Dissection of Reality

I have always been skeptical about blogging until I came to RIT. Having lived in Southeast Asia for most of my life, many people would blog to whine about their petty misfortunes or as a way to earn free endorsements from beauty companies. So it’s not surprising to treat blogging as a mindless entertainment. Think “Perez Hilton” and the first few things that come to our mind are celebrity gossips and bad writing. I always ask myself this question, “What makes a blog worth reading?” Up until last fall, I had never invested enough time to maintain a blog. Some of my challenges came from the misconception that I had to satisfy the readers other than myself. Another problem is finding the time to write. Given the hectic schedule from studying and working in school for 40 hours a week, it’s even challenging to find some free time to myself. While the idea of blogging started out as a digital medium to replace the traditional diaries and notebooks, its nature has changed over the years. What used to be the work of a single person has now developed into collaboration with many authors. With journalism transitioning to the digital world, blogging has now become an important requirement for every professional journalist. The contents are no longer restricted to mundane personal entries, but also professionally edited to cater the mainstream readers. Michael Roppolo, a third year journalism student at RIT, shared his view on the importance of writing and maintaining a blog. “Blogs are worth reading when they are interesting, factual and have a specific voice – a storytelling style that is unlike anything you've ever heard,” said Roppolo. The 20-year-old also stressed the use of social media to engage more readers. “You can have the best, most interesting blog in the world, but without social media, your blog will not get readers,” he said. For Tianna Manon, 19, a second year journalism student, blogging has been an essential tool in news reporting. “Because I'm learning photo and video, I use my blog posts to debut the work,” said Mannon. “I often flit from one thing to the next and having a blog has kept me grounded and working/developing one thing.” If there’s one thing I learned about blogging so far, it gives me more input to my writing skills and at the same time, build more credibility in developing my career. There is no doubt that the endless opportunity from making my presence known in the digital world will be tremendous. There may be others out there, who don’t believe in relying on technology, but I know that engaging myself with other writers and readers will give me new ideas and inspire me to write more consistently. The world, after all, is full of fascinating and intellectual people.

“So where is your hometown?” This is the most common question people would ask me. While it sounds simple for many others, my answer can be lengthy. Even though I was born in Indonesia, I’ve always seen Singapore as my home. Those 16 years spent growing up in the red dot island (aside from travelling to 15 other countries and over 50 cities) somehow turned me into a third culture kid. This is probably why I’m always quick in adapting to the local culture. Just two weeks ago, I went to Mary’s Place Outreach to work on my photo essay. During my time there, I met student volunteers from Malaysian Student Association at RIT. It began as a simple interview with two students, enquiring their involvement in volunteer work. When I started speaking in Malay, it turned into a friendly networking session with the rest of the Malaysian students. One of the interesting things I found from our conversation was overcoming the misunderstandings drawn from the people back in their hometown. “There’s a common perception that Asian students who study abroad will abandon their heritage just because we live in a liberal country,” said Sofiah Nor Wirah, 22, a third year molecular bioscience and biotechnology student at RIT. Having been thrust into various cultures, the ensuing years brought me a rollercoaster of emotions and events. While I’ve lost touch with the festivities back at home, the past two years of living in the United States encouraged me to embrace new culture from various communities. But more importantly, the endless opportunities and new friendships gained from the last 18 months taught me to be more open-minded and compassionate. For instance, people still make an effort to give back to the community despite the economic downturn. This is something that’s rarely seen back at home, and it serves as an important reminder that life is more than having a successful career and marriage. Maizatul Mahmud, 23, a fourth year molecular bioscience and biotechnology major, highlighted the shifting representation in education. “People need to understand that education is not just confined within the classrooms, but also teaches you to be more independent,” said Mahmud. “Meeting new people also opened up my mind that life over here isn’t as simple as it seems.” I can relate to Nor Wirah and Mahmud’s accounts because I’ve lost quite a number of friends back at home over this issue. But do I feel any regrets? My answer is “NO.” One thing for sure, I know that I still have a long way to go in life and I’m nowhere ready to give up on exploring the world outside my comfort zone.

With NFL Super Bowl approaching this weekend, fans are now enthusiastic over the outcome of the game. This year, the game - between the Baltimore Ravens and San Fransisco 49ers - will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. For this year, Alicia Keys will be singing the National Anthem, while Beyonce will be performing at the half-time shows. As an international student, I've always been apathetic to Super Bowl seasons since I've never been fond to football. While the NFL season brings everyone together, the excitement that I've seen throughout my time in the US so far is something that's rarely seen back in Asia. I personally think this brings a sense of unity among people. But is the Super Bowl really overrated? As I researched on people's tweets through Story, a significant result showed the excitement towards this weekend's game.

[View the story "NFL fans show excitement as they look forward to Superbowl this weekend" on Storify]

Even though I'm not familiar with the whole football game in the US, I can understand all the hype behind this game. It showcases the talents of the players from each team. In addition, the wide array of performances and advertisements also show the generous support from companies in making this event a happening one.

Photo Credit: Dave Martin for The Associated Press

As an international student, I have always supported Obama for establishing a close relationship with ASEAN (Association for the Southeast Asian Nations). If not for him, it would be difficult to earn this opportunity to pursue my studies in the United States. Despite the ongoing fiscal debt, Obama also takes a strong stand in looking out for his people, e.g.: victims of Hurricane Sandy and Newtown shooting. Today, President Obama's second inauguration falls on the same day of honoring Martin Luther King Jr. As this inauguration marks Obama's victory to serve the second term, I believe it's also a good time to reflect on the election 2012 as well as his tenure as a president during the last four years. As I researched on people's tweets on Obama's inauguration through Storify, a significant result showed that many people are less enthusiastic and questioning whether it is really necessary to have the ceremony.

[View the story "Reaction to Obama's inauguration leaves a sense of apathy" on Storify]

Growing up in Asia, I was used to the comfort of not worrying over gun violence in schools, primarily due to the strict laws imposed by the government. But with the one-month anniversary of Newtown shooting, the issue on gun control is now divided between activists and gun owners. As the Obama administration tries to push a new legislation on gun controls, the Newtown community now demands for a law enforcer to be stationed in every school.

[View the story "Concerns over gun violence looms as the Obama administration tries to find resolution" on Storify]

In a short poll conducted today, there was a huge response against allowing school teachers to carry armed weapons. The question we all need to ask right now is what can be done to protect young students from gun violence in schools? While it's impossible to completely wipe out the presence of guns in the United States, I believe that more awareness needs to be raised on the dangers of weapons in a school community. More importantly, we all need to look into the gun culture in our society. How effective is it to have armed security guards or police officers in schools? How can the school teachers be trained to stay focus if such emergency happens in the future?

Photo Credit: David Zalubowski for The Associated Press.

“Why are you still in school? Shouldn’t you be working and save up for retirement? It’s about time that you settle down and start a family.” My friends and relatives back in Singapore would bombard me with these questions. Indeed, it sounds annoying just for a 25-year-old woman to constantly hear all those “how you should live your life” philosophies. Like many others, I had difficulty figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Now that I’m on my way to finishing my bachelor degree, I must say that my journey in embracing college has been a fruitful one so far. Prior to my time at RIT, I worked as an events associate for two years after earning my associate degree from Broward College. The working experience had taught me to analyze the world from various perspectives. There's a common perception that adult learners are expected to perform better than their younger peers. And this leads to the most important question, how do the adult learners balance their life between school, work and home? Kirk Bater, a second year student at RIT shared his mindset of what the real world could offer. “As a veteran, I feel that I absorb so much more information, and can relate to some professors better because when I talk to them, we can have a real conversation more than just the class,” said the IT major from Caledonia. Just like marriage or moving to a new city, going back to college is a major life decision. A few days ago, I discussed with my colleague on how college education can create avenues for the matured learners. “When I first started out my degree program two years ago, I saw it as an opportunity for a much better prospect in career. But seeing how much I’ve accomplished and excel in my academics so far, I see it as a personal development,” said Gina Reeder, a senior staff assistant in the registrar office at RIT. The 39-year-old also added how the availability of online classes helped her to balance her time between her work commitments and family life. The availability of the video lectures means that students can repeat the lectures at any time of the day without getting left behind. Having gone through the period of readjustment in the past, I have learned the importance of getting views and support from people you can trust when making major decisions in life. In fact, there will be times when we need to struggle and overcome our personal dilemmas. But as an adult learner, I can testify that it is never too late to go back to school. It’s so much worth it to finish what you have started. My final advice as an adult in college: explore the campus as much as possible; seek help when you are in difficulties; and forge new friendships because having new friends will make you feel young again.