Self Reflection (Portfolios)

I learn that the AC class is a basic foundation that teaches me how to write an academic essay. Until the end of the first semester, overall I don't see any drastic improvement in my writing skills due to the fact that I'm still haven't adapted to it, especially for academic writing where there are certain criteria and steps that must be fulfilled in writing an academic essay. Although, I do also believe that I have improved a bit base on what I've seen so far; for example, my cause and effect essay it's not much but I feel like I have improved myself in term of the way I'm writing my essay. Even though my score is not that high, but it shows my improvement from the first academic essay that I've made. Of all academic essay that I have written, I prefer to write cause and effect essay rather than comparisons and argumentative. The reason why I chose cause and effect essay is that they are much more direct essay that stated the cause or the effect of my particular topic. Furthermore, it is easier to find the right scholarly article due to the fact that there many authors who wrote about cause and effect articles on some topics. The most challenging essay that I've written so far is an argumentative essay due to the fact that argumentative essay is written base on my own stances, and it is difficult to found a solution toward the counter-argument. Furthermore, writing an argumentative essay is discussing on both views and determining which side I should take without any uncertainties. Which require a lot of details about the topic, which is quite challenging for me due to the fact that I have to read many pages to obtain the detail as well as the main idea. The way I overcome my challenges is to read calmly even with the time I keep on ticking, even if it takes a lot of time just to read the article. Class activities that helped improve my writing are blog journal, where the blog helps me in expressing more on my thoughts and feel allowing me to construct a good blog. The blog helps in a way to provide a basic construction of making an essay, where I believe attracting the reader is the number one priority in constructing a good essay. Base on many blogs that I 've written so far, I learn that blogs help to essay differently. However, the downside of making a blog is that I wrote every blog in an informal way for the purpose to attract the reader even though my goal is to improve my writing skills using much more academic or more formal. As for the assignment, I say that blog journals are the most helpful assignment in enhancing our writing skills base on what we have learned so far. But, It's not academic writing which not requires a lot of research to write a blog. On the other hand, a blog journal helps me to remove my frustration over a variety of things which is helpful in expressing all of my thoughts and feelings over the topic. 

Reflection of Argumentative Essay

After finish writing, my argument essay, my biggest challenge of writing this essay is probably reading the article. Since reading four scholarly article takes a lot of time to obtain the main idea, other challenges that I face in making an argumentative essay is remaining neutral in some way, where I have to take both points of view and provide a solution toward the counter-argument base on what I've believed. I believe there are none what so ever making an essay is easy, due to the fact it takes a lot of time and energy for making an essay. Since I haven't submitted my first draft. So, I'm not sure the changes are. However, I do make some changes in my argumentative essay from the introduction and the author citation. Although it hasn't been check by the teacher and students so I'm not sure if it is correct or not. I think this is the worst essay I've ever made due to I haven't managed my time well and haven't fully prepared. Which lead me to get no feedback from the teacher as well as the student. Writing an academic essay is not an easy task, where I'm struggling in finding the right sources that can support my essay. Furthermore, I'm still struggling in the author's citation even though I've read the book, and ask my friend. I still don't know how to make the right citation. The way I plan to improve myself is to read more articles and relearn how to make the right citation. I could have put more effort into my argumentative essay. However, without any feedback, I'm not sure I can put more effort into it due to I don't know what is my mistake. Ready or not, I believe that we will eventually write a longer academic essay due to the fact that writing an academic essay is important for future majors. I'm not sure about how prepared I am in entering AC 2. However, I believe that there are rooms to improve.

Screen Time

When I heard or read the word "screen time", the first thing that comes to my mind is the amount of time that we used electronic every day. The creator of the mobile phone has implementing screen time, which is used to remind us as the user to manage our time using a mobile phone. The way screen time work is by monitoring our daily activities on our mobile phone and report your activities to see if you played a lot of games, spend time on social media, or using your gadget for working purposes. Screen time can provide a risk to the user, especially health and social issues. Too much screen time would damage their eyesight. When we read or scroll through social media we tend to blink much lesser which leads to dry eyes. Other symptoms caused by too much screen time are giving eyestrain, headaches, and even stress. Furthermore, screen time also causes a sleep problem that is caused by the light emitted from the screens that disrupting our sleep cycle in the brain, which leads to insomnia. The risk of screen time can damage the relationship with their close one, whether it is their family or friends. Even with this concern, I do also experience insomnia due to the fact that I have been using my phone and laptop for working and entertainment purposes, there are times when I slept only 2 hours. As a person who likes to stay up all night, I would try to set a limit but I would not guarantee success. As a night person, I would prefer to work during night time where it is more productive for me. My limit of screen time is when I finish all of my work or when I'm experience fatigue, that is the time when I went to sleep. I think children nowadays have experience more screen time, rather than when I was a child. Technology has been more advanced than before I was a child where they provide a variety of entertainment that allows children to stay entertained for a long period of time. When I was a child, my parents only bought me toys to stay entertained. To some extent, I agree with banning screen time especially for children due to children need to get more exposure to outside activities rather than staying in their bedroom watching movies or playing games, It is healthier to go outside and socialize with other people. However, children also need to expose to gadgets, where I believe that we live in the era of technology which they will develop further. By allowing children to use their gadget is allowing themself to adapt toward technology and using it in an effective way.

My Dream

I want to become the owner as well as becoming the head chef of the restaurant. I always love cooking and things that are related to food, where I see not just for consumption but also a form of art that brings joy toward the consumer. For me, cooking is like doing an experiment, where trial and error occur there are times when my cooking tastes not as good as I thought. However, I tried over and over again until I found the taste that are befitting for me. 

My long term plan is learning Japanese until I can communicate with Japanese people, as I would like to learn more about Japanese culture and work in a Japanese restaurant to increase my experience in cooking as well as how to run a restaurant. Furthermore, I would like to focus on how to run a business due to the fact that my dream is wanting to become the head chef as well as becoming the owner of the restaurant. Which is why I need to learn how to manage my restaurant. 

There are times when I'm questioning myself about my dream. From middle school until high school, I always ask myself if I'm on the right track or not. There are some roads I can choose either becoming an environmentalist or becoming the owner of the restaurant. I like to learn more about the environment where I want to make people aware of environmental concerns, at the same time I also like cooking and my interest in learning new technique of cooking. In the end, I've realized that I love cooking more than becoming an environmentalist.

Seth Goldin said:" Don't build a business because you want freedom, build a business because you want to run a business.", where Seth Goldin is trying to say that pursuing your dream is base on your own interest on doing it, Interest is derived from motivation, passion, and inspired by other people. Which lead me to believe that people's interest in doing what they love to do is because they are inspired or motivated by other people. While having an interest in doing because of passion.

Something that I have never learn to do, but wish I had. Although it doesn't really relate to my dream, I wish that I can play a musical instrument especially guitar and piano. I was never really good at playing a musical instrument, there is a time that I have an interest in learning it. However, I don't have the patience to learn how to play a musical instrument.

Representing My Country in International Exhibition

If someone would ask me to send one object that represents my country to an international exhibition, I would choose batik as my object. In my point of view, it is important for a country to introduce their culture first where I believe that culture is one of the important aspects of our country. Batik is made out of silk cloth as the basic foundation then decorate the cloth with wax and dye. Batik is the most popular traditional clothes in our country. Which lead me to believe that batik is the most appropriate object that represents my country. A traditional object is the most reasonable way of representing the country, due to the fact that traditional object is created and became very popular on that very own country that has been accepted by societies in that particular country to use traditional object can be representing their very own country. Batik is used for clothes, handkerchiefs, and pants but the most popular one batik in the form of clothes. Batik provides a unique characteristic that makes Indonesia different from other countries. Indonesia is made up of various tribes with each have its own traditions. However, batik helps to unify all of the tribes become one, as batik can remind each tribe that they all shared the same land which is why our country celebrates batik day every Friday. The creation of batik has been past down for many years, as they part of Indonesia's history. Batik has a unique pattern that some people would not understand, however behind that pattern there is a meaning which all depends on the person who creates it. 

Technology

Technology can be defined as a tool that is created from scientific knowledge, in which the purpose of technology is to make our life more easier in communicating and educating them to improve the country's economy, politic, and social. Technology can be seen in many forms, either social media, mobile phones, laptops, computers, and any other machinery. Although technology provides a lot of benefits to society and the country, they also provide some drawbacks. For the past centuries, technology is created for solving a certain problem that is difficult for a human. As technology advances even further they also create problem toward society, unemployment are very common nowadays where technology replaces labor. Another problem that technology does is providing many entertainments toward society, entertainment can be view as beneficial as well as having drawbacks. Where entertainment can be seen as a stress reliever, however at the same time they also provide addiction toward a society which leads people to be lazy. By distancing themself from the close one due to technology obsession may damage their relationship with their close one, which is families and friends.  

One of the questions that my friend ask me is, what do you know about Cambridge Analytica? I have never heard or read of that word before and I never knew what is the meaning of Cambridge Analytica. Until recently, after I have read a certain article I can define Cambridge Analytica as gathering information and data through social media to become the target of the marketing section. Using a social media platform to research further about consumer preference and advertise the product through social media, which is beneficial for many businesses to attract more consumers.

Digital detox is referring to not touching our mobile phone, laptop, or computer for a certain period of time. Some people would be fine in doing it, due to they have control over themselves and have no addiction toward electronic. However, some people find it difficult to do it due to they are already addicted to the use of electronic. I also have an addiction toward electronic and it is difficult to overcome addiction as it takes a gruesome process. If I were participating in digital detox I don't think I can go through with it and even it was only for just one day.

There is an expression of "boon or bane", where technology can be boon or it can be a bane. In my point of view, technology is a boon because without technology our world could not be this great where people can get proper education with the help of technology, and it also improves countries condition. There is a phrase that I always believed in "no glory without sacrifice", where addiction is the drawback which representing the word as sacrifice and glory are representing this era where technology helps to develop country's economy, and politic as well as influencing globalization in a positive way. As the benefit is outweighing the drawbacks.

Alan M. Eddison said: "Modern technology...owes ecology...an apology.", this phrase is referring to the production of technology damage the environment. I agree with this statement, where a certain chemical substance is produced during the production of the technology which can be deadly toward the environment.

Social Media

Social media are essential to our everyday life, where social media are perceived as a tool to communicate, sharing information, and establishing relationship indirectly with other people. Social media also provide a sense of community toward people who are interested in a certain topic that they would like to talk about. Nowadays, social media can be access everywhere, where they only required a good internet connection and a gadget to access social media platforms.

In a sense of purpose, social media is the most helpful tool as well as an addiction toward our health, physically and mentally. However, the benefit of social media is outweighing the drawback of the use of social media. The biggest positive thing about having social media is that information is easily accessible and allowing us as users to share our knowledge with other users. Allowing users to learn as well as growing their knowledge in the long run which may be useful in the future and improving a country's economic, politic, and others. Despite the benefit that social media has provided us, but it also provides drawbacks to society. Generally speaking, social media also provides many entertainments toward users, which leads users to be addicted to social media and causing them to have an unhealthy lifestyle. Even for me, as the user of social media, I also have an addiction toward social media and it is very difficult for me to overcome them. 

Identity in social media can be interpreted in various kind of way, as some users would reveal their identity too much, some users would reveal their identity a little bit, and others would remain anonymous. It is very common for people to freely express their opinion on social media. However, expressing too much is not good in the eyes of many users on social media and it may also give away your identity. Where are some users who are curious about your identity may hack into your account and post it on social media. There are others who like to become someone else and play around with their identity, I think this is a bad thing to do on social media especially for the person who does it. By imitating someone, you can manipulate users to believe that you are someone else that is popular which may provide some popularity toward the person who did it. However, it can also be backfired due to there are users who like to hack into someone's account and revealing their real identity and this situation may lead to cyberbullying.

To some extent, I believe social media can bring people together externally and at the same time, social media can also keep people farther apart. The meaning of externally is that social media can connect with people from different geographical locations. However, the use of social media can also affect internally, where the meaning of internally can be defined as someone who is very close to you which is families and friends. In my point of view, social media can create communities that bring people together, but it can also damage their relationship with someone closer to you which are families and friends.

Social media can change people's behavior in a physical and mental way, for me personally, social media changes the way I behave in class or during my study time. Just like what I have said before social media have many entertainments that can be difficult for me to not get distracted. Some people may experience much more, but I believe that social media is becoming a part of my distraction which leads me to have a difficult time focusing on my studies or during class. 

Some people may have privacy concerns in social media, where it is a concern that an unidentifiable user is accessing your personal information. It is common for people to have concerns over their personal information. However, in my standpoint of view, I only use the social media platform that is used by many users as I believe that a popular social media platform has a stronger security system that is difficult to bridge. It is more reliable to use social media that are used by many users, which leads me to believe that popular social media can keep your personal information safely.   

The way I overcome my social media addiction is by putting my phone far away as possible, especially during class or my study time. I would put my phone in my bag or put it somewhere that is difficult for me to reach. There are times when I ask my friend to keep my phone until I have finished all of my work and it is very difficult. Since our brain could not adapt quickly in term of not using social media, which lead people to experience the urge of using social media as their break time. However, it is possible to resist but it requires time as well as energy to stop the urge of using social media