Pleasantville

Although Pleasantville appears to be a utopia, where everyone is "pleasant" and every day follows a set routine, it becomes evident as the story unfolds, that this town is clearly lacking in vitality and life. The conflict in this movie centers around the clash between the "colored" main characters and the "grayscale" townspeople in Pleasantville.

David(Maguire) is an avid fan of the TV show, Pleasantville Marathon, which follows the daily lives of the townspeople of Pleasantville. He lives vicariously through this TV show, and his sister often complains that he is borderline obsessed. His wistful dream to live in this utopian society is magically granted on a fateful day. David and his sister, Jennifer, are both transported into the TV show. 

Initially, David is thrilled to be living in his favorite town and show. Jennifer, on the other hand, is less so. However, as the days go by, he realizes that there is something missing in this "perfect" town. Although the people of Pleasantville are consistently happy, their lives are stuck in a monotonous routine. They are unable to feel emotion. They are unable to feel elated happiness or passionate love. Meanwhile, as some of the "grayscale" townspeople interact with David and Jennifer, and are exposed to their experiences in the "real world," they begin to slowly convert to "color."

This phenomenon ultimately leads to the clash between the "coloreds" and the "grayscales." The grayscales are traditionalists who do not want their structured routines to change. Interestingly, the grayscales were dominated by husbands. Husbands who expected their wives to be ubiquitous stay-at-home mothers with no life or personality of their own. The coloreds consisted of mainly wives and teenagers who realized that life had more meaning when there was conflict, and most importantly compromise. They wanted more than just the "safe route." They wanted to truly live.

A solution to this dystopia is presented in the resolution of the movie. As the town begins to segregate coloreds from grayscales, coloreds are prosecuted and tried for their rebellious actions. When one of the wives presents her side of the story during her trial, her husband begins to understand her feelings. She explains that the coloreds are not trying to let go of the past and start a new, unfamiliar life. They are not trying to abandon their families and loved ones. She still loves her husband, just as she did before. However, she wants him to understand that she is an individual, not simply his wife.

This resolution demonstrates the power of discourse. The segregation and discrimination that occurred in Pleasantville was a result of misunderstandings and ignorance. Upon presenting the views and arguments on each side, the townspeople were able to understand the other side's position and reach an agreement. This type of conflict is common; for as we continue to develop new technological advancements, our mentalities and daily lives evolve and change as well. Older generations thus struggle to keep up with the numerous societal changes that occur in their lifetime. While some may be receptive to these changes, many fight to keep their traditional mindsets and stubbornly reject change. I am not suggesting the abandonment of traditions and the past, but rather discussion and reasoning across generations. This, to me, is the more civilized and diplomatic solution to conflicts and misunderstandings. 

Neopets

Through our class discussions about online communities and their social and technological influences on society and human relationships, I have reflected on my own experiences with online communities. While stereotypically I have never immersed myself in an online gaming community, I have spent a great deal of my childhood playing Neopets, an online role-playing community for kids or the eternal child at heart. As I looked back on the years spent playing games to earn "neopoints", joining "guilds" to make new friends, and buying "items" to obtain "status", I realized that I made few virtual friends during those years. While our discussions and readings have emphasized the important role online communities have in fostering lifelong and valuable relationships and friendships with people we otherwise may have no idea existed, I found that my experience with Neopets gave me something more valuable in return: Photoshop. 

I first came across the existence of Photoshop in my attempts to start a guild. Guilds were the center of social life on Neopets and the only way of attracting new members and keeping old ones was through endless activities and most importantly, with beautiful, constantly changing layouts. Like any other "newbie", I had no idea what Photoshop was and was in complete awe of the layouts my more experienced peers were producing. After asking around, I found out, to my dismay, that these layouts were not the works of Microsoft Paint, but rather a software that costed around $500 at the time. Being naive and ignorant of internet culture, download trials, and illegal resources I could have utilized, I voiced my interest in learning Photoshop to my dad, who, after much begging, finally bought me a copy of Photoshop 7.0. By personality, I was too impatient to read through user manuels or borrow how-to books from the library. Instead, I decided through trial and error, I would eventually master this program. 

Unfortunately, as my skills in design improved with each month, I discovered that being able to make the layouts was only one half of the picture. I still had to learn how to code them. Thus began my year-long toil with HTML and CSS. I despised coding, mainly due to my lack of patience to read through tutorials and handbooks. My trial and error system of learning led to a weak, but passable foundation in coding. 

Even today, I still prefer designing over coding. But I'm aware of how valuable it would be for a web designer to be able to code their own designs. Looking back, I believe I have to thank Neopets, not for the virtual friendships I made or the time I perhaps wasted on the computer, but for exposing and leading me to my career path. If it weren't for Neopets, I never would have developed a desire or need to learn Photoshop. If it weren't for Neopets, I wouldn't have forced myself to learn how to write basic code. If it weren't for Neopets, I wouldn't have gone on to represent my high school's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter in the Electronic Career Portfolio competition. If it weren't for Neopets, I wouldn't have chosen to take the Computer Imaging class offered at Santa Clara under the Young Scholars Program. If it weren't for Neopets, I wouldn't have been directed by my instructor to apply for the Web Design program at this school. It it weren't for Neopets, I would probably be at a different school, and under a different major. 

It's funny how life works out. 

Technology and Art

In preparing to work on my Chinese final project, I decided I wanted to try my hand at animation for the video project. Since I have yet to learn how to use Adobe Flash, I figured I could easily accomplish the same effects by doing them by hand. Accomplishing this however, would be most effective with the aid of a tablet. I have always wanted to buy a tablet, but the expensive price and lack of exposure to Adobe Illustrator prevented me from obtaining one. I have since learned how to use Illustrator and, considering my major is Web Design, I rationalized the purchase. I started my search on Amazon, typing in "tablet" into the search bar for Electronics. Before, this search had returned relevant and extensive results. Now? I was given an unending list of Kindles, Nooks, Galaxy Tabs, iPads, and everything other than the tablet I was looking for.

Frustrated, I decided to search by brand, typing in "Wacom" to the search bar. Finally, the search returned the tablets I was looking for. Curious to see what the products had been categorized under, I checked the tags Amazon had listed it under: "Pen Tablets". It was then that I realized the extent and scope of technological advancements. Just a few years ago, the word "tablet" in the electronics industry would have meant an electronic tablet used by illustrators and graphic designers to transfer their artwork onto the computer. Now, with the release of the iPad, a "tablet" refers to a handheld personal computer. As mildly frustrated as I was, I reminded myself that certainly when the electronic tablet first entered the market, historians and traditionalists would have scowled at the distortion of the definition of "tablet", a flat slab of stone, clay, or wood used for inscription.

This thought led me to consider how technological advancements had affected art. I was reminded of a photo I had seen while browsing the internet, that of a wooden sketching pencil inscribed with the words "F*ck Photoshop". Being hand-drawing challenged, I never considered Photoshop and its resulting Adobe Master Suite of editing software to be a nuisance to the artistic world. In my opinion, Photoshop and the resulting technologic advancements in art have enabled artists with limited technical skills but endless creativity to recreate their ideas and imaginations. However, such conveniences and luxuries also come with a price: doubt.

After some thirteen editions, Photoshop has become prevalent in the photography and design world. While its abilities in editing and design are mind-blowing and endless, they come with a price. Because so many "kodak" moments and illusions can be recreated from scratch in Photoshop, it leads many people in the industry to question designs and photos. When people see a picture-perfect model, it leads many to ask, "has she been Photoshop'ed?" When people see a beautiful, breathtaking photo, it leads many people in the industry to ask, "was the lighting Photoshop'ed?" When people see an intricate drawing or design, it leads many people in the industry to ask, "was it Photoshop'ed?" No longer are artists commended for their luck or amazing talent, but rather questioned about their artistic integrity. It's also interesting to consider how technological advancements have turned the word "Photoshop" from a proper noun to a verb, just as people now "Google" and "Wiki" topics of interest instead of "searching" for them.

Technology and Social Interaction

I think technology has made social interaction more prevalent and accessible to society. One story that comes to mind is the accessibility and affordability of phones and long-distance calling. My father often tells me stories of how expensive calling his parents back home used to be, how he and his siblings would stand in a circle and, with the one minute they had, say hello and wish their parents well, before quickly hanging up. Now, with the advancement of technology, availability has increased, the price of long-distance calls has decreased, internet phones and Skype have replaced international phone cards. Instead of calls once a year, my mother calls home every night. Instead of one minute long phone calls, my mother spends hours, sometimes the entire night, on the phone with grandma.

Personally, the spread of technology has both positively and negatively affected my everyday face to face interaction. Technology first became a considerable part of my life in middle school. For some time, a lot of my friends had already gotten AIM screennames, and would constantly badger me about getting one. However, my parents, due to the fact we had dial-up for the longest time, restricted my internet usage, thus making it more practical for me to call my friends instead of waste precious internet time talking to them. It wasn't until my parents reluctantly, for the sake of me completing my homework assignments at a reasonable time, upgraded to DSL and bought my own computer, that I finally signed up for AIM. Because the rest of my friends were so used to using AIM, I found myself conversing with them online more so than in person. It's not to say we didn't talk to each other at school or eat lunch together, but that our deepest conversations were carried out online. As middle schoolers, most of our parents didn't allow us to go out with friends every day. We were expected to stay home and study. This was even more so the case in high school. Although I have been able to maintain some friendships with elementary and middle school friends, I find that a lot of us have drifted apart. A part of me wonders if this is due to the fact we had so many conversations online. It's true that nowadays we can easily contact and update each other over Facebook, but I cannot deny the fact we're no longer as close as we seemed to be back then. On the contrary, my closest friends now are the ones I made in high school. With friends obtaining their licenses, SAT's completed, and college applications submitted, we had more time to hang out and talk in person. Perhaps for this reason, we're still close despite having dispersed across the country to different colleges. Although we're often too busy during the quarter to really talk and update each other, Facebook connects us superficially, enabling us to keep up with each other's day to day updates and life happenings. However, because our friendships were strengthened through in-person interaction from the start, we're able to survive long bouts of distance and silence, only to come together each holiday for our ritual sleepover and night of life storytelling. I think the ability to confide in a person, even after months of not seeing them, is something that online social interaction can never replace.

On that note, I personally believe that while online dating sites may help people open up to each other and provide a means for connecting to people of similar interests, it will never be the same or as rewarding as face to face interaction. There is something special about seeing a person's face, listening to their voice, and, at the same time, eating lunch with them. Thus, I think that virtual interaction can only serve as a means of starting off a relationship or friendship with someone. Sooner or later, in order for the relationship to have a solid foundation, there needs to be face to face interaction.

Social Networking and Privacy

I have to say, I was quite determined at the beginning of this school year to keep my Facebook deactivated. Having done so, I was always a day ahead in homework. I slept before midnight every day, and I was able to keep up a healthy exercise schedule. Unfortunately, I began to realize the pitfalls of being socially disconnected from the rest of the world. Club events were always broadcasted through Facebook. RSVP's were always done through Facebook. And sadly as a commuter, much of my social life depended on Facebook. Thus, I reluctantly reactivated my Facebook, hoping, and somewhat praying, that my time management schedule would not completely fall apart...

And two rounds of midterms and one trip to Portland later, my perfectly outlined schedule was blown to pieces.

I think the most mind-boggling and frustrating aspect is just how time consuming Facebook is compared to other social networking sites like Tumblr and Twitter. The minute Facebook reentered the picture, time spent on the computer tripled, worsening the already distracting and unproductive state of being glued to Apple products all day.

It really makes you wonder what makes Facebook so addicting?
What makes it so much more appealing than Tumblr?

Since my return to Facebook, the frequency of my use of social networking sites has increased exponentially. I often catch myself refreshing various sites aimlessly, idling while I wait for new notifications to appear. I find that the social networking sites increase my desire to share my thoughts and opinions with the rest of the world. I wonder if this is because the certainty of having a guaranteed audience motivates a person to open up about their daily lives.

Despite the obvious negative effect of social networking sites on detracting students from their studies, I think it's difficult to completely write off these sites as good or bad. It really depends on the user. Social networking sites do an amazing job connecting people from around the globe and keeping them up to date with news from other countries. For example, I've been using Facebook recently to keep up with updates from my favorite Taiwanese celebrities. It's hard for me to get ahold of a Chinese newspaper everyday. Harder still to track down the specific articles I would like to read. It's also just as hard for me to schedule my life around the nightly broadcast of Chinese news on TV. Facebook thus makes it accessible and convenient for me to keep up with current news. I suppose as usual the biggest downside is how time-consuming and distracting the process of keeping up with these celebrities various fan pages can be. I would like to say that, for me, anything concerning Chinese is, in a sense, productive because I'm practicing reading comprehension...but I think it's on a whole, still far more distracting than beneficial.

As for social networking sites and privacy, I think the fact social networking sites encourage and motivate people to share about their personal lives, to a certain extent, leads to the loss of privacy. But in all honesty, this greatly varies from user to user. Some people use the internet responsibly, others spill their heart and soul for the whole world to see. I think another negative effect of social networking sites is how it facilitates the increase of spam and viruses. Many ignorant users will unknowingly click on spam links that result in the download of various viruses, etc. Bugs such as key loggers can easily steal important personal information. Hackers could easily develop and plant viruses that track and archive browsing history of unaware victims.

From my own experience, I often find that online blogging often leads to the tendency of over-sharing personal experiences and problems. I think it's easy to forget that while online blogs have the same functions as a diary, the major difference is that online blogs are meant to be publicly shared, while personal diaries are locked away and hidden away from friends and peers. Because of the convenience and social networking aspect of online blogs, it's easy to be lured into signing up and one day forget that an angry rant or overly personal post can be viewed by anyone if the necessary precautions are not taken.

I believe the easiest way to avoid the issues and gray lines of privacy and social networking is to always be aware of what you're posting on sites. If it's a blog, I would never publish posts immediately. If it's Facebook, I would never post things my parents or future employer would disapprove of.

It's just a matter of being consciously aware of your actions and their consequences.

My Media Diet

Just a side note, I originally created this blog back in high school for an AP Chinese project. 

So, if you scroll down and see a bunch of old posts you can't read...that's why they're there.
I do blog extensively, but I personally prefer Tumblr's interface over Blogger.

Monday, Sept. 19th

Reading:

1 hour spent reading 不猷默也難 (It's Hard Not to be Funny), a Chinese novel.

30 minutes spent reading textbooks for homework.
30 minutes spent reading news articles on Yahoo! and allkpop.

TV:

3 hours spent watching 犀利人妻 (The Fierce Wife), a Taiwanese drama.

Internet:

1 hour spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites (Tumblr, Twitter, Weibo, Gmail, and me2day)

1 hour spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

...Glued to iPhone (checking social networking sites, listening to radio, instant messaging, playing games, etc.)

Tuesday, Sept. 20th

Reading:

2 hours spent reading Chinese novel.

3 hours spent reading textbooks/articles for homework.

TV:

1 hour spent watching Taiwanese drama.

Internet:

1 hour spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites.

2 hours spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

...Glued to iPhone.

Wednesday, Sept. 21st

Reading:

1 hour spent reading Chinese novel.

2 hours spent reading textbooks/articles for homework.

30 minutes spent reading news on Yahoo! and allkpop.

TV:

2 hours spent watching Taiwanese drama.

Internet:

1 hour spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites.

1 hour spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

...Glued to iPhone.

Thursday, Sept. 22nd

Reading:

2 hours spent reading textbooks/articles for homework.

TV:

1 hour spent watching Taiwanese drama.

Internet:

1 hour spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites.

1 hour spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

Glued to iPhone.

Friday, Sept. 23rd

Reading:

1 hour spent reading Chinese novel.

1 hour spent reading textbooks/articles for homework.

1 hour spent reading news on Yahoo! and allkpop

TV:

3 hours spent watching Taiwanese drama.

1 hour spent watching Rostropovich concert DVD

Internet:

2 hours spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites.

1 hour spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

Glued to iPhone.

Saturday, Sept. 24th

Reading:

3 hours spent reading textbooks/articles for homework.

1 hour spent reading news on Yahoo! and allkpop

TV:

4 hours spent watching Taiwanese drama.

1 hour spent watching Starker concert DVD

Internet:

3 hours spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites.

1 hour spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

Glued to iPhone.

Sunday, Sept. 25th

Reading:

1 hour spent reading textbooks/articles for homework.

TV:

2 hours spent watching Taiwanese drama.

Internet:

2 hours spent using laptop for browsing social networking sites.

2 hours spent using laptop for homework.

Other:

Glued to iPhone.

Analysis

Generally speaking, I watch TV more than I use the computer (especially since this summer), and the iPhone just about replaces the need for my computer. I used to be the kind of person that was glued to my computer all day, sitting there refreshing my Facebook newsfeed until it was past midnight and I had yet to start my homework. But since the start of this summer, my Facebook's been deactivated (I'm surprised I haven't been tempted to reactivate it yet). Although I still use other social networking sites extensively, none of them were as addicting and time-consuming as Facebook was. I realize this makes contacting or inviting me to events inconvenient for my friends, but I rationalized that they could still email or text me. Facebook seems to be more distracting than beneficial for me. 

As for my iPhone usage, I'm not actually always on my iPhone, but its role in my daily life is so interwoven that it's hard to calculate just how much time I spend using it. I usually have it around me, and every once in a while, I'll check all the networking apps, Gmail, and IM to see if I have any new notifications. Besides that, I use it to listen to music a lot, as well as the radio. It's also my translator and all-knowing calculator (WolframAlpha). Because it's much more convenient to carry around an iPhone, I don't use my computer that often anymore, especially with the absence of Facebook.

My second biggest media intake would be the TV. I watched a total of 21 dramas (about 25 episodes each) this summer..."marathon-style". Although, with school in session, I've toned it down to only a couple episodes each week. To some extent, I do consider this productive and educational, since they improve my Chinese speaking and reading skills. It's just not a very physically or socially healthy lifestyle...

I think in terms of computer, internet, and smartphone use, my intake is about the same compared to most people my age. I can't say the same for TV though, especially after this summer. For the portion of the population that shares the same TV-watching habits as mine, it's definitely leading society down an unhealthy lifestyle path. Because of this, I try to refrain from marathoning on the couch, opting to watch while exercising at the same time. Although this doesn't decrease my media intake, it's a much healthier alternative to sitting in front of the TV all day.

Lastly, I think the fact I'm a commuter prevents me from socializing as much as my friends and peers, leaving me to connect with them online or through other media sources. I used to find that, despite the lack of updates on social networking sites, I would still keep refreshing the newsfeed...almost out of boredom. Even now, I sometimes catch myself falling into that trap. Had I lived on campus, going out with friends and socializing face-to-face would be not only more convenient, but opportunities to do so would arise more frequently.

看醫生的經驗

我很不喜歡去看醫生因為每次他們都給我壞的消息. 不管是看醫生, 牙醫, 還是眼科醫生, 每一個都沒有好事跟我說.

我的家人的眼睛都很不好, 眼睛的度數都很高. 我小時候上的中文學校給很多功課. 再加上我小學給的功課, 我每天都忙著寫功課. 我寫功課的時候, 頭都抵很低. 寫完功課的時候我會去彈鋼琴或著去打電腦遊戲. 因為這樣我很早就開始近視.

我記得很清楚, 那天我發現我近視了. 我那時候三年級, 星期六坐在中文學校. 老師叫我唸在黑板上寫的字. 我努力看都還是看不見. 我很小申的跟老師說我看不見黑板上寫的字, 心裏開始擔心怎麼跟媽媽說我近視了.

媽媽來接我的時候老師跟她說我上課的時候說我看不見黑板上寫的字. 媽媽, 因為沒辦法相信老師說的話, 比著旁邊的路標, 叫我唸給她聽. 當我沒辦法唸的時候, 她很傷心的說 "糟糕了, 要去幫你配眼鏡了."

從那天以後, 每次去看我的眼科醫生, 她都是跟我說我的眼睛又變更近視. 我的近視的原因不只是因為基因. 小時後常常讀書, 不出去玩跟打球, 眼睛習慣看很短的距離, 所以我很容易近視.