Declaration of Mantain

        When I started blogging daily, 4 days ago, I felt accomplished. Not because it's hard to do, but because I rarely have have created something and added to it daily. Many times, I have tried to keep many journals/diaries, but have always failed, though. I don't know why I can do it now (apparently, I think can), maybe because I'm older. Maybe it's because I actually enjoy regularly writing once I start. Recently I looked the traffic flow of my blog and people other than me actually viewed my blog! I even have 1 follower! So from now on, I'll do my best to maintain this blog, Expression.                                                          

Information

        Today my post is about reading (again!) for me and getting information in general. I love to read and I have a lot of favorite books. But sometimes, instead of reading a book, I read on-line. I have a Google Reader Account (which I got thanks to my mom, who uses it also) so I usually go on and check new feed I have. H says that I also need to get used to reading an actual book, which I've been doing less of lately.

        Usually, H finds a book that has me hooked, read it in a day or two, and then read occasionally, then she find another book I really like, and so on. In other words, I read in spurts. For me, getting information has nothing to do with a newspaper. In fact, our house's newspaper contains information like what restaurant just opened.

 I get my news off of the Internet (to be specific, Google Reader) , the family dinner table, T.V., and mainly, NPR (National Public Radio), which I listen to in H's car when I'm being driven anywhere. I think that this assessment of news sources is the same for most of my friends. I think, as newer, younger generations are born, there will soon be no such thing as a book, all information and anything read will be on-line, on a Nook or E Reader, possibly a magazine. Am I opposed to that world?

 I'm not sure : I think everybody should be able to give themselves knowledge and entertainment how they want to, but should also try pushing their limits. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think everything should be kept in moderation (including moderation itself!).

Quotes on Reading

Today's topic is based on two quotes about reading. I'll give you my opinion on them.
"Readers may be divided into four classes:

1) Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied.

2) Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time.

3) Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read. 

4) Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by what they read, and enable others to profit by it also”                   
-Samuel Coleridge

"Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."                                                  
-Albert Einstien

What I'm going to do today is find out who I think the man who Albert Einstein was talking about according to Samuel Coleridge. I will start with the 4th choice on the top quote. This man, M, would not be a Mogul Diamond because he is neither valuable, nor is gaining a profit. M would probably not be a Strain bag, because though he could fit into the qualities of a Strain-Bag, I think a more suitable classification is still somewhere up the list. I don't think M is a Sand-glass either, because he is probably not reading to pass time. He is probably reading because he has nothing better to do, making him a sponge. He will take in information and return, without changing it or inputting his own opinions.


Which of the four classes of readers do I think I fit into?I'd love to be a Mogul Diamond, but I don't think I fit into that class of reader. I think I would be a Class # 5, that is the one I think should be added to Samuel Coleridge's list. It's describes a reader who has a passion for reading, interprets it in his/her own way, but is quick to reject a book he/she thinks they don't like.

Poems!

A Windy Farewell: Haiku

Red leaves hug the dirt

Children's shoes are running by

A windy farewell

Olympic Games: Acrostic Poem

On one sunny day in July,

London will honor the Olympics

Yes, the once-every-four-years opportunity

My broadcasting coming from my T.V.,

Pauses for hours during the commercials

I will not forget to

Celebrate the old Greek game

Good luck team America!

And everybody else

May all of your strength be with you

Everyone supports you this

Sporty Summertime

Writer's Block: Cinquain

Writer's Block

Frustrating, Stymieing
Always promotes negativity
Is Useless to Writers
Dead End

A Strange Introduction: Rhyming Poem

Welcome! Welcome, one and all

What is this place, you might say

It's for you, and you, and my! your tall

It is like a piece of gold for a rainy day

It's quite fascinating, don't you see?

Have I answered your question yet?

It's like a dream, but don't take it from me!

Introducing, the INTERNET!

India and Nostalgia

My mom writes a blog, called Heartcrossings. For the sake of anonymity, let her be known as "H". Today, H and I are starting to write posts on the same topic. She wrote about nostalgia and India, so I will too. First off, you should probably know that I've never been to India. So India and I have no direct connection. Yes, it's true when people ask me if I'm Indian, I say my parents are, but I'm from Pittsburgh. To me, that question is like "judging a book by it's cover."

According to the on-line Merriam Webster Dictionary  , nostalgia is defined as:

        

"1

: the state of being homesick : homesickness

2

: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia"

I have a list of reasons why I can not be nostalgic:

1.) I'm still young! I don't have much of my life to reflect upon because, well, the number of years from a time that I can remember up until now is slim to none.

2.) I'm not busy but I don't ever reflect (or try to). Productive or not, I'm always doing something. and,

3.) I live at my home. To me there is no such thing as "homesickness." The longest I remember being away from home is a week, when I was on vacation, with my family. That's like bringing home farther from home.

 There is no way that I can pretend to be nostalgic if my situation cancels out the definition itself. In my mind, the same is true for my direct connection to India (there is none!). By name, culture, religion, and the way I look, I am Indian. I have no accent, I know very little about Indian language, music, movies, and sports. I am learning speak to speak Spanish, I love almost any song I hear on the radio, my favorite movie is The Blind Side, and I was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers - until they lost the Super bowl. 

If I were to visually represent myself India and nostalgia for childhood would be virtually invisible.