Real and the UNREAL

I happen to be writing a paper write now arguing the Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried carries just as much, in fact more, weight than non-fictional accounts of the Vietnam War because it allows the reader to connect on a more personal level as the writer isn't just saying "This happened, then this happened.." it's much more...story like. And if a writer is good at what he does, then it shouldn't matter whether what he writes is based on his life experiences or not. Having said that, all authors add their personal experiences into their writing and I know that personally from my own fictional writing. It was, in fact, the best piece of advice I ever got from a teacher on the subject of writing: Write about what you know. And from the little I know about Ellison, he does shine through in The Invisible Man: the time era is the same, and therefore more importantly they must have had similar social experiences given the racial climate of that era.

So just because you find the two books on different shelves in Barnes and Noble, it doesn't mean I take either of them more or less seriously (going back to the "Expertise" discussion we had one day...) you take them at face value. At the end of the day, they are both stories to you, unless you are hiding something from us and are either Augustine or Ellison.............

and now I will go back to my essay in which I will in short expand upon my ideas here =]

'Factual' versus 'fictional' memoir

The type of memoir that a person writes- either fictional or factual- effects how we perceive the events in the work. If, for example, Augustine's Confessions was changed from fact to fiction, his modern audience would have much less sympathy for and understanding with the narrator. It is hard enough for members of a modern, secular society to completely relate to Augustine's religious struggles, heavy on rhetoric and light on detail as it is. With the lack of a story and more philosophical monologues, few readers looking for a fictional account of the 4th century Roman Empire will find an enjoyable read.
If modern readers would find a lack of enjoyment in Augustine's 'fictional' memoir, they would find a jarring account of segregation and racism in early 20th century America in Ralph Ellison's 'factual' Invisible Man. Ellison's prolific use of detail, showing the human race with all of its flaws but deserving of redemption, creates a picture of America under Jim Crow that rings true to those who have learned American history at the end of the 20th century. Even if the story did not actually happen, its reads to be true enough for those with a basic knowledge of American social history to earn plausibility.

9.26.09 Reflection on "Home"

Returning home Friday, September 25th presented a slew of mixed emotions in my already mixed mind. It was overwhelming. Living in Washington DC for this near month and a half stay has been by far my longest time away from home. Until riding the R5 train to our suburban Philadelphia Fort Washington station, I passed the weeks in Washington occupied and invigorated so my mind strayed from thoughts of home. I realize now how much I miss the last eighteen years of my life. The security and love of family, the familiarity of my house's turns, the solitude I find in my bedroom are all greatly missed. Life is changed in college, and only now can I confirm that the seemingly fictional and Hollywood-ized depiction of going home is without a doubt very true.

My mom picked me up at the train station, beaming a smile like I've never seen. She brought our dog Rascal who greeted me in his own, though equally exuberant dog way. My mom proceeded, as planned quite sneakily, to pick up my dad from a different train station as he returned from a long business trip out west. The two returned home and my dad opened the door to find me, his only son, waiting with a hug. He did a double take as he first glanced me, but soon his expression was one of sheer happiness. He even called me as I rode the train home, and I had to carefully place my words so as not to ruin the surprise. It was worth it. He said it was his best surprise ever, that much better since coming off an exhausting trip. We had pizza and hung out for the night. It was a great weekend.

So now I prepare for my voyage home. I have to admit I am a bit melancholy, but optimistic to continue my time if Washington. I appreciate the warmth and comfort of the green leather chair I sit in now. Rascal is sleeping in a familiar spot on the sofa. The Chinctoteague Island Easter Decoy Festival posters wear the cream colored walls behind them. The soft glow of the two shaded lamps evenly fill the room. This is the way things have been for years. I won't see them until Thanksgiving. I'll survive. Leaving home, I learned this weekend, makes the return that much more glorious.

reflection

This week seemed especially long. For the lab we observed the roll that the monuments play in life and how people react to the monuments. We saw their identity not only as a national icon, but as a regular building. It was interesting to watch the people engage the building. In class on Friday we reflected on the performance each piece presented with some members of the Board of Trustees. This was an interesting activity because we got to see a different perspective from someone who has lived longer than we have. There were a couple of points in class that I wanted to respond to and because we were short on time I did not voice my opinion. Everyone kept saying that the Korean and Vietnam Memorial was more emotional for those who visited because it was not a glorified war such as World War II. First I think it is important to realize that the Washington DC WWII memorial is not “thee” memorial. The main one is located at Pearl Harbor and that is where people go to memorialize those lost in the war. The WWII memorial in DC is more of a national representation bringing the states together. Everything people said in class was correct about the emotional detachment, but I disagreed with the reasoning. I think it is important to realize that the WWII memorial was “just” built. It opened in 2004, over 50 years after the war ended, while in comparison the Korean opened in 1995 and the Vietnam in 1982. Those wars were more recent than WWII so those who fought were still alive to mourn. The average age of a soldier serving in WWII around 65 or 70 when the memorial opened, most started to die so it does not create as much as an impact. I really do not think it has to do with the impact of the wars, but it has to do with the time period and the identity of the monument. I think it needs to be clear that no war is glorified, simply the grieving time has passed, and to most people it is a piece of history, not really a “current event” such as the Korean or Vietnam wars. Another point that I wanted to make in class was in reference to the Lincoln memorial. It was brought up how the Lincoln Memorial was modeled after the Temple of Zeus and PTJ asked if the memorial is treated like a temple. Some people said it was because it is such a national figure however when I observed the interaction of people with the monument the idea of a temple did not come across. I had already known that the Lincoln Memorial was modeled after this particular temple and I thought it was humorous to watch people “desecrate” that temple. I saw many people using it as a place of exercise, a meeting place, and a lunch stop. From my understanding, those are not normal activities for a temple. I would expect sovereign respect all around. I’m not saying people were not respectful, but I didn’t see the identity of a temple coming into play. Lincoln is a figurehead and the fact that was “thee” tourist attraction was very clear, but it did not serve as a temple. Those were just a couple of things that I wanted to say in class, but ran out of time to say. Not very important, but that is all I have to reflect on for this week. The baseball game was fun. It was my first so I enjoyed the experience! Sadly, the Nationals lost, but at least they scored one run in the 8th inning!

Reflection 9/27

This weekend I had the opportunity to watch two very different movies and for some reason the disparity between the two movies made me think of the different fronts movies put on. One of the movies I watched was a terrific horror movie called Descent. When I say it was terrific I mean it was terrible. The basic plot was that six woman trying to find some excitement in their lives decide to travel into a cave which is, of course, inhabited by either bats that evolved into semi-humans or humans who evolved semi-bats. Of course, these bat things jump out of dark places and then attack and mutilate the women who quickly turn on each other. The other movie I watched was a bollywood movie called Dil Se. This gem told the story of a man who looked at a woman once and fell madly in love with her. Despite only having seen her once and never actually having a conversation with her, the man decides to hunt the woman down relentlessly and tell her of his endless and undying love for her, even after it is revealed that the woman is affiliated with a terrorist organization.

Although I really did enjoy watching both of these movies, afterwards I could not help but think about how stupid they were. People want certain things from their movies, and at certain points in the movie, I felt that the movies would be so much better if the directors did not give the people what they wanted. There are certain formulas that most movies tend to follow. For instance, in Dil Se, at the end the man and woman both reveal their true love to each other. I think the movie would have been much better if the man instead realized that he was in love with his faithfully waiting fiance, instead of the woman who is attempting to blow up half the participants in a parade. I don't know if this is relevant at all, but I really think that in some situations, movies would be much better if they were not constantly following the same stupid formulas and were actually surprising.

Bookstore politics

On a visit to Dupont Circle this week, I passed by several bookstores, and visited a few. What struck me more than the selection of the books, however, was how the political views of the management were expressed in the layout of the stores.
While entering Books-A-Million, I was immediately struck by a large pile of Glen Beck's latest book, Arguing with Idiots. Among the 'recommended titles' was Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism. I did not see the tables full of Obama paraphernalia that I was used to in the local Borders or Barnes and Noble in my hometown, Bowie, which had a majority African American population. It was quite subtle, but easily noticed.
Others were not so subtle in their political viewpoints. One gay bookshop made their disdain for social conservatism blatant, filling their window display with signs condemning the passage of Proposition 8 in California, mannequins with t-shirts reading "legalize gay", and various political books supporting gay marriage. I couldn't help but smile at their honesty. There was no use of the subtilties seen in Books-A-Million; they wore their hearts on their sleeves.
In a town that runs on politics, it is not hard to believe that the great issues fought over in Congress could flow over into the city's public life. During these book store visits, it became quite clear to me just how extensive it can be.

Board of Trustees

Having the Board of Trustees in class was an experience, not necessarily good or bad. The wierd thing about it was that you could almost feel everyone putting on a front in a way: dressing neatly and such. What was a little awkward for me was that I had a feeling that the man trustee was a Vietnam vet... but only in between our discussion of the Vietnam memorial and his introduction. It made me feel just awkward about everything, because at some points we must have been bringing up things that were sensitive material to him and he even said that he knew people who never came back from Vietnam. I felt maybe I was being a little insensitive, especially because I raised the idea that the memorials do not necessarily need evoke emotion in order to be effective in commemorating the war.

I would have been a little more sensitive if I had thought about it...I was even telling my group how when I was at Union Station the other day, I was sitting next to a Vietnam veteran and the fiancee of a man who served in Iraq. They were comparing and constrasting their two experiences which was so interesting. The Vietnam veteran was saying that "the war never goes away - it's with me 24/7, 365". It was interesting to eavesdrop on their two stories.

Still - I was thought having the Trustees there brought an interesting perspective to the class and allowed us to see things on a different level with, in a sense, more adults in the room.

On a different note, this whole spiel with the war memorials (in addition to reading Tim O'Brien's book The Things They Carried, has ignited my interest in war again, if that makes any sense. In fact, my revelation just now (as I told Keara, Molly and Anna) was that I want one of my concentration areas in SIS to be Peace and Conflict Resolution!! haha! Good moment. I kind of already knew that, but I just made sense of why I wanted to do it. I've always had an interest in war and its causes and consequences and such...

So all in all - I've enjoyed my war themed classes this week and will continue to =]

p.s. Invisible Man is pretty disturbing - point of discussion for anyone who know's what I'm talking about, but also a disclaimer =]

Structured Response 9/23

Nowadays, it seems as though every single person who has some miniscule amount of fame is coming out with an autobiography. As much as I enjoy watching Chelsea Lately, is it really necessary for Chelsea Handler to come out with an autobiography entitled My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands? Probably not, but would it be enjoyable to read about the humorous and embarrassing one night stands of another person. Probably.

What makes a person worthy of writing about their life? To some extent, I think that having a unique perspective on life merits writing an autobiography. If someone was able to overcome some problem, chances are someone in the world would like to read about how they did it. At the same time, I find it incredibly annoying that every fame seeking bimbo has to come out with an autobiography. Do both Paris Hilton and her dog need autobiography. I think that is really unnecessary. If you have nothing to teach anyone or you are a dog, you should not waste trees and keep your thoughts to yourself. I believe if a person is writing the genuine, heartfelt story of his or her life and what they have learned, it is okay for them to write an autobiography. Maybe I would not want to read it, but someone in the world probably would, but when it comes to people writing ridiculous things just to maintain or gain fame, I think it is annoying and unnecessary.

Structured Response 9.23

According to some of our classmates, only an important life merits an autobiography. According to Saint Augustine, only a life where one undergoes a profound experience is worth recording. Neither are completely right.

For our classmates to be entirely correct, on must assume that one wants the entire world to read your autobiography and possibly make money off of it. This may not always be the case. One could write an autobiography to for purely personal reasons. If I should ever have children, I would want to write a completely honest autobiography for them to read after my death, so that they can truly know their mother. Others write them just to keep track of their lives if they should forget small, yet significant details. They may not want the world to know their stories, but they want their stories recorded none the less.

Augustine is not entirely correct because his definition applies to every human being. We all experience the first time we disagreed with our parents, those who have been our moral compass since birth. We all take our first great risk, and wither bask in the glow of success or wallow in the shadows of defeat. We all experience our first love, and are all briefly devastated when we realize does not last forever. We all have experiences that have changed our views or altered our behavior. We may not instill our experiences with the profundity that Augustine has given his own, but that does not mean we do not have these experiences.

To put it briefly, a biography is what you make of it. If you want to change the world with your story, or just to make money off of it, you should at least fashion yourself with a sort of importance. If your motives are more modest, than this restriction does not apply.

My Life!

Do I want to live a life that is worthy of an autobiography? Rather than directly answering this, I will say that I want to live an exciting life that I can happily look back on in 60 years time and feel accomplished. I don't necessarily want to be famous or world renounced, I just want to live a life that makes me happy. It doesn't matter to me whether other people think my life is good or interesting or worthy of an autobiography. If I'm happy, I'm happy. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

As long as I'm able to reflect and look back on my life without feeling remorseful, I'll be happy. Even then, I want to have regrets because that's what makes you grow and learn. And other people might not think a book about regrets and learning isn't a good book to read. But for me, it's perfect.

Of course I have aspirations and hopes for how my life will turn out, but I'm remaining open about what will happen in my life. I just know that I can try my best to make myself happy and that's it.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if my life turns out and I am accomplished enough to document my life, but I don't expect it, nor will I be upset or feel unachieved if I don't have my autobiography on the shelves of Barnes and Nobles.

FIND HAPPINESS IN YOURSELF AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYONE ELSE!!! =]

Debra Humphreys talk on Friday was not very interesting. Not that she did not present her topic well, but I was a bit unsure how it applied to me besides the bits of advice she threw in. It was rather boring and it was not a presentation that sparked my interest.
However, I did really enjoy the National Cathedral. The building was amazing. It was probably the prettiest church I ever walked into and the most Christ centered church. The depictions of Jesus' life and the artistic was it was done was amazing I could of looked at everything all day. I thought it was ironic that this was the National "Church" and all the Presidents have their funeral here and that it serves as a NATIONAL landmark in a country where there is suppose to be separation of church and state. It does not really bother me at all, but I had trouble seeing the separation of state. The only separation that was clear was the fact that they do not receive money from the government. It just struck me as interesting. This country was founded on Christian values and it was interesting to see that even through the radical movements over the years and the issues that have arose that the country has not lost its tradition and it still holds to those original values. I just loved the whole experience. It was an amazing building. It was interesting to learn about some prominent figures who were buried there such as Helen Keller. I had no idea that her or Woodrow Wilson were there so that was a interesting thing to see. In all honesty though the amount of graves freaked me out. At first I walked into the church and I was like oh I would want to have my wedding here, but after she named all the people buried in the building I changed my mind. Instead maybe I'll have my funeral there since that seems to be a trend, but first I have to change the world or something like that...obviously that will take some time and thankfully I don't plan on dying anytime soon!

9.20.09 The National Cathedral

The National Cathedral is down right impressive. After touring through England in the spring I was hesitant to believe that anything American could come close to the majestic grandeur that so many English churches and cathedrals possess. The reason? Age. I'm not sure why, but I've always been under the impression that cathedrals can only really attain value in my mind when they're centuries old. The National Cathedral corrected the error in my judgment.

Walking up the path to the cathedral was moving. It doesn't take the pope to realize how incredibly glorious religious buildings can be. You feel minuscule as you approach and as you enter, realizing, even as the nonreligious person I am, that God is greater. In entering I was blown away by how incredibly large the interior is. You're pretty much enveloped in the eerie but reassuring quiet which seems to permeate the building. And I'm not even joking.

One of my favorite aspects of the National Cathedral is the vividly colored stained glass. The almost neon glass depictions are hard to look at for long in some areas, a different step from the cathedrals of old England. However, in the way of those ancient cathedrals, I was happy to hear that everything was built from hand, adding a great deal of authenticity in my book. definitely cannot wait to go back and do more exploring. Cathedrals are some of the few places where you can simply wander around for hours, never knowing what you can stumble upon. In this case, the Darth Vader gargoyle is one. I hope to go back soon and explore the perimeter of the area more, the gardens were beautiful and need more time.

College College College

When Ms Humphrys came into talk to us on Friday I was not exactly blown away by what she had to say. To begin with, one of the very first slides she showed us was entitled "Me". For the duration of that slide, all that she could say were bits of advice for us as young college students; "Work hard, but not too hard"... apart from the fact that she went to college, I really can't say I learned anything about her. Okay, everyone has advice they want to give us especially at this time in our lives, but I was hoping she would talk more about herself than advice and statistics. I thought some of what she said was extremely obvious, and her saying it is not going to change the way any of us look at the opportunities we have right now and what we should do with them. I felt very lectured by her, like I wasn't doing enough to ensure my success in the future.

If I wanted to dig a little deeper, it was almost as though Debra Humphrys' talk paralleled Augustine's Confessions in that they were both talking about past regrets, although Humphrys went one step further trying to stop others from making the same mistakes she did, whereas Augustine basically just says "Everyone's human, c'est la vie". I understand she was just trying to point us in the right direction for the future, but at the same time, I would quite like to make my own way through life and make my own decisions and mistakes. I won't be swayed by statistics and Ms Humphrys' own life lessons!!!

Impostor Complex Reflection

This week we all had the opportunity to listen to Debra Humphreys speak. I found some of what she said confusing. For instance, she spoke about the things that we all need to do to make us more likely to get jobs in the future, but at the same time she was saying she got to where she is in life by luck. Despite this, I did find one thing she mentioned interesting and this was the Impostor Complex. For some reason, this idea stuck with me, and I began to think about how much easier life would be if everyone just admitted that they are not perfect and that a lot of the time, the feel out of place. I know that I an admit pretty easily that I feel out of the place most of the time. Before anyone says that I am being a Debbie Downie, it is not that I feel badly about myself, it has more to do with the fact that I don't really think that I am acting like myself. Life would be so much easier if everyone could just act like they wanted to and not be judged.

This leads me to another point. Whilst watching an episode of the Tyra Banks Show, I found out that there is a fairly large phenomenon of women partaking in do-it-yourself plastic surgery. What type of society do we have if people feel so badly about themselves and feel such a need to conform to social norms that they would risk never being able to sit down comfortably again to have a J.Lo-like bottom end? This might seem like a stretch, but I think if there was a better way for people to admit that they do not feel perfect, and they do not feel like they belong all the time, people would feel so much better about themselves. Like the message on the inside of my Dove Chocolate keeps telling me, I shouldn't feel the need to be perfect, and no one does.

Reflection on District 9

Last night, my friend Annie and I saw the new Peter Jackson film District 9 in Bethesda. The situation portrayed in the movie brought up several questions in my mind about human behavior and the true nature of evil. I know it sounds like I'm reading a bit too into a sci-fi movie, but I will explain.

The plot of the movie focuses on the actions of Wikus Van der Merwe, an average and mundane desk worker in a company called the MNU, which is hired by the South African government to clear District 9, an area of Johannesburg, of a group of aliens that have been stranded in the city for almost two decades. Through a bit of nepotism, Wirkus is chosen to lead the operation to clear out the aliens and force them into a smaller compound farther away from the city.

Wirkus is probably the most striking aspect of the movie. In the first moments of the film, we see little clips of him with a wide, unthreatening smile, dressed properly if unfashionable, and cracking a few jokes. He comes off as an optimistic, friendly, and straight-laced bureaucrat, the guy who unexpectedly brightens up your trip to the DMV or the Post Office. You are automatically trapped into liking him.

When he sets off into District 9, however, a less likable side of Wirkus is unveiled. He lies to residents, coerces them with cat food (which these aliens love), and exploits ridiculous loopholes all in order to evict the aliens from their ratty dwellings. He jokes about "aborting" the incubating alien young with the same lilt in his voice and charming smile as when he showed off a picture of his wife.

As one watches the scene, it remains difficult to believe that the same charming man who we met in the office is the same man who is heartlessly forcing the aliens from their shanties. Such behavior is no surprise coming from the rough military men, but not from this slight, kindly desk worker. These cruel actions seem all the more inhuman when they are done by an average, even pleasant man.

This performance in the film made me think of human nature. We all to some degree put on performances and have backstages, as they are called by Erving Goffman. In the character of Wirkus, however, the front and backstage blend in a subtle way. His efficiency, dedication towards his job, and disarming manner become tools of evil when put toward his cruel, heartless work. Although his front may not have changed, his impression most definitely alters.

Structured Response 9/16 4b

What would happen if you lost your memories? Would you still be yourself? Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time I've pondered this question. When I was six years old, my grandma passed away after several years of struggling with Alzheimer's. Of course, at the time, this did not mean much to me. I actually thought that the disease was called Old Timers. I could not comprehend the gravity of the loss of memories. As I grew older and began to think about it more, I started to realize how horrible it would be to lose your memories. Memories are what make you you. Without them you could reinvent yourself as anything. For example, after a dramatic ferry on the spectacular and ground breaking show Grey's Anatomy, a woman has severe amnesia. Due to this, she decides to reinvent herself as Ava. By doing this, Ava could become anything she wanted to. She could be free and wild, while in her real life she was a boring housewife.

Despite all of this, at a certain point, the idea that she was faking something, that she wasn't truly being herself crept into her mind. This makes me think that some part of your personality is always with you. Even if you lose all of your memories some part of who you are will never leave you. Identity and memory are definitely strongly connected. I think that a lot of who a person is comes from the environment they were raised. Would Charles Manson still have been a crazy cult leader if his mother had never tried to sell him for a glass of beer? Probably not, but I do think some aspects of the personality would remain the same. But really, who knows. I just really hope I never have to find out if I am still me if I lose all my memories.

9.16.09 4b Forgetting the Past

I'm a huge believer that nurture plays the larger role in the nature versus nurture debate, and as a result I believe that in no way can a person remain unchanged had their past been erased. My identity relies on my past: all the experiences of one's life make a person who they are in the present. Theres millions of factors that decided who I am today. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, was raised by a teacher and a businessman, have an older sister, and a pretty affluent upbringing. Should even one quality of my past be different, so would I today.

That being said, genetics or "nature" certainly does play a role in shaping my character, just not one as important. Genetics shape my appearance, and appearance plays an incredibly large job the creation of experiences. Our DNA also predisposes us for certain illnesses or disabilities, habits and behaviors. Therefore, I'd still be myself in part, but I could never truly be the same.

Nor would I want to be. I don't think I could live without remembering the amazing times of childhood. I'd forget all of the family trips we had: to Alaska, to Hawaii, the Rocky Mountains. I would forget the countless memories at our secluded cabin, the fights with family, friends made, injuries, school, and mistakes. Alzheimer's is one of the most devestating illnesses, and thinking about it now I think it's almost worse for family and friends, rather that the afflicted one. The only thing we can do is continue to live and keep making memories and hope we can keep them forever.

I remember...I

Bear with me, this is quite the philosophical question:

Strategic remembrance: things we purposefully remember and bring to the front of the brain.
We humans have a tendancy to forget unpleasant things we have experienced and try our best to focus only what we like; memories we are fond of. This is applied to memories that carry emotion the memory (or what we think is a memory) of love, happiness, all that good stuff.

Thinking inately are applied to things that come naturally to us as humans; things without emotion: remembering how to walk, speaking etc.

I don't know enough about the brain to say whether this is a left/right side of the brain split so I'll look it up.............. okay so the left side of the brain is the mathematical side - in my theory - that would be the side where you remember things that are "human nature" and the right side, the creative side, contains all the emotional memories that we configure and transform to meet our expectations.

So is their a discrepancy? No, because you're using different sides of your brains. The two forms of memory are able to co-exist and are used in completely different situations.

(nb. I have a minimal psychology background therefore I could have either made an amazing discovery or pissed off anyone who has even taken Psych 101...

4b

You are you because of who you are. Your memory simply serves as a witness, saying that yes I remember this event. If you do not have your memory you are still the same person, you swam in a pool once, you laughed, and you cried, you simply forget when you did these things. My great uncle had Alzheimer’s. Over time, he forgot my name, he forgot our jokes, he forgot his songs, but he was still himself. He did not remember the little things or big things, but there were moments when he was the still Uncle B. You may lose the ability to recall events but those events do not make you. Your actions do and he lived until the day he died. He would smile or ask a question and you knew he was still there. Deep down I like to believe he knew that he was the same too, he just could not communicate the fact that he knew. St. Augustine puts connects identity and memory and I think this relationship is true. For example in the basic sense, if you fall off a high ladder you may become afraid of heights. That becomes a part of your identity. That fear from that memory causes you to be identified as a person afraid of heights. If you lose your memory it does not change the fact that you are afraid of heights, you just might forget that.

Structured Response 9.16- 4b

The loss of memory that results from Alzheimer's most definitely effects one's identity. You know longer retain the experiences and feelings. Your opinions and sentiments are gone from you. All those things which contributed to the definition of who you were vanishes within one's decline.
When one has Alzheimers, however, one does not completely lose their identity. You still have your character and personality intact. You will behave in a similar manner as when you still had your facilities intact. When one loses one's memory in the first place, it only effects one's own view of your identity that was effected by memory. Your friends and family will remember who you were before your Alzheimer's long after you do. Though you will lose your past, your loved ones will preserve you for the future.

9.13.09

If going to the National Portrait Gallery taught me anything, it's that I need to go back. I was definitely impressed with what I saw and surprised as well. Having only been to a few art museums (though technically it's a history museum), I realized how much I've been missing. I have been to most of Washington DC's museums at some point in my life, however, upon visiting the NPG it was my first museum visit since before arriving at American.

I loved the variety of portraits shown. From presidents to authors to musicians to athletes to the common man, every variety was shown. Not only that, the mediums used varied as well. There were many oil paintings of course, but also photographs, water colors, and sculptures. Each work has it's own character (literally and figuratively), and the medium used reflects that.

I had trouble deciding a favorite, I need more time to explore all the museum has to offer, though I was particularly impressed by the oil painting of abolitionist John Brown. The portrait depicts an aged Brown as the madman he was claimed to be, complete with a massive beard and spiky hair I'm almost convinced he was electrocuted before the artist began. Despite the dark surroundings and attire, Brown's eyes express an incredible fire and ferocity hard to be compared with and. Although he is late in life in the painting, his eyes still live.

I was definitely impressed by all the works our very informative guide showed us. Each piece had its own flavor which was brought to life by her valuable commentary. When I do go back, I plan on spending a lot of time in the modern art gallery which I only briefly walked through, as well as the athletes exhibit. I'm also sure there's many other things I missed as well and look forward to going back, hopefully in the near future.

The National Portrait Gallery Reflection

After going to the National Portrait Gallery this week, the question of whether or not I would want a portrait really stuck in my mind. For some reason, my automatic response was no, but I am not really sure why. I guess the deeper question behind this is whether or not I would want to be remembered after I am dead and gone. I don't know why, but the idea of people talking about me and discussing me after my death really bothers me. I don't want random people to look at my picture 100 years from now and think eww that girl was so ugly, she really should have gotten a nose job. It would be so weird for people who don't even know me to look at me and judge me. After letting the question simmer for a little while, I think it would be kind of cool to have my image be remembered by future generations. I personally think it would be pretty awesome if I could some how see what my great great great grandmother looked like, but at the same time, I don't want a hideous picture of myself in display in some museum that middle schoolers are forced to make treks to.

The idea of people who never knew talking about me creeps me out a little bit, but seeing portraits of people, especially from a long time ago was exciting. I especially liked looking at the old photographs because they were almost like proof that people really did exist a long time ago in a similar manner as they do now. This could all change in the future. I might become a crazy tyrannical leader and have paintings of myself plastered all over the place. You never know.

AHH! This Portrait is actually my Reflection!!

While this is not actually true (The title of this blog) - I thought it was a cool way to tie the two things together....
Okay, I'll be brutally honest: I did not feel I spent enough time in the Gallery to sort of be able to pick an absolute favourite. The flip side of that is that I liked all of the pictures we saw for completely different reasons. I enjoyed seeing the progression of the stylistic features in each of the portraits: Washington's was so dated, and Kennedy's was much more modern and almost abstract. I loved the colour scheme of Kennedy's; it really fit with my palate =]
Would St Augustine like the National Portrait Gallery? probably not - it shows the evolution of the depiction of people, and Augustine wouldn't like it much because it's really only the eternal that matters.
Having said that - the people in the portraits are immortalized and never forgotten (not something Jena would like) . Me personally - I'd quite like to be the Mona Lisa of the 2000s. That way, I'm known by everyone, and am the subject of debate without ever actually giving up my personal identity for the world to see.
Speaking of identity - it came up in my World Politics class but on a much larger scale. I love it when classes intertwine - it makes me feel like I'm actually learning worthwhile things that are applicable in many different areas of life.
Yup.

reflection

The portrait gallery trip has been my favorite trip thus far during my time at American. The funny thing is that if I was not forced to go, I probably would have turned down the idea. I think I may be a visual learner because the pictures just captured me. I had two pictures that were my favorite. The first was the JFK picture and the second was the Christopher Reeves one. I like these two because they captured the people in their true identities and communicated their performances without words. Today if you talked about Christopher Reeves many people would think of Superman and how he was in a wheelchair. I liked how his portrait captured him being superman, while in his wheelchair. It felt like he was flying and that he was still that icon he once was. In the portrait his eyes told his entire story and the clouds behind him was the inspiration he provided to everyone around him. The other picture that I liked was the JFK picture. It was art and a portrait at the same time. I liked the fact that it was different, yet at the same time it was the "same" as all the other portraits. The Presidential Portraits captured the person and the time that particular president was in. JFK's picture did just that. It was a changing time, He was a different kind of President so he required a different kind of painting. It expressed the time he was in and thats what I liked about it. The purpose of the National Portrait Gallery is to tell the story of the people through art. I feel like it really is no different than a written biography except for the fact that it is more interesting. It captures the persons identity and their performance through picture. It brings the person more alive than a piece of paper does. I just loved all of it.

Reflection on Portrait Gallery Painting

Before we left for the National Portrait Gallery, we were given a list of questions to ponder as we visited the museum. One asked us to choose a portrait, and if there was anything striking about how the subject is portrayed. As I browsed the collection, the portrait of George Washington Carver struck me in particular.
The style of the work was not outstanding; it even seemed dull compared to the nearby sculpture of Rosa Parks and silkscreen of Marylin Monroe. What really piqued my interest was how he was portrayed. Rather than staring at the viewer with a confident stare, posed in a heroic manner, Dr. Carver was standing over a table in an outdoor garden, carefully examining a potted flower. His face was calm and serene, yet loving, like a grandparent helping their grandchild learn how to read. He was holding one of the flowers of the plant gently in the palm of his hand, not slicing it to bits or ripping it apart for an experiment, as he most likely would in his actual work.
Although George Washington Carver was a pioneer in plant science, an American "great", he is not depicted heroically, an inaccessible giant. He is the kind neighbor, the loving father, the friendly gardener. He is a normal American that achieved greatness. This painting serves to underscore that point.

Prolific Use of Sin?

After reading just a few pages of St. Augustine's Confessions, St. Augustine's views of God and how God should be treated are very clear. The first line of his confessions comes out and says that God is great and should be praised. This, of course, is not all that controversial coming from a Catholic Saint. Soon after this though, St. Augustine begins to barrage the reader with many examples of sins and starts to write about how horrible sin is. Of course, very few people are going to argue that sin is good and that everyone should just being going around sinning 24/7, but at the same time it is a little bit annoying to hear about how every slight digression from the Godly life is like a slap in God's face. Everyone makes mistakes, and according to God should be forgiven. Like many people have pointed out, it is not really fair that every time something good happens to a person he or she is supposed to praise God but when a person does something wrong it is entirely their fault.

One example of the atrocities of sin that I found particularly bothersome was Augustine's story of his pear stealing. For its purpose, the story is actually pretty good. Like we discussed in class, it is a sin that many people can probably relate to committing. Because of this, it is a good "advertisement" tool. At the same time, it makes Augustine seem pretty annoying. He stole a pear for some fun, he didn't murder a town of people for the sole purpose of skinning the bodies and making human suits out of them. Like Cyndi Lauper says sometimes girls just want to have fun. Anyway, a little sin is good for everyone. According to Billy Joel, only the good die young.

Seriously though, I believe that leading a life that you can feel good about is very important. Doing the "right thing", whatever that might mean to a specific person in a specific situation is also important, but it is just stupid to condemn everything as a sin. I believe Augustine's work would be more effective if he focused more on the positive attributes of God and the benefits of living a life that God would approve of. Instead of guilting or scaring people into changing their religious beliefs, he should try to open their eyes to the good things that a life with God could bring them. For instance, I believe it would be more effective for Augustine to talk about how many good things came into his life after his conversion to christianity. These things may sound cheesy, but at least if people decide to convert it is because of a genuine want to have God in their life and not out of a fear of sin.

9.9.09 Doc Augustine 3b

In Confessions Augustine uses his sinful youth as a way to explain his virtuosity and righteousness which he acquires later in life. There is no right or wrong answer in the question of whether Augustine's admission of sins helps or hurts his autobiographical cause, simply because it depends on who is reading. However, I believe his use of sin is indeed effective.

The most important reason is because he tells the truth (at least as far as any of us can tell). To write such a religious book and have it filled with biblical references while actually lying about the past seems a bit blasphemous to me. Though he could have easily altered his past for Confessions, he does not. He wears his sins on his sleeve for all of us to see and consider when he easily did not have to, which grants his work more validity.

Also, another reason he discusses his sinning is because it is a way to offer hope to those who have sinned. Augustine realizes that at some point in our lives, we have all done something perhaps regrettable, perhaps immoral, perhaps illegal. He knows we all can relate to "stealing a pear." In opening up his past, he offers salvation to those who have sinned and need guidance. Through his work we learn he is a changed man that anyone else can aspire too.

Structured Response 9.9- Augustine 3b

Response to: http://profptj.blogspot.com/2009/09/explorations-question-3.html

Although Augustine’s focus on sin throughout his work Confessions may seem overwhelming to readers from a modern, secular society, his prolonged contemplation of the subject would find an audience in the 4th century Mediterranean. Lifetimes were shorter than they were today, with various diseases that are treatable by modern medicine regularly plaguing inhabitants, and various activities unaided by modern technology, making life more dangerous than it was today. One could not fail to forget that death is just on the horizon, possibly even close at hand.

During Augustine’s time, a sort of crisis of faith occurred among the peoples of the Roman Empire. Citizens lost confidence in the traditional Roman pantheon, and began to search among other religions for a new faith to follow. Mithraism, Manichaeism, and Christianity were just three of the many religions that gained new followers during this turbulent period.

With a dangerous and uncertain world surrounding them, Augustine’s readers in the 4th century Roman Empire would be receptive to messages on the dangers of sin. With such a short life to look forward to, one would not seek to ruin one’s chance at a rewarding afterlife with sin. Even if the readers of Augustine’s Confessions did not ultimately agree with Augustine’s argument, they would definitely pay attention to his message.

I have hope because I'm Eating Cereal

I'm gonna jump right into this one: Augustine is basically saying "You know, what? Everyone f**ks up, but CALL RIGHT NOW AND YOU WILL BE CLEANSED AND FORGIVEN!!! THAT NUMBER AGAIN IS 1-800-555-5555!!!
I personally think his whole spiel about his life and look how much I've sinned, is his way of showing all those people out there who are anxious as to whether they left it too late to become a Christian, that it isn't too late - that he, like them, was once upon a time not a dedicated Christian, but his journey led him to God and in the end, that's all that matters.
I think it's a clever move on Augustine's part because it makes this Saint look much more human and can relate more to ordinary people. If he was some high and mighty power preaching down on people claiming to never have done any wrong - people would be less perceptive of him.

Basically the punchline is this : Now you've seen all the crap I've done...let's see how I used that to transform myself into this awesome, pure being.
What else can I say? It's a good tactic... I don't know exactly who's idea it was but it seems to me as though Confessions might just be the first airing of dirty laundry in the media!
I quite like the book - especially if you take it at face value and just see this man who has done bad things in his life and wants to be atoned...it's natural really.

No Stress!!

I think you're mixing up stress and anxiety. Her advice is valid - it is in fact extremely important to remain as calm as possible, despite what doubts you have over your abilities.
You don't have to be stressed to be a college student. If you just work on time management and all that jazz, you won't be stressed. I know. Even if you aren't confident in what you are doing, it doesn't mean you have to let it all pile up to the point where you are stressed out.
- I'm a very stressed person, I hate when things aren't perfect and I get frustrated. But I have learnt to control that by just taking it step by step, making sure to get help if I really don't think I'm capable of what they are asking me. You need to take a step back from the situation, realize it really isn't that bad, honestly, there are so many worse things in life.
I really felt the need to respond to this post because I am someone who gets stressed out easily and I just think you sort of had a really strong reaction to that - all that Mrs Walker was saying was to not constantly spend your time worrying about or trying to do academic work. Of course we're all going to stressed out - but the key is to do everything you can to stop yourself from getting to that extreme point where absolutely nothing can help you anymore.
I hope this makes sense....

Dr. Walker on 9/4/09

I liked the discussion because for the first time (in my case at least) a professor actually opened up to the class in explaining her history. Growing up, I only knew professors as the mystical gurus I'd encounter far in the future. Now, I find myself square in college-land, and it was reassuring to hear from Dr. Walker that though life doesn't end up like we expect it, it can turn into something great. Like pretty much everyone here, I have no idea what I want to do in my life just yet. I'm majoring in IR but I also have interest in journalism, psychology, and crime. What the heck?

She found a passion for writing through a compliment, and took that passion a long way. Now for my own passions, there are so many. I too love writing. And languages, and music, and people, and nature, and movies. There's so many things and I want them all. To settle down seems impossible right now.

It's great that Dr. Walker found her calling, even so late in life. I feel as if I'll have a similar fate, hoping I live long enough that is. All I know so far is that I need to live life without restraint, with ambition and love, with curiosity. I suppose I'll go where the wind takes me and I know in my case it'll definitely be gusty, but I look forward to embracing whatever shore I land upon.

Dr. Walker's talk on friday was very inspiring considering I'm undecided and have no idea what the future holds for me. She challenged us to write our obituary in order to look at how we would like to live our life. Through her talk I realized that its okay not to know. At college I feel as if everyone knows where they are going in life or at least they have a general idea. She reinvented herself at an age when many people would consider starting the process of retirement. She showed that anything we want to achieve we can. She changed her identity and performance and if I could do that later in life I would look at my life as accomplished. She continued to work towards her goals even with two kids, which is something I probably wouldn't have the strength to do. After friday I feel better about not knowing. Will I actually follow her advice and write my obituary? Probably not today or in the new future. As long as I live the way I want to I don't really care what happens. If I affect one persons life, then I consider myself lucky and I can end my life "accomplished". Its funny I always had this 5 year plan, I knew the general idea of where I wanted to be and while I still want to live by that plan, I won't go crazy if it doesn't happen like that. Even though Dr. Walker said she always had a plan, I liked better how she said in the end that now she was just going to live. I think that maybe planning affects your living. So for now I'm just going to see where these college days take me and I believe that I will end up where I want to and I will be happy with what happens.

Where is my life going?

I have never been one of those people who has always known what they want to be. Of course there was a time when I was a young child that I dreamt about being an astronaut and a chef but no dreams have ever really stuck. I've always wanted to be able to say with complete confidence that I know what I want to do with my life. Unfortunately, listening to Dr. Danna Walker did not assuage my fears of never finding out what to do with my life. What if no one has ever told me I am good at anything. The biggest compliment I can remember getting from a teacher is that my shirt looked nice on me. Does that mean I should be a professional shirt wearer? Despite all the negativity in my current outlook on where my future is headed I can say that I am at least a little better off than the girl on Maury whose only goals in life where to " Drop out of high school, be on girls gone wild and mah baby".

But seriously, it is stressful to not know where my life is going. It is slightly comforting to know that like Dr. Walker did, I too can reinvent myself at any point in my life. Nothing is permanent, so even if I do wind up walking the streets for a few years, I could become a heart surgeon or something later on. I guess it is good that I am college now. It is time for me to start jumping into new things and finding out what I really want to do. As hard as it is going to be, I am going to have to start showing up to things. College is about exploring new things and becoming a new person. Maybe in four year I will actually have some idea of what I want to do with my life.

Obituary

Following Doctor Walker's advice, I am going to write my obituary.
Allison Porambo (September 12, 1991- ????), member of the conservation department at the Courtauld Institute in London, England, passed away yesterday in her sleep. She leaves behind two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her sister and her husband.
Allison, born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the United States, was raised in nearby Bowie, Maryland. She went to American University in Washington, DC for her undergraduate studies, receiving a BA in Art History and a minor in Studio Art. She went to the Courtauld Institute in London for her MA, and later PhD, in Painting Conservation
At the age of 25, she married a graduate student at the London School of Economics. The couple made their home in northern London.
Allison found a job at her alma mater, the Courtauld Institute, in their Wall Conservation department. For her job, she traveled around the world, restoring numerous frescoes, murals, and mosaics in various states of decay and disrepair, including a newly discovered tomb of a Babylonian high priest in Iraq, and the Saint-Chapelle church in Paris. She was respected in her field for her dedication and her professional behavior. Above all, her colleagues recall a complete love of her job, inspiring others in their work and in their attitudes towards life.
Will this be how my life plays out? Who knows? Whatever I do with my life, however, I want to enjoy my job. I don’t see myself changing the world in any major way. If I do something for humanity, I want to inspire at least one person to do something they love, and live the life they want. If that is all I achieve, I can die happy.

The closing of the first week of september (and looking foreward to the long weekend!)

Anyone else feel this week rush by faster than ever? I thought it went very fast. I'm so happy it's friday though and I am very much looking foreward to the long weekend - especially because I will see my dad, my grandma and granddad and the new puppies!!! Yayy. It felt good to finish Goffman, although I actually really did find it interesting. It inspired me when I was writing a World Politics essay. That's something I've realized in the past year: the older and more complex subjects I learn about, the more my classes intertwine in discussion topics. I really enjoy this discovery. It makes me feel like I am learning something worthwhile, because it is important in many instances.
Seeing and meeting Dana Walker was interesting. I think if anything I was able to see from her that even when your own dad doesn't believe in you, you can actually do something pretty amazing with your life. Whatever I end up doing in 5, 10, 20 years time, I hope I enjoy each day of it and can get to 50 years old feeling happy with the things I have done. I don't have a grand plan like Dana Walker, I really don't have any specific subject that I love and excel in, but I am sure it will surface, or I'll discover it soon.
Right now - I'll take my time, and day by day figure it all out. I saw Post Grad with some people friday night and it was actually very applicable: this girl had a "grand plan": get good grades, get a scholarship, graduate college, get her dream job at a publishing house. The plot? She didn't get the job! And her love interest in the movie said "You're too busy making your future works out to see what's right in front of you".... or something along those lines.

It's a balancing act between making sure you enjoy life day by day and making sure your whole life works out the way you want. Right now - we're all young, we all make mistakes, we are still figuring out our master plans. We'll discover them, once we've explored our options and in 20 years time, we'll all be reading each others blog posts on how well our lives have worked out!!!!

And now bring on the long weekend!

Structured Response 9.3

Response to- http://profptj.blogspot.com/2009/09/explorations-question-2.html

When one enters my dorm, the first thing that one would see are the posters on my wall. They hang behind the front of my bed and cover my entire half of the wall. They are mementos from various shows- The Dresden Dolls, Against Me!, Gallows, Oreskaband- that I've seen in the past. Each carries its memories and nostalgia.

Oddly enough, each serves as a reminder of family.

Like every adolescent, I went through a rebellious phase. At various points throughout my adolescence, I styled myself a goth, and punk, an anarchist, and a socialist, among other things. I played loud and fast punk rock, creepy metal, and brooding “emo” rock. I got a pair of tall Doc Marten boots for my Bat Mitzvah.

Through all of this, my parents did not react in frustration or confusion. They bought me the clothes and music I liked for Christmas, Hanukkah and my birthdays. They accompanied me to concerts in D.C., Baltimore, and Towson. It seemed as if they were alright with my pretention and brooding.

Years later, I’ve grown up. I’m not completely finished yet, but I can look at this period and laugh at my behavior. In contrast, with all seriousness, I’m grateful for my parents’ love and support throughout this phase. Even as I was turning into an ungrateful nuisance, they did all they could for me, trying their best to make me happy with what I liked at the time, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous it seemed to them. Though the posters in my room come from shows I went to when my musical tastes matured, when I look at them, I can’t help but think back to those earlier shows my parents brought me, even as they questioned the talents of the bands we were about to see. Ultimately, they serve as a reminder of the same love and support that I still find from home as I did then.

Viewer reaction- My roommate Sofie says that the music posters, which come from an eclectic array of genres and artists, show that I am not one to follow what is popular. Such an assessment may not exactly match that which I had written above, but it nonetheless complements and completes it. I am not and never have been one to follow popular trends just for popularity’s sake. In my past, the trends I followed were unpopular for a reason. Now, my favorite music, art, and clothing, and my mentality, lifestyle, and beliefs are considered obscure if only because they fit my own identity. This emphasis on being myself came from the love and support of my parents that I’ve received throughout my life, and that I am reminded of every time at stare at the music posters that hang on the walls of my dorm.

Home

This blog was hard for me to do. I did not really bring anything from home with me to school that had special meaning. Some people brought stuff animals, some people brought blankets, and others brought special items that have a meaning to them. I guess I just forgot to bring something. My blanket is my blanket and yes, I have pictures, but they do not create the environment of home to me. It makes my room feel more like a sleep away camp. I looked around my room a few times searching for something that made my room feel more like home and the only item I could come up with was my baseball cap. It is not technically mine. I got it from my friend three days before I left. For me it performs the identity of my friends. I look at it and I think of them. Its home in the sense of all the people I would of brought to college if I could of. When I asked one of my classmates what it made them think of for me, they said that that it meant I was very close to my friends. It was a sign that I was a very friendly person and would make many new friends here. He also said that it served as a connection to my friends while I was away from home. There were not any real differences. We both said the same thing because that is what it is. In no way does this baseball cap recreate my room at home. However, it recreates the aspect of home I miss the most, which are my friends.

9.2.09 What I brought from home

Few things remind me of home more than family and baseball. Both have played a pivotal part in my upbringing. As a result I brought a single, right hand batting glove. The glove belonged to my uncle who plays in an over 40 softball league who passed his cherished prize down to me, to remember what is most important, at least to him: ball and family. My uncle Paul is a baseball fanatic, and through his and my dad's shared interest in the Phillies, I too became a fan. I grew up an athlete and huge sports fan, and baseball was always my favorite. Through him, my father, and the Phillies I learned passion, hope, devastation, and come last fall, the thrill of victory. Both men were with me when the Phils claimed that prestigious top prize, ending Philadelphia's twenty-eight year championship-less streak. It was a glorious night.

The glove, though modern, is able to stir up memories from the past like few other things. My entire life until now involved baseball. From tee-ball to varsity ball, baseball has played as frequent a role in my life as my family. And who was there to cheer my team on at all games? None but my family of course. My Uncle Paul realized my life, his life, and my family's lives would inevitably change with my departure and he was wise in selecting such a priceless gift, a gift only I could understand. The worn and stained-with-love-glove represents a part of my life I can never go back to, except in memories.

There's a decent chance I will never play competitive baseball again and it's an unsettling feeling. It is sad to realize that only memories will satisfy the void. I look at the batting glove recalling the smells of the game- the dirt, the sunflower seeds, the sweat, the gatorade, and the peanut butter bars we had before every game and none of that can ever happen again. Nevertheless, in baseball you have to push off from somewhere in order to move around the bases, and if you hit it just right, you'll make it home. I plan on that being the case with me.

My roommates, Brad and Justin, probably just think I'm crazy but I don't mind. Upon seeing the beat up glove, they believe that it represents in me a love and dedication to the game of baseball, and they would be correct. However, only I can truly grasp such a special object, and I like it that way. A piece of me, a piece of my family, and a piece of the past is inside and it is mine forever, a relieving thought.

My Little Piece of Home

While packing for college, most of my time was spent trying to get together all of the necessities. Most of my focus was on trying to remember what clothes to bring and what school supplies I needed to take. Because of my laziness and denial that I would really be leaving for college, I didn't make many attempts to get together sentimental things. The only thing I brought from home that reminds me of home is my stuffed cat, Tom. It would probably embarrass some 18 year olds to admit that they still sleep with a stuffed animal, and I was vaguely worried that my roommates might think I was a freak because of my cat, but that worry did not last for long. I usually have him sitting on my bed, or sometime on my desk. Tom makes me feel comfortable, especially when I am trying to sleep. I think Tom performs the identity of my home. He reminds me of the countless times I watched the Aristocats as a child with my brothers. In the terms of Goffman, I believe he shows a little part of my backstage to everyone who enters my room.

When talking to others about what Tom might represent, most of their ideas agreed with mine. They also felt that Tom represented home and a stable environment in a new place. It was also suggested that my stuffed cat might represent a longing to be near my own pet, which I did not originally think of, but is probably true. They also believed that the stuffed animal could show that I am slightly childish. Of course, I would not want people to look at my cat and think I still have the mentality of a small child, so this could be a possible discrepancy. Tom is supposed to show insight into my childhood, but not show that I am still a child. For the most part, I believe that Tom fulfills his purpose of being a reminder of my home and childhood and if other people think differently I don't really care.

There's no place like home

Something that I brought from home.... I brought quite a few pictures that are on my wall above my bed and sort of follow the angle down to where my desk is. The pictures are of my mum, dad, brother, sister, boyfriend, best friend, in addition to London, Paris and this cool abstract art post card I got while in Eastern Europe. I think that this shows my constants in a way. No matter where I am, I family will always be close to me (at least through these pictures) and I love to travel; and obviously London is my home so of course I will always love it there (London 2012 Olympics!!)

Other people think it shows that I care a lot about my family and friends, enough that I actually took the time to put up pictures of them on my wall! I also, according to my sources, have a creative flare because of the way I arranged them descending so they go down to my desk.