Beauty: Are you up for the challenge?

A common phrase that we hear is, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This is absolutely true because everyone has a different idea of what beauty is. Beauty can be referred to anything, whether it’s a work of art, person, creation, or mother nature. That’s the beauty of the word itself because beauty is highly subjective as well as arguable and it varies from one person’s definition to the next. Sometimes beauty is not even visual because it refers to a certain emotion or how a person is feeling on the inside.

People’s perception about beauty has evolved tremendously from different generations and cultures. For instance, currently, a majority of people think that women who have a tan, slender figure with big breasts and a large butt are attractive. In the past, the Greeks and the Chinese praised those who were overweight because it was a sign that they were wealthy. They had a comfortable life and enough money to spend on food. However, now women and men are constantly on odd diets and trying to lose weight. Even young girls who are skinny like a bean stalk are dieting. In China, Japan, and India girls prefer to have lighter skin versus the tan, bronze, sometimes orange colored skin as a result of excessive amounts of trips to the tanning salon. In Asia, girls are just the opposite as they go through the trouble of carrying parasols on bright, sunny days.

Each culture has standards and an ideal image of what is considered beautiful. In China, during the beginning of the 10^th century, girls starting at the age of three would bind their feet to obtain tiny feet and this idea of beauty. At the time, this is what men and women considered to be attractive; and in order to fit in and find a husband girls were forced to bind their feet. In some African tribes and Asian cultures the women wore stacks of neck rings to feel beautiful and attract good husbands. Other African and South American tribes also considered ear stretching and lip stretching to be beautiful. What and who are beautiful changes with time and it can be entirely situational and contextual. For example, a girl who is always happy and just her presence brings joy to the room can be considered beautiful. However, she may no longer hold this beauty if she goes into depression.

Beauty is what we make of it. Without all the clothes and possessions we are plain humans that came into this world the same way. People achieve beauty with how they present themselves with makeup, clothing, possessions, personality, and thoughts. For this reason, I feel that beauty has become a problem rather a word that can be used to describe “the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind” or “something extraordinary” (dictionary.com). Today, when people think of the word beauty they immediately focus on the physical and visual aspects instead of what is unseen.

In the Dove Evolution video, most people would already think this girl is beautiful before and after all her makeup is done. However, obviously the ad campaign doesn’t think so as Photoshop is used to elongate her neck, make her eyes look larger and brighter, plump her lips to make them look luscious, and thin out her face. Magazine ads, commercials, and movies show celebrities with this perfection and this influences the viewer and makes them reconsider what beauty really is. All this exposure distorts people's perception of beauty. Now people constantly talk about dieting and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are very prominent. The number of people with skin cancer has increased due to excessive amounts of exposure to the sun and tanning salons. People also suffer and elicit pain on themselves to achieve “beauty” with plastic surgery and procedures to enlarge their breasts, tighten their skin to eliminate wrinkles, and wax unwanted hair. Others are wasting money on brand and popular items such as clothing, iPods, jewelry, and cars to make themselves feel and be considered beautiful when they are seen with these objects. Personally, I like to focus on what is on the inside rather than the outside. It’s just not worth it to me when physical beauty becomes a health risk. After all, should being beautiful (a good quality) have to involve pain and skin cancer?

Coming to an End

I can’t express how glad I am that I signed up for this UWP 101 class rather than the 2:00pm one that I considered taking. I still remember the vivid details from the first day of class. I walked in a few minutes later than everyone and it was already super crowded and claustrophobic. The only seats that were vacant were the ones against the wall under the window. The desks were arranged like a traditional classroom with rows of desks instead of our usual circle. When we were told that the class was going to be revolved around blogging instead of writing papers that’s all I could focus on for the rest of the class period. I was so overwhelmed with all the information that I was receiving that I only remembered the first three names of the people that presented during introductions. In my mind I kept on thinking I can’t do this, it’s too different.

Surprisingly, I adjusted pretty quickly after the first three, four posts. The more I posted the more I started to like the format of this class and blogging because it allowed flexibility. I liked how we had a whole week to generate three posts because I could finish a blog when I was in the mood to write. If it was a paper I know that no matter what, I would always wait till the last minute to finish it. My excuse would be that I work better under pressure. The posts really allowed me to put a good amount of thought into them because I didn’t have to accomplish a large word count in a short amount of time. I also liked how the book, New Keywords was incorporated into this course. It was a good way to start our conversations and we constantly referred back to it during our discussions. In my opinion, this is more effective than analyzing every single word and detail that was used in the text and butchering it to the point where we are sick of the text. New Keywords gave us the opportunity to touch on a number of topics anywhere from biology to deconstruction. It also allowed us to branch out and generate sensitive and insightful conversations. Somehow we always refer back to the word and connect them through our discussions and blogs.

Recently, I went back and reviewed all my posts and even though it has only been a span of six weeks my writing has improved greatly. The different comments that I received from my classmates were extremely beneficial because in a writing workshop only two or three other students examine your essay. In return, it was also interesting to look at my classmates’ work and their writing techniques. In the upcoming quarter I’m going to be taking UWP 104F and I’m not exactly excited that we’re going to be writing essays. Now it’s going to be hard going back to formal papers.

Mobility or Useless Junk?

I take mobility for granted.


I definitely agree with Bernie that humans take mobility for granted and I finally realized this when I was left stranded on campus with a piece of rubbish also known as my cell phone. Recently, one of the AT&T towers on 113 stopped working. Whenever I tried to make calls it wouldn’t ring but instead it produced an echo of my voice. At first I just thought it was my phone but throughout the day I heard more and more students around campus complain about their phones not working. One girl was so frustrated that she started to cuss because she didn’t know how else to get a hold of her swimming coach. As for my situation, my roommate and I both have AT&T and she told me to call her after I finished work so she could come pick me. That plan didn’t quite work out. So I just decided to ride the bus home but she went on a wild goose chase looking for me on campus.

So I understand the frustration Bernie is going through with this laptop. We don’t realize how much we become dependent on our cell phone or laptop until it has stopped working. It was hard not being able to communicate through my phone and I felt like everything took twice as long to accomplish. I can’t imagine having to walk everywhere and not being able to ride the bus, drive my car, or ride my bike. I don’t want to have to live the stories that my grandparents used to tell of when they used to have to walk 5 miles in the snow to get to school. Cars, laptops, iPods, and cell phones are just some forms of mobility that help make our lives more efficient. They have become an everyday part of living just like eating and sleeping. We have become very dependent and we can’t or want to imagine our lives without these objects. However, when they stop working effectively they just become useless junk.

In the future, I wonder how children are going to take it if they are faced with being immobile. Young children, at the age of 7 already have cell phones. Phone companies have made various types of cell phones just for kids. I also see young children holding iPods and the iTouch all the time (side note: the word iPod has already passed spell check but iTouch hasn’t). Every time I see a child on the cell phone or playing on the laptop it amazes me because technology is hitting us at a younger and younger age. It comes natural to them when using a laptop or playing on their Nintendo DS. That is why I fear that future generations will become even worse when it comes to mobility. Perhaps one day our world will become similar to WALL-E where we depend on machines to transport us around and eating our meals from a cup rather than using our natural abilities of walking and cooking our own food.

Jellies!

This assignment reminded me of why I never use my Motorola KRZR camera phone. Sure when I first got it I was really excited and I took pictures of everything in sight and my friends warned me that I was becoming stalker status. Luckily that quickly faded when I went on my phone dropping streak, which caused a tiny crack in the screen and the camera to malfunction. The camera still had its cool features with its ability to change the exposure, lighting conditions, and the style of the photo (black and white, blue, red, green tints, negative, and antique). My camera phone was never up to par with my Casio digital camera but the pictures still came out clear and they were decent for quick snap shots. So when I encountered these jelly fish in the science lab building, it was natural for me to bust out my phone and take a shot. The first shot was extremely disappointing as it came out blurry and too bright, but I continued to snap away. When I got home I realized that I have never uploaded any photos off my phone to the computer. I usually just store my pictures or send them to friends through text messaging; so I definitely know how Arlen feels. I asked all my housemates if they knew how but there was no luck. I finally gave up on attempting to upload the photo onto the computer, especially since I wasn’t completely satisfied with how the picture came out. Since I practically live in the science lab building I decided that I would just go in the next day and retake the photos using my digital camera. The photo itself gives away the location of the jellyfish as one of the doors to the lab building is reflected in the photo.

I chose to take a photo of the jellyfish because I have been watching them grow since fall quarter of last year. Initially, these moon jellies were only specs in this large circular tank. Now they have grown into various sizes and this photo documents the progress and growth of the jellies. What intrigues me the most about this photo is that you can easily tell their unique way of moving and being mobile. They swim in a steady motion using jet propulsions with its flowing tentacles. Jellyfish are subtle creatures and they can camouflage well with their translucent bodies. They are secretive both in the sense that they are hard to distinguish in the tank and the location of their tank. If someone is not familiar with the science lab building then they would've never known that there's a tank of jellyfish near the entrance. At the same time they can be toxic and deadly when they use their tentacles to sting. Most of all, whenever I see these creatures it triggers my mind and it brings back memories of BIS 1B, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and dinner.

Thoughts about Children and Stereotyping

Discrimination and stereotyping have always been a large problem and I agree with Eddy that people first get exposed during childhood through their parents. However, I also believe that classmates and the media play a large role in influencing discrimination. After the age of 5, little kids spend a good portion of their time with other children at school and even more time if they have to attend an after school day care program. The children all have an influence on each other. For instance, in the video after one boy says that he thinks the Chinese man looks nicer another child pitched in and said “Yeah, he does look nicer,” and then the rest agreed as well. I wonder if the children would still have the same response if they were asked individually. Eddy also stated that “brown and blacks have a negative or conflict connotation, while white color represents and symbolizes purity, cleanliness, and innocence.” Children are associating certain races with good and some with bad because that is how these people are being portrayed in the media. Children might be overly exposed to television shows, movies, and video games that always makes a black person the bad guy. These stereotyped characters can negatively influence the way we view real people. Television shows and other media tend to depict racial groups in a negative way and young children who don’t know any better begin to view these people negatively in real life. Some common stereotypes that I’ve noticed are that Asian people are perceived as karate experts, Hispanics are shown as gang members, and people from the Middle East are all seen as terrorists. White girls, especially ones with blonde hair are portrayed as "airheads" with the lack of intelligence. I feel that children are easy targets because they can be veered or tricked into thinking a certain way just by what they have been told and seen.

Recently I found out that some Disney movies have subliminal messages in them about sex. The subliminal messages don’t have anything to do with stereotyping but I brought it up because I feel that again, the media can influence children in a negative manner. A majority of young children all love Disney movies. I know I did, so the video is extremely disturbing to me.

However, there are shows out there that try to promote diversity and encourage children to work with others. Sesame Street tries to incorporate various racial groups into their shows so children are able to view different racial groups interacting in a positive way with one another. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood has also been identified as a program that promotes positive role playing. But bottom line is everyone is different and we all have our own mindsets. Just like Eddy, my parents also made a huge impact on me when growing up. My parents raised me and always made it clear to me that I had to be respectful to everyone no matter what the differences were. I was forbidden to be rude to anyone because they were different from me. A big part of who we are is from how we are raised and what we were exposed to during our childhood.

VW: Drivers Wanted

Without even having to look at the bottom right corner, I could already tell that this ad belonged to Volkswagen. The picture of the car itself reminds me of the signature VW Beetle, also known as the bug. The difference is that the viewer of this ad can easily tell that the car looks like a bug with its antenna, which is a prominent feature among insects. Insects are not very loud and big creatures. So this ad insinuates that VW cars allow such a peaceful and quiet ride that you’re almost discreet, like an insect. The background shows that this is the only vehicle on the road as the sunrises out on the horizon of the mountains. This form of mobility provides safety and it’s also compact that it has enough seats for the whole family. But I wonder why the seats are not filled with people. Perhaps it will distract the viewer from the actual product?

The first thing I noticed when I glanced at this ad was the color. From the sky, mountain, road, and of course the car, the majority of the ad is covered with different shades of blue. Blue is a soothing and peaceful color. Others relate blue to being natural because it is the color of the sky and ocean. Blue is also the color of trust and dependability. These are all qualities that appeal to a car buyer.

The other day Aaron asked me if I liked Mini Coopers. I immediately said no because of their size. I’m not too fond of small cars that are low to the ground. He responded with, “Small is the new big.” This is completely true because now with the economy, consumers want cars that give good gas mileage and they are avoiding the gas guzzlers. Even though the VW vehicle is so small, it still guarantees power as it states on the bottom, “The Golf R32 with 250 horsepower.” To most car consumers, power is everything.

Stop and Stare

I hate it when people stare! I know that I occasionally do it too because I just can’t help it but I try my best to avoid or keep it to a minimum. Staring can be awkward turtle, creepy, and just plain uncomfortable. I feel that staring is a common reaction when people see something “different” or out of the ordinary.

Last night I went to dinner with some friends that I met in the dorms last year. With such a large group we had to take two cars. For once I wasn’t the one that got lost so we ended up at BJs super early. As I ask for a table of 8 at the counter, the waitress hands me a restaurant pager as a way to notify when we can be seated. Since it was going to be a 30 minute wait we all took the risk of going out into the gruesome heat and walking over to Target. We were in Target for a good 5 minutes before the pager let out this loud “bleep, bleep.” That’s when I realized we walked out of range and the “bleep, bleep” was a sign to tell us to migrate closer towards the restaurant. My initial reaction was to dash out of Target as fast as I could because everyone was staring and looking around to see what was going on. I was automatically singled out because I was different by carrying this device that wouldn’t shut up. But I ended up sticking around just to see people’s reactions. Most of the customers ignored the beeping and continued to shop, but I definitely noticed the irritation on their faces. When I walked down the aisle with all the hair products, I saw a girl that looked about my age having difficulty picking out what kind of shampoo she wanted. She would grab a bottle, open it, take a big whiff, and then put it down again. When she saw me she politely smiled, but then as soon as she heard the “bleep, bleep” and realized that I was the source of this horrendous noise, there was an immediate change on her face to a frown. She glanced over at me a couple of times and finally left without even grabbing her shampoo. A man from another aisle even yelled, “Turn that thing off!” From the time I entered to when I stepped out of the store, shoppers were staring and just giving me snooty looks because I was different from all the other shoppers. Being “abnormal” or looking and acting different than the majority or crowd can cause people to react by staring and making negative comments.

Bio Brew: The Place to Be!

I hear “Grande Iced Mocha and Venti Upside Down Caramel Macchiato!” as I sit down at one of the round tables under the stairs in the science lab building. I have a clear view of Bio Brew, which is also where I work to earn some extra cash for gas and groceries. It is a whole other perspective watching on the other side of the counter as customers come and go. I see some familiar faces go up to the counter and order their daily coffee. As I am observing the unit, I notice that there is always a massive rush and the formation of a long line whenever classes just end or are about to start. Bio Brew is their one key pit stop to staying awake in class. Some of the students in line looked as if they were robotic with their tired and expressionless faces. It was obvious that they mastered the routine of going up to the counter, telling the cashier what kind of drink they wanted, paying, and then automatically going around the corner to wait for their drink to be made. Then as soon as their drink is called they grab it and rush off either through the halls of the science lab building, exit through one of the four glass doors, or run up the stairs to go study in the lounge. Researchers and professors are some of Bio Brew’s biggest fans and they always know to come and order their coffee during the middle of the hour when there are less people. I see the same man that looks like Einstein with crazy white hair and glasses hand over his 20 mL beaker to the cashier for a double shot of espresso. I see other people bring in their own mugs and coffee cups as well. One man asked for a refill of House coffee in his 7-Eleven Big Gulp cup. How does he sleep at night with that much caffeine in his system? So it seems like a lot of students and professors use Bio Brew as a general meeting area to grab a quick drink and then they all disperse to where they are needed next. A common look that I saw, especially when people were waiting in line was an exhausted and irritated look. Most students were slouching and some were out of breath as they walked in from the heat; but no matter where each person had to go next, there was always a look of relief as they walked away with coffee in their hands.

Writing Requirements

In class we discussed why the university requires us to take English courses, especially those who have majors that require them to write all the time. Personally, I think that English classes are more useful than some of the GE classes that I have taken. I tried to enroll in UWP 101 during spring quarter but after attending class for four days the professor said that she was going to drop me. Reason: You can’t be in this class because you’re not upperclassmen standing. So with no choice I was forced to go look for another class. By that time there were a limited number of classes available because it was already a week into the quarter. After searching on the open course list for about an hour, I finally found a class that could fit into my schedule. Unfortunately the class was GEL 36, which is about the solar system. Even though, the class was interesting it was honestly a waste of my time. It was pure memorization and I walked away with more information that I ever needed to know about Neptune. It also didn’t help me with my biochemistry major.

We all have to take classes that we don’t feel will help us further in our major. I think that the University requires us to take these courses so we get a chance to learn about different topics outside our majors. With a science major, I don’t mind taking English. It is a nice change from dealing with pure science and hard facts. In English classes, your take on a topic is different from the person sitting next to you. I like the subjectivity and ambiguity. Also, these English courses will be a good way to brush up on writing and just practice writing. In my science classes the only hardcore writing that I have had to do in these past two years is answering questions and completing two page lab reports. The comments that I receive from my peers will help me when it comes time to writing my resume and personal statements for graduate school. I have to be able to write clearly and express myself when I am not able to talk.

2012

History is the story of the past and the knowledge was originally passed down orally and through written documents. Now we can record our history through photography, filming, and typed files. History is being created everyday at every moment but some events are considered more significant than others. We can learn from history and turn to our past for answers to help with present day. For instance, many people believe that the world is going to end in the year 2012. They are supporting their opinion based on history and what ancient civilizations believed in the past. The ancient Egyptians believed that 2012 was a year of great change. Others bring up ancient Mayan cyclical calendars and how the calendar will end in 2012. Using science, NASA even predicted that there is an increase in the number of sun flares for 2012, which will cause electrical failures and satellite disruptions.

I don’t know if I believe that the world will come to an end but this prediction could pertain to other factors that our world needs to worry about such as, global warming. There are a lot more floods, droughts, heat waves, and the ice in Antarctica is melting faster. Wildfires, earthquakes, and other ecological disasters have also increased. A quote that my history teacher always used was “Those who don’t learn from history will be condemned to repeat it.” This is true because if we don’t learn from our mistakes then we will continue to make the problem worse. Right now we are seeing how our ozone layer is being destroyed. We are consuming more than we are producing and sometimes it is not in the most sustainable manner. We have all seen a significant increase in the gas and oil prices and this has made a huge impact on the economy and transportation. So by retracing and looking back on history we can learn from the mistakes and it could potentially change the future.

"I want this and this..."

“Do you really need that? Are you really going to use/wear it?” are common questions that my mom always asks me whenever I go on a crazy shopping spree. In return, my answer is always “YES! I really need headbands, jeans, nail polish…” There are certain items we “need” in order to survive such as food and water and others we obviously don’t so they are categorized under “want.” However, many people, including myself are so determined and want something so bad that we consider it something we now “need” because that is all we can think about. After we have determined what we “need” then there is the brand and what kind to get. People are naturally drawn to vibrant, colorful, and unusual objects or images because it catches our attention. That is why advertisements and commercials have such a great effect on consumers. It is inescapable as ads are everywhere from: magazines, newspapers, television, movies, billboards, and the internet. Consumers are being sucked into buying and buying more with good deals and advertising. Phrases such as “buy one get one free,” “only two payments of $9.99,” and “three for the price of one” all catch the eye of the consumer and makes them rethink whether they need to purchase this item because of the special deal.

Ads help consumers familiarize with the product. If the consumer always sees an ad or commercial for a certain product, they might choose it over another brand. This leads to the debate of which is better, generic or brand name medication? Pharmacists conclude that a generic drug has the same active ingredients as the brand name drug. Generic drugs are usually less expensive in comparison to their brand name counterparts because the advertising and marketing costs for brand name drugs are extremely high. To make up for this cost, the drug’s retail price will also increase. However, many consumers don’t know this and most people will end up picking up Tylenol instead of acetaminophen (generic Tylenol). Most consumers recognize the word Tylenol and its packaging but not acetaminophen. Some will choose the most expensive of the two just because they think that the brand name will work better and faster (especially if the product is unfamiliar to them).

Good Ol' Scotts Valley

I grew up in a small town called Scotts Valley, near Santa Cruz and the majority of the population is upper-middle class white citizens. I was one of six other Asians in my class and three of them were not even a hundred percent Asian. Most of my classmates, including myself had economically stable families. The families that were not as well off didn’t seem to want to stay in this town for long. In fifth grade, my best friend, Chelsea moved to Oregon because she said that her family could no longer afford their house and they were having trouble with money. At the time, I was shocked and I didn’t understand her reasoning. I never thought that money could be such a big and demanding issue.

I love my hometown but at the same time it feels like I was living in a bubble. My community shelters their children and sugar coats situations, which is not reality. For instance, if a cop sees a homeless person then they will automatically be directed towards the homeless shelter in Santa Cruz. Scotts Valley is not very diverse when it comes to social class and we are constantly penalized for this. One time when I was in downtown Santa Cruz waiting in line to buy my ticket to go see the movie, Napoleon Dynamite, I heard a group of kids from a local high school yell out how Scotts Valley is just a town full of white, snobby, rich kids. Even though I didn’t say anything directly to them, in my mind I was thinking yes, a majority of the population is white and most of the people in town are well off, but this does not make us snobby. Being put under this class title whether economically or socially does not define your personality nor should it justify behavior.

Just Too Expensive

“$4.55!” Just this morning, the price for unleaded gas was $4.54 and it has already increased by a cent. This is unfortunate news considering the gas light in my car has been flashing at me for the past two days. So forced to get gas, I make a quick detour to Valero before grabbing lunch at Subway. Out of all the gas stations in South Davis, Valero is always the cheapest. I figured this out by scoping all the gas stations while riding the bus to campus. That is if I’m not half asleep at 7:30 in the morning. As I’m paying for my $5 foot long I noticed that there is an extra 50 cent charge if I pay with a credit or debit card. The extra charge seems unnecessary because my credit card is still a form of money. Without even knowing it at times, I deal with the economy in some form everyday. Economy is such a broad term because it encompasses so many other words. For instance, New Keywords associates economy with money, markets, commodities, wealth, industry, labor, enterprise, finance, investment, employment, consumption, production, credit, debt, competition, monopoly, and development. Truthfully, I never really cared about the economy and found little interest in the subject. However, now that the economy has gone down and prices for gas, food, clothes, and other resources have gone up I started to pay more attention. As college students, most of us are just getting by. So we can all agree that we dread the first day of classes knowing that we have to go to the bookstore right after class to buy the expensive books and lab manuals.

First Day of School

Okay, I won’t lie. I probably would’ve never found the book if my boyfriend didn’t point to the exact spot it was at; because the thought of looking under the English section would never cross my mind. If I was by myself, I would search all over the UWP section, and then once more to make sure that it wasn’t there (and that my eyes weren’t going crazy on me). My last resort would be to find an employee and bug them until they found it. So I would say that my trip to the bookstore was pretty successful today. No one managed to run into me and the line to pay was fairly short. Now that we don’t have to store our backpacks and bags in the lockers the bookstore is not a complete nightmare, especially since it’s the first day of classes. I got everything I needed and I was in and out of the bookstore within fifteen minutes. Afterwards, when I was waiting for the bus I started flipping through the book and it wasn’t what I expected. It’s not a book full of grammar lessons and different writing techniques. It definitely looks way more interesting than the UWP 1 textbook I used. And as for the blogging, I think I’m already starting to get the hang of it!