dian.purdue.engl.106

going places..

2005-12-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the list of places I have visited, where I have been writting and written, in my one-semester journey with engl 106:

Blogger. Delicious. Bloglines. Mail.yahoo.com. google. Friendster. ourmedia. Facebook. webmail.purdue.edu. podcast. Flicker. Gmail. purdue.edu. urban dictionary. A9. webpage. Library of congress. TTLB. Stat Counter.
MSN Messenger. wikipedia. padang.org. permias purdue website

The Editing Process

2005-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

This is the practical example to the previous blog.

Original post:

As I have been working on finding online examples of writing in engineering workplace, I took a break and headed down to the mailroom in Meredith Hall, When I opened my box, I had a magazine in there. The magazine is called the Purdue Engineering Magazine (PEM). This is a great example of how writing is important to engineers. The PEM has information about new technology, current projects, and information about Purdue’s engineering program. PEM is a great magazine for engineering, and it’s a start to my project. Here are two of the covers from PEM which I will turn in with my project.

Recognizing the topic sentence:

This is a great example of how writing is important to engineers.

Rearranging the sentences:

As I have been working on finding online examples of writing in engineering workplace, I took a break and headed down to the mailroom in Meredith Hall, When I opened my box, I had a magazine in there. The magazine is called the Purdue Engineering Magazine (PEM). The PEM has information about new technology, current projects, and information about Purdue’s engineering program. PEM is a great magazine for engineering, and a great example of how writing is important to engineers. It’s a start to my project. Here are two of the covers from PEM which I will turn in with my project.

Re-examining the mechanics:

While working on finding online examples of writing in engineering field, I took a break and headed down to the mailroom in Meredith Hall. Inside, I found a magazine called Purdue Engineering Magazine (PEM). Having information about new technology, current projects, and information about Purdue’s engineering program, PEM is a great magazine for engineering. It is a great example of importance of writing in engineering. It’s going to act as introduction to my project. Here are two of the covers from PEM, which I will turn in with my project.

Project Two Bonus

2005-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

“Those who hand in a kind of ‘worksheet’ demonstrating their application of this process of attachment to their project two packet will receive a favorable reception from me. That favorable reception will reflect on my predisposition toward the grading process in a manner commensurate with the apparent investment made in the work of editing”

-Mary Godwin

This instruction, given by my English professor sounds way too complicated. Having taken a few minutes to digest it, I hope this will be a helpful way to rephrase it.

In other word, Mary is looking forward to student giving significant, noticeable editing process in their project two. The procedure of this editing process is as follow:
1. Read the whole paper without pausing, grasp the main idea of the project
2. Note paragraph that needs further edit, but, leave them for now
3. List down the topic sentence of each paragraph
4. (With these topic sentences in mind,) Put the paragraphs in a correct order, i.e where the ideas connect and develop.
5. Now, concentrate on just one paragraph
6. Note certain sentence that needs further edit, but, leave them for now
7. (Having had the topic sentence in mind,) Rearrange the supporting sentences
8. Finally, address the mechanic

Structure your Thinking!

2005-11-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

Writing is a ticket to the success of whatever career you choose. However, who would deny English Composition not being their ‘easy A’ subject? Writing is definitely not a piece of cake. Many details need to be address for one to be a good writer. While understanding the grammar, utilizing wide range of vocabulary and employing complex sentence structure are some of details, there are one thing on top of that which has to be mastered in the first place: the ability to structure your thinking.

Defining writing, we can come up with tons of way but the main idea might be this: expressing your thought in words. The rudimentary purpose is for the reader to understand what you are thinking. Therefore, using complex sentence structure alone without the awareness of this purpose will leave a hollow impact in your reader. An example is when you exchange the position of subject and object as in passive voice; it should only be done if you want to emphasis on the action rather than who did it. ,so is the diction used. We should not use heavy word merely for the sake of its weight, but whether or not the word give a more vivid comprehension of what we are telling the reader. Thus, before all those tools should lie a solid reason which born out of strong mastering of the topic and, in turn, thoroughly structured thinking.

We need to structure our thinking as to figure out what the main and subsequent supporting points we want to address first. This will be reflected in our organization of the words in sentences, sentences in our paragraphs, and finally, paragraphs in the essay.
Yes, it is not an easy skill to master. It seems inevitable though. In fact, I just realized that we are faced with this challenge everyday of our lives: when we speak. Perhaps, when you get what I mean with this, you will be more willing to take the trouble to really mastering the skill.

Being a non-native English speaker, the need of structured thinking in even everyday conversation is greatly emphasized. Having been growing up in Indonesian culture for sixteen years, I stumbled over sheer barrier in communicating in English. If you have ever learn language other than the one you grow up with, you would probably be able to identify with me this: you understand what the other person is saying, but when it is your chance to speak, you found yourself at lost of word. What this tells me is that my difficulty in communicating in English lies not in my lack of vocabulary, but in the structure of my thinking. Language actually reflects the way of thinking of each culture. This is further confirmed as I feel the difference when I am talking in Singlish (Singapore version of English, which is Chinese-based) and American English. In spite of the obvious similarity- the words used, it took me a minute or two to re-structure my way of thinking before I can switch from Singlish to American English.

This interesting fact serves to proof the importance of mastering the skill of structuring thinking in being a good writer. Just as talking and speaking gets you a place in the society, writing gets you a place in the company. So, train your thinking!

technorati tags:
writing, paragraph, languistic

My First Corner of The Project II Triangle- Research

2005-11-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is the starting point of my second project : sending out email.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thank you for taking the time to complete the following questions. The information you provide will be used for research on how far the proficiency of writing contributes to the success in today’s job.

I. How do you perceive the significance of writing in you career?

II. How had you view it then? How had the call to write evolved as the world become more digitalized and globalized?

III. Is writing an important hiring consideration? Is it one of the promotion criteria? Could you reflect on how writing has brought you to your current position?

IV. What are the various kind of writings expected in the job today, particularly, in the world of food industry?

V. How far does writing contribute to the composition of your company public identity? Would you include samples of writing that have been done in your company? (advertisements, commercials, newsletters, etc)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Typography

2005-11-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

According to the Wikipedia, typography is the art and technique of selecting and arranging type styles, point sizes, line lengths, line leading, character spacing, and word spacing for typeset applications. The purpose of typography is to add more impact to the reader s they can deeper grasp the very essence of the word.
Here is a link to the simple typography I did.

technorati tags:
typography, writing

Rearrange This!

2005-11-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

In my English 106 class, I was given the following un-organized paragraph:

In an article describing the preparation of a dictionary for schoolchildren, Alma Graham recounts the imbalance discovered in schoolbooks in all subjects in use in the early 1970's. In general, the pronouns he, him, and his outnumber she, her, and hers by a ratio of four to one. Not only are women put off, they are also put down, numerically and otherwise. In the real world, women slightly outnumber men. The numbers alone tell us a lot: men outnumber women seven to one, boys outnumber girls two to one; girls are even in the minority in home economics books, where masculine pronouns outnumber feminine ones two to one. But the world created for American schoolchildren presents a different picture. A computer analysis of five million words in context revealed many subtle and not-so-subtle clues to the status of women in American Society.

Rearranging the sentences, I have come up with this new paragraph:

A computer analysis of five million words in context revealed many subtle and not-so-subtle clues to the status of women in American Society. In an article describing the preparation of a dictionary for schoolchildren, Alma Graham recounts the imbalance discovered in schoolbooks in all subjects in use in the early 1970's. Not only are women put off, they are also put down, numerically and otherwise. . The numbers alone tell us a lot: men outnumber women seven to one, boys outnumber girls two to one; girls are even in the minority in home economics books, where masculine pronouns outnumber feminine ones two to one. In general, the pronouns he, him, and his outnumber she, her, and hers by a ratio of four to one. . In the real world, women slightly outnumber men. But the world created for American schoolchildren presents a different picture

technorati tags:
writing, gender, paragraph

Comprehensive Online Research Education

2005-10-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

In my school back in Singapore, students were required to take the subject Social Studies where we studied about Singapore growth from time to time while reflecting on the brief history of the world in general.

One of the test we had to take for this subject was Source-Based Test. Given three to four sources- newspaper report, interview, speech, street survey, we were expected to evaluate them. I still remember the four very fundamental check-lists we have to address when evaluating sources: content, purpose, provenance, cross-reference. Although three of them are more or less inter-related, examining all three will give us different insight into a source.

For example, when the question ask "how reliable is source A?" The first thing we do is looking at the provenance, i.e the origin of the sources. Does it come from a credible person or press release? Does this provenance have any reason to speak for the interest of one party? This biasness can also be observed in the content. The diction used allow us to derive the tone of the speaker- persuading, educating, or simply matter-of-fact, which in the end tell us the neutrality of the source. Furthermore, when evaluating a source, it is also important to look at the piece from afar in order to sense the impact the writer hope to achieve in the reader, i.e. the purpose. Usually, a source whose purpose is to inform has higher reliability, of course, we still have to keep in mind all other aspect mention previously. Lastly, we are never justified to dismiss a source as unreliable before we cross-reference them with other sources that discuss the same topic.

I had never quite grasped the significance of this skill of evaluating source until I was given the task by my professor to read, learn and take the quizzes in Comprehensive Online Research Education (CORE). In the digital age where we are swamped with overwhelming information, it is highly important to be able to discern the reliable source from the unreliable one.

Writing in the World of Employment

2005-10-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

The ability to express oneself clearly, rationally, and convincingly on paper opens the door for individual opportunities in the United States. Harnessing the ability to write in the professional world enables you to obtain a good job. This is because employers look for those who have good writing skills to fill the jobs that offer high pay and require a lot of skill. Those who display good writing skills prove to their employers that they are capable of thinking on the appropriate level. Many companies say that an individual can not move up without acceptable writing skills

copyright ©

2005-10-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

What is a copyright? Can we say that it is a law to protect?

If so, then, what is it protecting?

Many would say “ideas”, “thought”, or “feelings”, but do they actually understand what they mean by those? Can they still answer without equivocation if a one-step higher question is raised:

What are these “ideas”, “thoughts”, and “feelings” being protected from?

Only then will they realize that copyright is not at all about that, for what are the purpose of authors, songwriters, or any ‘composers’ expressing their minds and souls if it is not for others to see, read, hear?

So, moving back to the start,

What is copyright law protecting?

“Money”, one might say. It is undeniable that money is one of the centre idea when the law is created: By copyright law, author has the right to claim their money. However, can this be the only reason? Is money the only reason people create? Certainly not.

Many other reason motivates people to produce and create, such as the desire to share knowledge, historical records purposes, and recognition or personal satisfaction. Publishers might care about nothing but money when it comes to copyright law. Yet, what really of concerned when the law was passed was not the interest of the publisher, rather the ones who create and produce.

Then, perhaps, the best way to answer the above question, so far, will be this:
the copyright law is made to protect the reasons mentioned above, the reason to keep on creating.

technorati tags:
copyright, rights, money

The audio file of this passage can be found here

A Reminder

2005-10-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

All too often, we are too consumed with our dream and desire that we forget to appreciate the simple thing in life. This song puts it in a beautiful way.

Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you’re wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone
Conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me

by Train

technorati tags:
dream, life, friendship

It DO exist

2005-10-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

We could never investigate on how an organization make it through the rain if we could not claim its existence in the first place. And, to claim its existence, we will have to have a more defined object. Therefore, in this paper, I have picked a non-profit organization by the name of National CASA to help us deeper investigating these compassion-driven organization survive in the feeling-less community.

“The mission of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association, together with its state and local members, is to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes.” As seen in the statement of mission of National CASA, we can conclude that this organization works with-and for, at least three groups of people.

“State and local member” refers to those who are moved to support the on-going of the organization by helping financially instead of giving their time. These members will pay certain amount of money to the organization household in return of some privileges given by the organization. Members of National CASA are not only individuals, but also corporates. Some of them are Coca-Cola Company, Newmount Gold Company, and Wendy’s International Foundation.

The second groups of people the mission statement refers to is the “volunteer advocacy”. They are the non-common member; adults who are trained and committed. They are appointed by the judge to voice their arguments for the best interest of the children, the ones National CASA works for.

The third groups of people, the abused and neglected children is the community National CASA had in mind when it first extended its wing in the year 1990. These are the community that conceived the organization. National CASA is to make life easier and more beautiful for these unfortunate children.

There should not be any objection by now if we were to state that National CASA do exist in today’s society. Hundreds of people have made it part of their lives : the individual member and volunteer advocacy. Established, known Corporate took the role in ensuring its continuity. It is, thus, fair to judge that this organization is real.

An Introduction

2005-10-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

The word ‘non-profit organization’ unmistakably bears a heavy social-, feeling-related connotation in people’s mind. When it comes to non-profit organization, the term donation and volunteer seems to prevail. The assumption is that it only concerns those who have the heart of gold; capable of putting their feet in the shoes of other less fortunate fellow and giving themselves up to help them. Compassion and love play the key role. In the old days, this feeling can be provoked merely through seminars, campaign, and talks.

However, the advance in technology requires these organizations to step out of their comfort zone and do more than just that. In the digitalized world, feeling is rarely communicated well. The exponential growth of the owner of personal computer has affected the way people related to each other in one and another way: it encourages less interaction between people. Quoting Louis Gerstner, chairman of the board of IBM Corporation “Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love, and understanding.” While this is not objected, it does not change the fact that more time is spent by each individual in front of computer screen. As a result, generations grew colder and less sensitive.

Now, non-profit organization is to touch this society. If they were to keep up with the fast pace at which life- not only economics and politics, but also social aspect, is changing, having no digital identity is not an option. Therefore, in my first project, I would like to take a deep investigation on how this organization composes themselves digitally in the feeling-less environment, striving to exist prosperously in the newly evolving society.

technorati tags:
non-profit organization, computer, society

Flattener #5: Outsourcing

2005-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

In the book The World Is Flat, Friedman argued that one of the world’s flattener is outsourcing, taking India as the more specific example. According to bizbrim.com, a network outsourcing service, outsourcing can be defined as “a process in which a company delegates some of its in-house operations/processes to a third party.” The question now arises as to how this process may lead to ‘the global playing field being leveled,’ as expressed by Friedman.

It all dated back to the year 1999 when the computer-lead system of the world was threatened by the Y2K bug. The tedious work of reprogramming the system permitted India to turn its high-quantity engineers pool into its strongest asset. By hiring Indian engineers to do the computer remediation, the Western Company saved not only time, but also their capital. This is due to the fact that the Indian engineers were willing to work the same amount with less pay. This marks the beginning of India-America relationship, the very early stage of outsourcing.

However, the dot.com bust, which followed the dot.com boom in the mid 90s was the one that changed India’s life. The scarcity of capital demanded venture capital firms to press down expenses; high quality, low-cost workforce is needed. India is prefered. Besides its pool of engineers, India is further benefited by the infrastructure built during the dot.com boom: the optic-fiber connection.

Such connection renders the world literally shrink down to a click of the mouse: an Indian engineer does not have to be in America to work for an American company. All he has to do is to sit in front of his personal computer. The half-way-the-globe distant was no more barrier. Outsourcing has allowed a company to be located in America, but have its engineers spread out around the globe. In fact, it is all but justified to say that the round globe has vanished and the world is, now, flat, as flat as our computer screen.

technorati tags:
engineer, computer, multi-national company

The Double Life of Document

2005-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't been able to fully understand the passage, the Social Life of the Document, I somewhat get what was discussed in the class Wednesday afternoon and it excites me in a way. The passage basically tells us that document have double life: the information aspect of life, that is the significance conveyed through it, and the community aspect of life, that is the group of people writing and reading it. Intriguingly, these two lives revolved around each other in a very interesting way. Any information contained in a document is written in anticipation of the type of community it wishes to address. Simultaneously, the existence of the community itself encourages the birth of the document. It goes in a circle and we just could not tell the alpha and the omega. This double life of document is clearly displayed in the digital environment as well. Referring back to the posting I made previously, we can tell for sure that all the qualities observed about the picture are not an accident, rather, they are intended. The photographer has in mind the impact he would like to compose in the community. However, this community itself played a role in the formation of this image. They are those who care about the right of the abused children. In fact, the photographer or, at least, the one who has the idea about the photo is a member of this community.

technorati tags:
people, document, photography

Visual Approach

2005-09-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ushering visitors of national CASA website is a big picture of a girl; a girl whose eyes displayed a somewhat hurt-stained innocence. They are not smiling, which, perhaps, is intended to be. As soon as anyone entered this main entrance, they will be directed step by step into an early understanding of what the organization is all about. Utilizing flash; with line by line appearing, short sentences, National CASA uses a very visual approach to compose their existence in people’s heart. Further notice will also tell us how much this organization uses hand-writing-like font in its website. Not only in the welcome page, it exists through out the website, on the top of each page. Scratches are also employed. All, I suspected, done in one purpose: to prompt more feelings played in people.

technorati tags: photography, feeling

National CASA

2005-09-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Reading Mindy's blog, I knew I had opted for the right non-profit organization. National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association had clearly had a remarkable place in the heart of the world. I believed this was not done overnight, rather through a long process, one large aspect of which involved writing. And that aspect is what I am going to investigate for my first English project.

technorati tags:
TAG #1

When Freedom are Given to Those Unready

2005-09-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Only now that I have experienced for myself a culture shock of freedom, I can truly identify with my country her struggle to bring democratism into practice. Things are not better even after the Reformation Indonesia had proclaimed. Riot, murder, protest, chaos, all serves as a proof of the unreadiness of my fellow countryman to bear the responsibility of having freedom. They cried for freedom which, at the end, entwined them in a disheveled thread. Sad is it, but true.
Having been exposed to Singapore's education system for a couple of years, I have got used to being told precisely systematically on how I am supposed to do a homework, project, or even, exam. Most of the time, we are given a formatted answer whereby all you need to do is to change a few words. My systematic, structured thinking was definitely trained, but now that I am in USA, I found the passiveness of just accepting material disadvantage me greatly. I am always confused and diaoriented when I am being left alone with project or homework where we are given freedom to present it the way we want, the way that express you as an individual. Or as my professor puts it, in the way that 'composed' you.
I hope my first English project will not end up being a confusing, unsolved mass.

Writer vs Reader

2005-09-12T04:33:00.000-07:00

Listing and grouping down thousands of way of presenting writings, we will arrive at the final four basic world of writing: personal, professional, public/civil, and academic. These fundamental classifications are made based on three qualities of writing, which should be found in any kind of composed piece of work. They are audience- whom the writer expects to read the work; purpose- what the author is trying to get across, and impact/outcome- what the author wish to achieve in term of audience’s reaction after they have read the work.
These days, writing has evolved tremendously that they cover a much larger scope. It is no longer confined in a piece of paper and a pen. The vigorous development of Information Technology accounts for this change, that is the birth of a read/write web.
As O’Reilly puts it, read/write web is an ecosphere of writing, an environment which promotes the passion of literally anyone to pour their thinking in words. Anyone means every single person in the world, regardless of his or her skill level. To puts it in a more concrete statement, It means there will be no longer any separation wall between reader and writer. The next thing we know is there is no longer any expectation or pressure to write as a professional with critical and groundbreaking subject. This sort-of freedom has manifest themselves in the wider, more variable modes of writing, there is no longer any rule in presenting your idea
With all that in mind, we will probably question the relevance of the four classifications of world of writing, considering their first quality, audience exists no more. Apparently no. While everyone can be audience and writer at the same time, there will still be audiences-only person in one piece of writing. These people whom the writer keep in mind when he is doing his work still influenced the modes of writing in many ways, allowing us to see the different worlds of writing.

Fast and Furious

2005-09-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Utterly disoriented about what to do for my English project, I opened google- the seemingly all-know source of everything. In the search box, I typed in ‘non-profit organization’. A list of hundreds of them zoomed out in a split second. Yes, the world is really moving in a faster and faster pace, I thought bitterly. Even more striking, time is not the only subject that seems to losing its boundary; space is following right behind. Among the lists were several non-profit organization with explanation paragraphs in language I was not bound to understand.
Adding ‘USA’ inside the google search box seems to help too little. Never-ending lists still reigned in my window. Inevitably, I am prompted to think about the impact of having such a fast-flowing information provider; does google make our life much easier or exactly the opposite? For now, I will say exactly the opposite for I have not been able to pick, or even shortlist my choice of non-profit organizations to be focused on. I’m figuring out.

Process VS Result

2005-09-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

It was often frustrating to have deadline of assignment approaching, but it was never quite occur to me that it was even more frustating to have no (obvious) deadline, but inevitably being aware that you are being assessed every minute; this is why my present English class causes me a great deal of stress. However, at the same time, ENGL 106 D/S 20/02 is just my dream class. Having been exposed to Singapore system of education where results to the final examination weigh more than half of the student's final grade, I have always dreamed of a system where the process of learning, acquiring, and maturing through the many problems during the course of study is the most appreciated substance in the education system. Therefore, I am determined to try my best to meet the A-grade requirement of this class, and, hopefully, I can start displaying my project progress in this blog soon.

freedom?

2005-08-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

As I stepped out of the arrival hall of San Francisco International Airport-my first port of entry to the United States, I could sensed an unmistakable change of atmosphere from what filled the air of Singapore, the country I have been living in for the last two years. Both being developed countries with carefully planned infrastructures, skyscrapers, and transportations, these two countries evoked a very different feeling in me; USA with its dynamic, warm air, and Singapore with its static, robot-like mood. I could not help but wonder if it is freedom that makes all the difference.
What is freedom anyway? According to the dictionary, it is the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints. The word ‘law’ should spring into our mind as we read the phrase ‘externally imposed restraints’. However, is it true that freedom can only present in the absence of laws?
The United States is the nation of freedom. Narrowing down our scope, let us focus on its freedom of press. It was clearly indicated in the first amendment that in USA, we are free to express our feeling. Making fun of the president is considered normal. Even, in Purdue University itself, students can send their opinion to the Exponent without the fear of being arrested. All of these contrasted greatly with the position of press in Singapore. Having only one newspaper allowed to circulate around the nation, the government closely controls press. Various national security laws are imposed on the press. However, the question now arises as to how these two differing systems affect the life of the nations.
It is undeniable that Singapore government has successfully led its people into an orderly nation. However, has not United States government done so as well? Drawing conclusion from what I have shown in the first paragraph, however, I have to admit that the order in United States felt more real than that of Singapore. In fact, to my opinion, the real order is where the people are held by their own responsibility and awareness instead of the external influence.
So, is it true that freedom can only presence in the absence of law? I do not think so. In fact the concept of freedom itself is unreal. Like our round earth, freedom but have no boundary-laws restricting it. Nevertheless, that will never change the fact that our earth has limited area, so will freedom never have the ability to expand infinitely; it will always be restricted by its own consequences. Therefore, the maximum area for the expansion of freedom can only be reached when one knows its limit, the extent to which he or she can go without being drawn back by the adverse impact. To borrow from Rose Wilder Lane, freedom is control of self.

~end of first week of school~

2005-08-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

Time flies and all of a sudden, I have been brought to the end of the first week of school. I can not help but realize how much I have missed on the fresh, new exciting college life. You might be surprised, but this is what I feel.
Somewhere in the middle of the week, I found my being strolling down the campus with my Indonesian friends, but my heart wandered across the road towards a bunch of American student. I was, indeed, enjoying the companionship of my fellow Indonesian that night, but that feeling just surged me out of nowhere; the feeling of being out of place, being audience instead of the star of the movie.
I tried to comfort myself saying this was just a normal, temporary feeling and that every college student had been through it. Nevertheless, the sight surrounding me seemed to disagree with me; I saw the Chinese student sticking around with other Chinese, the African with their own, and so did the Indian, American, Korean. Seeing two people from different race walking together was rare.
So, I turned back to the conversation going on in my own group. I watched my friends throwing jokes to each other and laughed. And I realized, this was where I belong. Life is just too short for me to try hard to change just to fit into certain social group. I am not saying I will not try to talk or interact in one or other way with people from other culture, but I am not going to let that effort gets in the way of my established connection with my Indonesian friend.
Learn to enjoy and be grateful of what you have at hand is difficult, but is worth trying. Like dream, you realized they are just dreams only after you wake up; going back to sleep and continue the dream is almost impossible. Having been able to see this, I hope I can make the most out of my four years of college. =)

the writer I am

2005-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Submerging myself into pile and pile of how-to-write-well-related articles and trying hard to get my own articles ready to be published before the approaching deadline, I found my mind wandering back to the day I went to my first class of English 106. I cannot remember how much time I put into just ‘introducing myself as a writer’- our first writing assignment. However, I can say I took more than the necessary time.
Having lots of incomplete idea in my indecisive mind, I could not find one way that was good enough, at least to me, to convey how I want people to see me as a writer; a writer whose work needs to be read between the line in order for the deepest meaning to be conveyed. I realized that this had been my main problem ever since I started writing in English roughly two years before enrolling into college: trying too hard to produce a mesmerizing piece of essay, while my ability as non-native English speaker was not that mesmerizing. So, finally, I resolved to stop having too high an expectation and just write simple. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, I guess I just could not afford being a simple, ordinary writer. I think that would explain why now, six years after and an editor in one of the nation’s best magazine, I still find myself unable to get my articles ahead of schedule.