted. 

Remember; have fun, stay safe, and have a drink for me!