Beyond Words

ONE week..

sonathaker — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:08:21 +0000

ONE week. One week I will be done with grad school and on a plan to India–hopefully sleepy and slightly buzzed off of three bottles of the miniature airline wine bottles . It’s really hard to believe that six years of school are now over and I’m FINALLY ready to start my “real” life and become a “real” person. Soon the luxuries that came along with checking the student box on paper forms no longer exist and obligations to student loans will become my future. I’m glad it’s over though some people will say I miss it, I can honestly say I had the time of my life in college.

As I reflect back to who I was when I entered campus in 2002 and look at the person I am now, I cannot believe the change. Opportunity, experience, and mistakes have shaped me into the person I am today. I’m only 24, I know I have a lot of life to go, but so far, I can’t really complain.

Timeless Age

sonathaker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:33:21 +0000

What would it be like to be on this earth 115 years old! Well, aparently it’s possible. Researchers are unsure of what accounts for such longevity however they’re conducting studies to determine the cause. An interesting fact brought out in this article shows just how much stronger women are than men ..”Only 75 living people — 64 women and 11 men — are 110 or older, according to the Gerontology Research Group of Inglewood, Calif., which verifies reports of extreme ages.” 64 vs. 11, that is crazy, can’t say I’m surprised though!!

I always said I wouldn’t want to live too long and my mother says that too. She wants to be able her whole life and not be a burden, but I think about how much knowledge and wisdom a person acquires in 115 years. That is so much time. As medicine gets increasingly more effective, I wonder what the average age of living will be. And if we begin living longer, will be not live as much? Will be put things off thinking we will probably have more time? I’m curious to see.

the future of Interracial Relationships..hmmm

sonathaker — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:43:48 +0000

I recently came across an article on interracial relationships, a topic which has facinated me a great deal since I am coined the girl in my family that will most likely step outside of the box and bring someone not indian home. Since then, luckily, it has been done. My two cousins married Italians guys, and their babies are ADORABLE. I almost want to do it for that reason alone…JOKE!

I rarely date Indian guys, although as I’m getting older and I’m watchin my sister join another Indian family I got to say I’m a little more convinced that it would definitely be nice. I say that because our families are already so close, and there are so many things that don’t need explanations, social norms that are already learned, and traditions that will surely live on in their offspring. I feel as if that sounds like the easy way out, but that’s not what I mean.

At one point I always imagined I’d marry outside my race, I certainly date outside my race–but right now marriage is the furthest thing from my mind. I think that the fusion of two cultures is an amazing gift to give your children, that way they have the best of two, well three, worlds and they can take whatever they want from each. They’d be free-spirits in a sense.

I was fortunate enough to grow up here to Indian parents. I experienced their culture and this culture here and took values from both, I am who I am because of it. As I grew up I began to formulate my own ideas about what I really wanted to take from each culture. I think it’s one of the best things about my perspectives on life and my open mind.

They say by some year very soon…I need to find out the exact date. 70% of all babies born will be interracial. That’s amazing. Now, the world jus needs to catch up with becoming whole-heartedly accepting. Hopefully we’ll get there soon.

As for me, I’m not sure what will happen. Right now I’ll date anyone who captures my interest..as for marriage..well that’s a wayssssss away, so I’ll just see. Like my mom says, “You’ll meet the right person at the most random time and you’ll just know.” I believe her

PowerPoint – pos or neg?

sonathaker — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:41:51 +0000

In light of differences of opinion, I always wondered about the true effectiveness of Power Point. There is nothing worse than watching someone read directly from what they have prepared before hand, as if we can’t read? At some point or other, though, we’ve all done that. Maybe we were amateurs, nervous, or just unprepared with the material. Sometimes, powerpoint proves to be a safety net that can often work against what our purpose is, and like Tufte’s book says, “is costly to the content and the audience.” We never want to discredit the positives about PP, however I think it is important to recognize the level of preparedness that one must possess in order to give a successful presentation under any circumstance. Power point is simply a tool, not a backup plan. Some need to recognize that.

27 more days — overwhelmed

sonathaker — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:45:24 +0000

I have 27 more days until I am on the plan to India..wow exciting right?..well it would be if I didn’t have to revise and finish up an entire thesis by then, keep up with work for my other classes, finalize and make big decisions concerning jobs, and consider wrapping things up down here since I’ll most likely be moving north if no where tropical like Hawaii ..possible. 27 days certainly does not seem like enough time to do all that and make life altering decisions, does it? Well it’s not. Hence all the insanity, the slight flare of my condition, and feeling of overwhelming-confusing-resistance to change and all. I know it’s normal, but it really sucks.

I guess that’s why they say Change is both wonderful and scary all at the same time. I’ll have to remember to breath and keep things in perspective

Okay, i’m back on the ball now..

sonathaker — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:09:41 +0000

Hello classmates and any other bloggers out there reading this!!

So I have to apologize for my lack of posts over the last week, I’ve been battling an illness (i hate to call it that, b/c it’s livable but it’s quite real and pretty painful) I’ve had since high school, I might go into it in another post, not sure yet. It does however consist of really bad stomach pain and makes me really tired, to say the least. So I’ve been a little behind on A LOT. This is so not the time for anything to be happening, but isn’t that the way it goes? When you have a million billion things going on, something happens to slow you down. That’s life. So I’ve been way out of touch with my precious blog…sorry about that..

8 More Weeks…

sonathaker — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:35:56 +0000

Eight weeks from today, March 13, 2008…I will be on a plane to India, not to mention finished with my graduate career, well my MA, perhaps Ill get a Ph.D one day . But, wow, eight weeks. In those eight weeks, the things I have to do are endless. Sometimes I feel like I’m just done. That my brain can no longer register information and I must leave immediately, ironic, because now is the most important time of grad school. On the fifth chapter of thesis and revision (which I’ve started, and dread) I imagine it will be worth it at symposium, however I sometimes cannot sleep imaginging how I will finish all of that. It’s times like that I have to remember just how capable I am, not to mention some really great professors who remind me all the time . Not sure what I’d do without them. I just feel like I can’t give a 100% to a lot of things and I hate that. I give it to the things that need that much attention now, but even in class. I feel like I put things off, and it’s not that this class isn’t important, it totally is and I’m really learning a lot. I just wish I had more time to explore what we’ve learned and practice with it. I feel like I spend so much time planning my week to make sure I have time to do everything, but it never works out that way. I should quit planning so much, maybe that’ll free up some time!

Over the course of time I’ve definitely had my share of obstacles, but it think when you get older you really learn what people say yabout “relaying on youreself”. I’ve been fortunately enough to have so many people surround me that genuinely believe in me and want only the best for me. But, now, as I look for jobs and finish the biggest paper of my life I realize no matter how many people are there to help (and they REALLY help) in the end, it’s all me. If I think I can’t do it, I won’t.

I’m so ready to face the challenges of the real world, outside of school. I want to put to use all the information I’ve acquired and make a difference (either large or small), like I said in the beginning, I might sound naive, but I think I can do big things. I’ll keep believign that until I’m proved wrong..which will hopefully be never .

That plane ride is going to be SOOOOO realxing….me, my family, a few People mags, and of course a glass of red

CAN’T WAIT.

“I’m Deeply Sorry” – Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer

sonathaker — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:35:00 +0000

This morning, I spent time catching up on a few things, all while watching FOX. Different new anchors spoke while waiting for the ‘former’ governor of NY to surface from his apartment and make the public announcement of resignation.

I’m not really sure why I watched the whole time, because to be completely honest, this whole thing really infuriates me. I understand that everyone is human and makes mistakes, I do. I also understand that politics brings out skeletons in people’s closets, but I’m at a loss to understand why someone would do this to their family. His poor wife is standing by his side, I cannot imagine the humiliation she must feel. And the fact that he had so much do to with prostitution, what a hypocrite. He spent $80,000, over the last 6 years, RIDICULOUS. When you decide to take on public office, there would be just things you do not do. Somehow, people keep letting us down.

This woman, I’m not sure if I admire her, or think she should walk away from Spitzer, but I don’t think I’d be around. The bottom line is, you never know the true story, we only know what is portrayed by the media, therefore, we can make judgments, but we must never assume everything.

I found this blog by Ada Calhoun Stay Married to Spitzer, Cindy Adams Tell Silda — interesting. A strange point of view, yet some worthwhile points…enjoy.

THE UNKNOWN

sonathaker — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:23:00 +0000

This was quite an experience. I must say I was intrigued. There something about not having a beginning and an end–perhaps because we are just so in tune to that. Reading in itself is an extraordinary experience, because we are able to retrieve information and connect it to the thoughts that already exist in my head. However, this type of reading, with hypertext, allows the reader to pick and chose what he/she will read next. As humans, we are always more inclined to pay attention to color, so when something is blue opposed to black our eyes shift. we then either click on it, or continue reading to see if anything else captures our interest more. The options with this and all of the different places and information you would get was pretty remarkable and you CERTAINLY don’t get board.

When I think of the future of this, I get a little lost. I begin to think of how younger generations will learn to read, and since as time goes by, we are all encouraged to think for ourselves and make individual changes–since in this day and age people are encouraged to make changes as before you were forced to conform. I think this is a big part of that overall change. Being able to pick and chose what you want to read next, as opposed to just having something written out for you is really a way to form strong, free-spirited opinions. When you are not required to take the text and connect it to things already in your head, but rather click to whatever words interest you and make further connections with things that may not have sparks your mind the other way…definitely something different!

As much as I though it was cool and interesting, it was confusing at time, but I def see the possibilities!

it is precisely what is says UNKNOWN, and that intrigues people, well at least me…

Hypertext 3.0-

sonathaker — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:06:46 +0000

George Landow brings up come complex points in his book Hypertext 3.0. In chapter 4, When he discuses how one reads, then one writes, and then one reads some more. He states “Hypertext, which creates an active, even intrusive reader, carries this convergence of activities one step closer to completion; but in so doing, it infringes on the power of the writer, removing some if and granting it to the reader” (p. 125). He goes on to say how hypertext essentially makes readers authors and coauthors –giving readers the ability to add links and texts to what is read.

In that sense, we are co-authors because we are not changing what is being written, but the ability to comment allows us to have some impact on it. So instead of just reading, now we are able to infringe our opinions right there placing our opinions on the world. In turn, “hypertext [actually] reduces the autonomy of the author.” The idea that hypertext allows the reader a voice in the piece he or she is reading, can be both good and bad. What does this mean for the author? What is the point of stating your opinion when other people can just come into it and disagree, and perhaps change the opinions of all others.

Overall, I felt this text reminding me a bit of Fleck. Int he way ideas can change within communities. I feel hypertext can be used as a tool to which this is facilitated. The overall picture holds true, I believe of any text on the computer. If it is posted it can now be commented, just like we learned in diigo. All someone has to do with create a group. This is very much a shift int he way things have been, and is important to see how the change is gradually taking place. Maybe then we won’t be so shocked when, all of a sudden, things are different.