Entry #6: Au Revoir

It's good to have you (back) Reader! To start off, I'd like to say that as my English 101 class comes to an end, my activity on this blog will too. What I'm saying is that this is probably my last post for this blog. Blogging has been quite an experience.

Honestly, making all these blog posts have been work, since blogging isn't really necessarily the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of fun things to do. I can't absolutely say though that I didn't enjoy blogging at all. I mean, I have felt a sense of satisfaction after finishing some, if not all, of my blog posts. I like how having to make these blog posts has made me step out of my "lazy pants." I also like how I was encouraged to be creative/inventive. Really, I am glad to be free (at least for now) from having deadlines for making blog posts. I can now just post my thoughts when I really feel like it on places like Facebook. But again, this whole blogging experience wasn't all too bad.

One reason why blogging has been a chore for me is that I was compelled to not just make some short, shallow posts. Knowing that I have to earn my grade, I felt compelled to actually put effort into these posts. Another reason why this experience has been an arduous one is because I do take certain aspects of my posts (and things I communicate in general) seriously. For example, I hate the idea of spreading false information. I really don't like causing people to be misinformed and possibly suffer resulting consequences. Sometimes, this compels me to do at least some research (i.e. more work) on any info I feel unsure of.

I have gained somethings from this blogging experience. For one thing, I've generally learned more about some topics that I had to write about. Another thing is that I not only honed my thinking skills, but I also reflected on my own ideas/views and possibly formulated new ideas that I may have not formed had I not been required to make these blog posts.

So yeah, I believe this blogging experience has been quite beneficial for me. In addition to those things mentioned above, I also got to brush up on my writing/composition skills which should (and probably have) help me with academic and other essays. On the more character-building side, this experience has also promoted in me a sense of diligence and responsibility.

I don't think I can surely suggest anything that would improve this class's blogging experience without reducing its effectiveness in terms of things to be gained/learned. Doing away with deadlines would probably have students not make any blog posts at all. Maybe mentioning more quantitative requirements, such as a minimum number of comments on other's blogs, might help.

Overall, I don't think it was bad that my teacher had us make blog posts a requirement. It may be somewhat unconventional, but it has its benefits.

Well, that's it from me. This is goodbye then. I am thankful that you read my blog post and even more so if you have been reading my previous blog posts. I hope that all of them have been pleasurable and beneficial reads. You may see me again if in the future I am again required to create a blog for another class. The most likely of which is English 102. Alright then... Goodbye and take care! :-D

College Life

Hello Reader! I'd like to share my overall experience with my 1st semester (which is soon coming to an end) of college here in the U.S. (I said "here in the U.S." because I have previously taken 1 year of college back home in the Philippines, but my experience with college here has been quite different. I won't go into comparing both experiences though.)

I have learned a lot from my 4 classes during these past months. The most challenging of which has been calculus. With calculus being a subject that requires higher level thinking (as my teacher says), I am proud of now being able to solve calculus problems. In a way, it makes me feel smart. Hehe... :-P No doubt, there are more complex subjects to come (including the more advanced calculus classes), but I am looking forward to acquiring more and more higher level knowledge. Also, I am glad to know that what I'm learning will help me with my career choice. 

College life has been stressful as well with all the schoolwork and deadlines.  With the many essay papers, online discussions, blogs (like this one :-P), etc., my English class in particular has been the most stressful of all my classes. The amount of schoolwork may be attributed to it being a hybrid class (being partly online and face-to-face/traditional). More so though, the required effort may be attributed to the fact that these requirements need more of an inventive thought process. So I continually have (soon to be "had") to come up with new material to put on paper (or document files). The added responsibility can be quite a pain especially when stacked up with other responsibilities like housework, (job) work, and even taking care of children. (It's a good thing I only have the first one to worry about, and maybe soon the second one.) I've sadly been behind with the latest technology articles and such. I know though that whatever skills and knowledge I'm acquiring by going through these trials--schoolwork--will pay off somehow, be it with my future career or in life.

Going to college has also made me feel more independent: having to manage my own enrollment, teachers leaving it up to me to be responsible for fulfilling my class requirements, pursuing knowledge by my own free will, etc.

I enjoy and even look forward to my classes, even if their requirements can be stressful. It's a good-outweighs-the-bad kind of thing.

Reader, if ever you're not part of my English 101 class, and you aren't currently and haven't previously been in college, I would recommend that you pursue a college education if it's within your means. There's much useful and interesting knowledge to be acquired, and there are jobs out there that require people with knowledge and skills that can be attained through a college education.

Well, that's all for this blog post. I hope you found this read to be a pleasant one (even if it was somewhat focused on me). Thank you for reading, and until next time... :-)

Truth Vs. Belief

Hello (again) Reader! With this blog post, I'll be talking about religion in general. Knowing how much of a sensitive topic it is, I will try to not come off as offensive to anyone, but I will share some food for thought.

To start, let me bring up the definition of the word religion. According to one of the definitions on Merriam-Webster.com, religion is "a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith." So basically, religion can be said to be a set of certain beliefs people uphold and accept to be true.

As you're probably aware of though, there are tons of different religions out there. Are they all based on the truth though? Are only some of them truthful? Is it only one out of all of them? Or are none of them even true at all? Those are just some thoughts and I personally cannot say which one of those thoughts may be objectively true.

If a person a certain religion were asked which religion is of the truth, he/she would probably say whatever his/her religion is. This is to be expected because why else would that person be of that religion if he/she didn't think it is true.

The question now is, why do people believe in certain religions but not others? Well, there are multiple reasons why someone may choose to adopt a religion. Some people may have just been raised by their parents with a certain religion.  Some may have been convinced/converted that a certain religion is of the truth. Some may have learned about a certain religion and have found its beliefs and practices to make sense (to them). There may be more reasons as to why people adopt certain religions.

All that just goes to show that people may believe in different religions, whether or not we know they're of the truth. Some may say that, I guess in a philosophical kind of way, believing in something makes it true (for whoever believes in it). If you are to be scientific  though, you would wonder which religion is of the objective truth, who is/are the real god(s), are all or none of them real, etc.?

Religion truly is a difficult topic to debate about. This is because different religions are based on different people's beliefs, which vary widely. Also, there is a lack of knowledge to totally prove or disprove different religions, and even if there were proof, some people may choose to not believe in it.

This is why I choose to be Agnostic--someone who doesn't stick to any particular belief (or disbelief). Though I have no definitive proof supporting the truth behind any religion, I also do not have any definitive proof to totally discredit any religion. I am not telling anyone to be Agnostic like me though. Faith can be considered an admirable trait, and, as I have come to learn, many religions uphold admirable values/principles; so I'm not against those religions either.

Many religions/philosophies carry many implication with them and greatly shape people's lives, so choose wisely.

That's it from me for now. Thank you for reading and I hope you found this blog post generally enjoyable. I hope you come back again for more! Take care and till next time... :-)

Entry #5: Savoring Every Last Bit

Greetings (once again) Reader! Today, I will be sharing my thoughts and insights about a fairly recent controversial topic, "pink slime." More specifically, I'll be talking about a portion of an episode of a show called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution concerning this topic. My views may not appear conventional or may even come off as appalling, but please do bear with me.

The particular segment of the show I am referring to has the host, Jamie Oliver, showing a group of people a (rough) demonstration of how pink slime is made. He described pink slime as processed meat trimmings that are unfit for human consumption--due to having harmful germs--and are/were initially (possibly when not processed the same way) meant to be made into animal food. The whole process supposedly involves meat trimmings first being put through a mechanical process where the fat is separated from the actual meat; then, they are treated with ammonia to kill off microorganisms; and then, the trimmings are turned into a form of ground meat. Based on the way he described and showed the process, it seemed to me like he had no intention of making pink slime look good or at least acceptable.

For me though, I think it's pretty great how this "pink slime" technology allows us to be less wasteful--than we already are. I really am one for avoiding waste, at least up to a point that is still reasonable. I remember hearing how Spam, the canned meat, comes from meat trimmings--at least partially--that otherwise may have been discarded (not necessarily due to them being unfit for human consumption). (Note: I'm not 100% sure about this information. If it's a cause for concern for you, you can do some research on it instead of avoiding Spam just like that.) Hearing how Spam actually contains meat that would otherwise have been wasted makes me happy to eat it. That's aside from the fact that I find it delicious--especially when it's fried--and not too expensive.

It should also be considered how the efficiency behind "pink slime" may lead us to having to slaughter less animals. It may also lead to having more affordable food.

There is that concern about how ammonia is used to make it. I am not really familiar with how exactly ammonia affects our bodies. If it can be used though in a way that ends up really being safe for human consumption, then I have no problems with it. I believe it would be ignorant to be prejudiced against it just because of the negative notion surrounding it. Like I learned in high school, when it comes to chemistry, things may not always be as they seem. For instance, water or H2O is made from hydrogen--which is a combustible gas--and oxygen--which is needed for a fire to burn. Ironically, they combine into something that can be used to douse fire. This just goes to show how we should look deeper into what chemicals are, how they're used, and how they really affect us in the end; instead of just having prejudiced views towards them. We have to make ourselves more knowledgeable on the matter if we don't trust others, like the government, to check for us if things are fit for us.

In the show, an issue was brought up about how the government doesn't require that companies indicate that ammonia is used for "pink slime" products. I find it to be debatable that consumers aren't informed about this. For one thing, of course one would like to know what he/she is eating. Another thing though is, what if "pink slime" is absolutely alright but people would still refuse it because of the thought surrounding ammonia? Wouldn't that result in a big waste of food that could've been avoided? This is why I find it debatable. I for one though would like to know everything about what I put in my mouth; though, I have no problem "stomaching" the thought of ammonia being used in my food, as long as it's absolutely safe.

About any other concerns surrounding "pink slime..." I'm not too concerned about the bacteria since getting rid of them is what the ammonia is supposedly for. I am also not concerned about what those meat trimmings were initially for since that thought alone doesn't really matter. A lot of things can be repurposed.

Admittedly, I'm not thoroughly informed about this topic, but those are my general insights about it. I really think that Jamie Oliver was making "pink slime" look bad. Whether he was right to do so, I can't really say without knowing if "pink slime" is absolutely safe or not. Otherwise, if it is really a safe, less wasteful way to make a delicious burger, then I'm for it!

This topic definitely deserves to be researched upon more. I encourage you to do so.

Well, that's it from me for now. Thank you for reading! I hope you come back for more soon. Till next time... :-)