As this semester of ENC1102 draws to a close, I take the time to reflect about all the things I have learned. Three things stick out to me above the rest, I have learned how to write blog posts, create presentations, and properly format MLA style papers. Before this class, it never even crossed my mind to have a blog. However, this class has opened my mind to the ease and reward that a blog can be written. I enjoy reading many blogs, and now I can benefit others with this new skill. Previous to this semester I have only created one presentation when I was 12. I used power point and read only what I had written on the slides. Last week, I created a Prezi presentation about electronic music, and it is clear to see how far I’ve gone. With tips and tricks from my professor, classmates, family, and friends, I was able to improve drastically from my last attempt. The simplicity of using Prezi paired with its superb outcome, makes creating presentations a much more cheerful task. In my previous college level English class, I was required to use MLA formatting; however, my professor barely explained the process. Now, I feel confident to write MLA style papers, presentations, and works cited pages. I no longer feel overwhelmed with the thought of having to write in a specific format, worried that I would get it wrong. I now see that MLA is not too hard after all, and I feel at ease writing in this style. This semester has definitely helped me in achieving writing skills that will help me in my academic future. I believe that I can now tackle almost any writing assignment life will through at me. My family and I can greatly see the improvement in my writing skills in just the past few months, and I can only attribute this progress to a great semester in ENC1102.
All posts by tamarakoubi001
The Perfect Speaker
I am a perfectionist. There I’ve said it. That one word that describes every action I do. Nothing I can ever do will ever change this one fact about me. It shows through in every task I commit to, including public speaking. When I stand up and face an audience, I get a short burst of nervousness. Suddenly, I’m terrified I won’t present my long worked on speech 100% perfectly. What if I forget my words? What if my cue cards get jumbled? What if… What if… What if… runs through my brain in that one second I first face my audience. I have to take a couple of deep breaths in order to calm myself down.
My apprehension towards public speaking has nothing to do with my dislike of words, only my distrust of myself. If I make a single mistake, I am miserable; regardless of the overall outcome. For this reason I try to keep my speeches to a minimum. Even so, when the time comes to present, I look forward to the moment. Until I see my audience.
Success; Helps and Hindrances
My life, like everything else in the world, is a mix of good and bad. The Chinese philosophy of ying and yang is prominent in everything around us. Even as I try to ensure success in my academic life, there are things that will hinder my progress.
Three things I do to ensure success in my life:
1. The biggest help I have for my future is taking dual-enrolment courses at Miami Dade College. By getting a head start now, my future will have many more possibilities open for me. At my current rate, I plan on completing my AA at the same time as completing high school. This will allow me to be three years faster in my education than my fellow classmates.
2. Another good thing I am doing to ensure success in my life is exploring multiple possibilities. I take part in dozens of activities in order to broaden my horizon. Dabbling in multiple fields such as, cooking, teaching, english, psychology, music and many more. This will give me a chance to experiment which field I enjoy working in the most.
3. Additionally, I am already starting to save money for my college tuition. I know that any good college costs a lot of money, so even though I have a couple more years to go before I have to really decide where my life will take me, I know I want to go to college and university. I have started writing and applying for several scholarships, and I plan to get a job this summer, all to aid in my college goals.
Even with all the good I am trying to do to keep success in my life, there are things I am inadvertently doing that are hindering my forward journey.
1. My biggest hindrance I find in my academic success is my inability to chose a major, let alone a career path. I have always been slightly indecisive, but not having a major will greatly impure my long term goals. I don’t even know what area I would like to strive for. I will be spending a lot of time this year trying to plan out my future, and I hope I will discover at least which direction I need to head in.
2. Another downfall I find in myself is my perfectionism and over-achiever nature. Everything I do must be done to the full 100%, and while this may seem like an asset, I have noticed that I put too much time and effort in the small things. Since I was a little girl, my classmates would complete their art projects quicker than the allotted hour of class. However, I would spend hours on the same art project, working my teacher overtime while trying to get my piece just right. I am trying now to focus my time on what needs the most work, instead of working too hard on the little things in life.
3. My third major hindrance in my life is my procrastination. All too often I find my self franticly finishing up a project that is due the next morning, or even worse the next hour. I tend to spend far too much time in pleasure activities versus academical ones. Pinterest is just too captivating to let me go and work on my calculous homework. I blame the Internet. I do realize this problem of mine, and no mater how simple it is to blame technology, I do understand I am the only one at fault. I will try extra hard this year to put work before play. Especially working on the most recently due items over the assignments due next month.
Practical Writing Friday: Recipe, Top 5 Favorite, Recent Event Meme
Recipe:
I have recently taken part in my first ever baking competition, Cupcake Wars at the Fair Expo. I was against two other competitors, both from cooking programs, and I won. My winning cupcake flavor was Gingerbread with Maple Frosting. Delicious in the colder days of winter, but just as good in the summer, gingerbread is an amazing flavor. Be warned, these cupcakes are slightly addictive.
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
1 stick salted Butter, room temperature
½ cup brown Sugar
1 tsp ground fresh Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 dash Allspice
½ cup Maple syrup
2 Eggs
½ cup Sour cream
1½ cups Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
For the frosting:
¼ cup Maple syrup
2 Egg whites
¼ tsp Salt
¼ cup brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Garam masala
For the topping:
Crystallized Ginger
Gingerbread-boy cookie
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line or grease a cupcake tin.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice until no lumps remain.
3. Beat in the maple syrup, eggs, and sour cream, beating well between each addition.
4. Add the flour and baking soda. Mix well, leaving no clumps.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared liners and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting.
1. In a small pan, bring the maple syrup to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whip egg whites and salt until foamy. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and garam masala. Continue to beat until soft peaks form.
3. Remove the maple syrup from the heat and add a small amount of the egg mixture to the maple syrup. Stir to combine. Then, slowly add the maple syrup mixture to the egg mixture while beating on high. Continue to whip on high speed until glossy and stiff peaks form and the bowl can be turned upside down without spilling (about 5 min).
4. Pour the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
(If there are leftovers, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. The liquid will separate and sink to the bottom of the container. Simply stir, or beat it back together; however, be careful not to over-beat your eggs.)
Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, you are ready to assemble.
1. With the frosting in your piping bag, pipe large mounds onto the cupcakes. Alternatively you can also spoon mounds of frosting onto the cupcakes.
2. Sprinkle a spoonful of crystallized ginger over the frosting. Then, using a sharp knife, cut a small slice into the cupcake and stick a gingerbread-boy cookie into the hole.
My Top 5 Favorite… TV Shows:
1. Downton Abbey. Downton Abbey takes place in Yorkshire, England in the early 1900s. The viewers watch the wealthy Crawley family and their servants throughout their everyday lives. As always with old English families, having a male heir is the utmost importance to keeping one’s estate and family name. When one heir after the other is tragically killed, it creates quite a dilemma in the Crawley’s simple lifestyle. Finally a suitable young boy is born, carrying the title to the entire estate; however, the residents have had to change their ways to become a self-sustainable manor. I absolutely love watching this British show. British movies are always more classy then their American counterparts. The actors are also superb, bringing depth to all of the characters in the show. I am constantly on bated breath as I wait for the next episode to be released.
2. Perception. Perception revolves around the life of Dr. Daniel Pierce, a schizophrenic neuroscientist, who works as a college professor; as well as occasionally solving cases together with his friend Kate Moretti from the FBI. With each episode, Dr. Pierce encounters a new hallucination which helps him solve his current case. Perception is one of my favorite TV shows because even though it is entertaining, it is also extremely educational. Because Dr. Pierce is a neuroscientist, he solves his cases with the use of psychology. Each episode portrays a different neurological disorder. Watching this series has enlightened me, and given me a taste for learning psychology.
3. Doctor Who. Doctor Who is all about a thousand-year-old alien, or time lord, known simply as The Doctor who travels around space and time in a “big blue box” called the Tardis. The Doctor is constantly picking up companions both human, alien, and robot to accompany him on his adventures. This is another British TV series, and the actor’s accents are absolutely superb. This TV show has been going on since the sixties, and it is easy to see why. While difficult to explain, this series is wonderfully captivating from the moment I sat down to watch it several years ago.
4. Sherlock. Sherlock is a new adaptation of the novels “Sherlock Holmes” by Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle. Taking place in modern day London, Sherlock Holmes and his friend John Watson assist the police solving crimes using the science of deduction. I have always liked detective stories since I was a little girl, and “Sherlock Homes” have always been one of my favorite books. When I started watching Sherlock a couple months ago, it immediately became one of my favorite TV shows as well.
5. White Collar. White Collar is about Neal Caffrey, an extremely clever con-artist, and his friend Peter Burke, FBI Special Agent. Neal is always hatching new plans to get rich fast, while trying to stay under the radar of Peter’s ever watchful eye. This show is definitely one of my favorite TV shows, because of its unique characters and story line. The ever constant twists and turns of life are flawlessly portrayed in this series. As a viewer, I am constantly kept on the edge of my seat, which is exactly how I like it.
Recent Event Meme:
Kim Jong-Un wins North Korea election with no vote against him and no one else on the ballot.
Practical Writing Wednesday: Customer Service Complaint Letter, Instagram Captions, Movie Review
Customer Service Complaint Letter:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am an avid fan of the Crepe Maker. I could eat crepes every day of the week, and the Crepe Maker has the best crepes in Miami. However, I was greatly disappointed with your customer service just last week. I was at in Arnold Hall at The Fair and being hungry, I wanted a crepe. Unfortunately when I got to the Crepe Maker stand, I found a group of people waiting with no worker to be seen. The chef had left a note saying that he would be gone for ten minutes. I decided that a good crepe would be worth the wait, but twenty minutes later there was still no sign of a Crepe Maker employee. While I was waiting there another prospective customer told me that the same thing had happened in the twin Crepe Maker stand outside the hall. Dismayed, I left and had to settle for a cold pretzel. I am very shocked at this complete carelessness. I am sure both the employees have a valid excuse, but many people were upset that day, due to the irresponsibility of these employees. I hope you will take adequate measures to prevent this from happening again.
Sincerely,
Hungry and Waiting
Instagram Captions and Pictures:
#inspirationallyrics #photography #Pinecrestgardens
Movie Review:
Lee Daniels, renowned actor, producer, and director, has created a masterpiece in his new historical film The Butler. Daniels skillfully portrays the growth and development of the African American Civil Rights Movement from the 1920s to present day in the United States through the eyes of Cecil Gaines. This film takes the viewer through the years giving a full understanding of everything that went on during this time period. Unlike other films about the historical development of Black Americans’ freedom, the key focus is not on the presidents and legal issues, but on one man: the butler.
Based on a true story and actual facts, this film begins with a young Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) working on the cotton field with his parents (David Banner and Mariah Carey). After tragic events, Cecil leaves the only place he has ever known and sets out to create his own future; one that is not dictated by “white men”. After several experiences and several more years, he ends up in Washington D.C. where he meets his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey). Together they struggle to raise their two sons in a time where a man’s skin color made a huge difference. As a family, they face multiple issues that show the struggle that Cecil braves as he tries to hold them all together. Then, during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s term, Cecil gets hired to work as a butler in the White House. Using his training from his earlier years, he steadily climbs the ladder of success, although some of the White House staff is prejudiced. As a domestic servant Cecil sees nothing, he hears nothing, yet he still forms remarkable bonds with each of the presidents. Whitaker characterizes not only a remarkable butler, but also an attentive father and husband who cares very much about his family and their future in those turbulent times.
The actors make the movie. If this is the case, The Butler would get another five stars. This film includes many famous actors such as Cuba Gooding Jr., Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, Oprah Winfrey, and Mariah Carey. All the actors did an amazing job, each portraying his or her character with personality and emotion. The audience could see the pain reflected behind the leading character’s eyes. In fact, everything about this film was astounding. Through the actors, director, producer, and everyone involved in this intriguing and heart warming film, the intensity of the difficult yet historical African-American Civil Rights Movement and the ups and downs of the life of Cecil Gaines were captured in their full splendor.
Practical Writing Monday: Email to Boss, Micro-Blogging, Message Board
Email to Your Boss:
Dear Mrs. Balbuzano,
First off, I would like to tell you how much I appreciate your amazing music program. It is a wonderful thing to be able to teach young children the love and importance of music. There is nothing that brings me greater joy than seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces when they play on the drums. Even so, it saddens me to have to ask permission to take time off from working with you. I wanted to take a week off to visit my family during the summer. I understand that I would be leaving during one of the busier times in the program, but I will put in extra hours both before and after my absence if I am permitted to go.
Thank you very much for your time,
Tamara Koubi
Micro-Blogging (Twitter Posts):
Eepua! Shoov! How these mean elevator and stairs I have no idea. #babytalk #toocute #mybabysbetter
Just sat around for three hours for nothing cause my appointment was canceled. #unprofesh #timeismoney
Yay its spring break, but I don’t think I’ll do anything since I’m an antisocial homeschooler #homeschoolprobs #ihavealifetoo
CupcakeWars on Thursday, just another excuse for me to bake. #KeyLime #tiramisu #gingerbread #cupcakesaremylife
Can’t believe they still haven’t found the Malaysian plane #prayforMH370
Defending Your Opinion On a Message Board:
I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that means mine is just as important as yours. Even though many people, including yourself, believe that technology is an asset to society, I think technology will be the human race’s downfall. There are practically recent technological inventions that are really benefiting people in general. Instead of spending time with people, everyone keeps their heads in their shells concentrating on their iPhones and Androids. Instead of taking the time to enjoy the outdoors and walking the fifteen minutes to your grocery store, everyone jumps in their car, only caring about time efficiency. Could you go an entire day without your cellphone? People are depending too greatly on technology, and that will inevitably ruin us. I’m not saying you need to run off and live in an Amish village, but I don’t think you should downgrade someone for trying to live with a lesser dependency on technology.
A New Age of Music
Being a musician myself, I am always on the look out for music related discoveries. Even less recent developments intrigue me; such as electronic music. It started in the late 1940s with music only being distorted by electronic means. Now, whole songs are being played with the use of electronic instruments, both physical and synthetic. It is a new age of music. One can only imagine what incredible developments the future of electronic music is destined to bring.
For my research paper, I will discuss how electronic music and instruments came to be, and how they might continue to develop in the future. Technology can be combined with any other field in order to create amazing new outcomes. Binding itself to music, technology has given people an everlasting gift. New music, new instruments, new sounds; these things will not pass quickly, but instead last for decades to come. I hope that this paper will not only enlighten those who read it, but also my self, on the incredible capabilities of technological music and the instruments that create it.
Technology; a Help or a Hindrance
Technology is constantly changing. Ebbing and flowing as often as the tides steadily creeping up the shore. Each day something newer and better is released, one-uping its predecessor. But is technology even a good thing? Should the human race continue to push forward in technological progress, or should we put it all on hold? Granted technology is helping many people in their day-to-day lives, but it is also causing great harm by preventing the development of humanity.
Humanity’s dependance on technology has become a hinderance on it’s own. Because technology is so adaptable, humans have started to depend on it for every little thing. People no longer even brush their own teeth without the use of their handy electronic toothbrushes. Has humanity sunken so low that the strain of brushing one’s teeth has become too much? People must stop now. Without external effort technological dependencies will go nowhere but up. As Juan Enriquez points out in his 2009 TED Talk, humans already depend on technology to keep them alive. Scientists are now creating artificial organs in labs. How much more dependent can a civilization get? Technology feeds us, clothes us, cleans us, and now even keeps us alive.
God created Adam and Eve exactly how they were meant to be. Because of greed they were banished from Eden and since then humans have sought to find better ways to perfect their lives. In the last century or so, people have turned to technology to bring us closer to paradise. But why? There were no iPads or airplanes in the Garden of Eden. Why do we need them now? The human race has lived, and flourished, for centuries with out technological gadgets. Modern day machines should be limited. Gadgets don’t need to be used for every little difficulty. Even with all our technology it doesn’t make anyone any happier. “Everything’s amazing right now, and nobody’s happy” (Louis C.K.). All this dependence is weakening the human race. I witnessed a cashier worker unable to multiply $7.50 by three without the use of the calculator. It used to be that every equation was done mentally, but because of technology those simple skills are being lost.
Everyone always claims that change is good, that without change we wouldn’t be where we are today, and that is true. But do we really want to be where we are today; depending so heavily on technology with our ecosystem falling apart around us all do to that “good change”? If humans hadn’t taken the need for change so readily, we wouldn’t have the rapidly growing hole in the ozone layer. After all, it is only there because of the extensive use of Chloro-Fluoro-Carbons (CFS) commonly found in refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers and spray cans. I am not suggesting the entire human race should smolder in the heat with sour milk and moldy cheese, but we should limit the exposure of CFS, otherwise the entire earth will smolder in the harsh UV rays of the sun.
Humanity has begun to depend far too heavily on technology in general. As Ian Goldin so excellently puts its, “This could be our best century ever because of the achievements, or it could be our worst.” At this point, humanity needs to decide which direction to follow. Into further dependency and eventual destruction with technology, or away from technology down the more natural, environmental friendly road.
Does Facebook Hurt Your College Chances?
“Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life.”
Facebook is a social networking site. The word “social” means to be public or in a group. That means that things put up on Facebook are open for anyone to see, unless the account is private. However, Nicolaus Mills, author of “Does Facebook hurt your college chances?”, does not agree that everyone should be allowed to look people up on Facebook. In Mills’s article he states that he doesn’t think college admission officers should check applying students’ Facebook profiles. He believes that they should judge only on the applications received. However, admission officers should be able to use all their resources to fully understand the students they are about to let into their school.
Facebook has and always will be a public site. If your profile is public anyone can see it, including college admission officers. Thats just the way it is and everybody should know it. For Mills to think that “widespread howls of protests” (Mills 1) would be heard from parents and students is absolutely absurd. Why would high school students be upset when a Kaplan survey shows that admission officers use Facebook and Google to check up on prospective students when it’s common knowledge? Facebook is a public site, but you have a choice to make your profile public. If you feel that there is something on your profile that could hurt your college chances, change your profile to private or better yet delete the incriminating post, picture or comment. Of course admission officers would want to know whom their letting into their school. They want hard workers that take life seriously to represent their school, not the lazy party goers. Each school has an image to hold, and no college wants to be known for accepting just anyone off the street. The lack of objections about this survey does not show that “students and their parents are already so frazzled about finding the right college and the money to pay for it that they don’t have the energy to fight a new battle” (Mills 5); it shows that students and their parents already know the survey results and simply don’t care. Dedicated students, the students that colleges want, will not care that college admission officers are reviewing their Facebook page because there is nothing to hide. The students who worry are evidently not the students that colleges want to represent them anyway. The simplest solution to this “problem” is to be aware of what you post on Facebook. Just don’t post things you wouldn’t want your teacher, or boss, to see and your good to go. Facebook is public, so behave like you’re in public.
Before I die I want to…
Before I die I want to…
- Take a year off to travel
- Go skydiving
- Make a difference in someone’s life
- Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
- Swim with dolphins
- Take a hot air balloon ride
- Go skiing
- Become fluent in Hebrew and German
- Go to a shooting range
- Learn how to surf
Tamara Koubi 