Emblem

  The Ying and Yang Emblem is a symbol that's recognized by many people all over the world. The overall images represents balance in the world. It has a very simple, minimalistic design but the meaning behind it is very meaningful. From a broader perspective, the white and black sides means that there are two parts, good and bad in everything. The curves in the circle and around it shows the continuity of life and that there's a time for everything. In other words, "what goes around, comes around."
  As I thought of ideas for my writing, I always tried to keep everything balanced. In reality, too much of something isn't always positive. Billionaires may be able to buy whatever they want, however,  they can't buy things that are intangible such as true love, and happiness. And sometimes, having too much money can creates problems by itself.
  In one of my blog posts, I talked about my point of view on Buddhism and how it effects me. The religion is a 'way of life' or a set of standards that a wise human being should live by. Many of those standards relates back to the Ying and Yang symbol. Both really teach to not to want and only take what you need to survive because greed is what causes unhappiness. When I start to want something like a new hot item in the market, I think of what my grandma has told me many times, "When you think you have it good, there's always someone who has it better. When you think you have it bad, there's always someone who has it worse."

Challenge Check in #3

My reflection

Initially, I thought this writing class was going to have just busy work and a lot of papers due but it wasn't. The papers we wrote for class really helped improve my writing skills and gave me valuable information that I can use later in my college career. I have a better understanding of how to elaborate on the topics I'm writing about in my papers. 

Writing about the Gothic genre broadened my perspective on what it really was. I now understand that Gothic can be interpreted in many ways. The definition of Gothic varies from one person to another because of our cultural differences but really can be related to many things around us. Before this class, Gothic to me was put into the same category as horror and anything dark. Gothic use to be gargoyles and vampires in old European text but is now everything around me.

The Game of Thrones represented Gothic as something cruel and horrifying. After analyzing a few characters in the television series, I noticed that even good deeds done could have been considered Gothic too. Writing about the show bettered my understanding of the term and trained me to spot examples of Gothic.
 Some difficulties I had during this challenge was creating a flow that pulls the entire paper together. However, this class has given me the opportunity to practice the skill and become a better writer.

To Mikayla Beaudrie

Gothic on the Tube Challenge: Game of Thrones

   
 The word Gothic can be defined in many ways because almost everything in the world can be considered Gothic. I don’t believe Gothic has to be something dark and dreadful but that’s how most Americans define it. For instance, people that wear black attire with chains are considered “goth”. The United States is a fairly young country compared to those in Europe and Asia. The culture we grew up surrounded by put the word Gothic into the same category as horror. Movies that contained vampires are usually filmed in areas that had Gothic architecture so that’s probably why we relate Gothic to scary things.

 The Game of Thrones is a HBO television series is about conflict and tension within the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and other realms in the show. Conflict in the storyline comes from noble families of the realms fighting to control the Iron Throne. The Iron Throne is a symbol of power and authority in all the Kingdoms. The King who resides on the Iron Throne oversees the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros by enforcing the law, and maintaining peace.

 As my challenge, I have decided to analyze the Gothic characteristics of a teenage character from the Game of Thrones. Joffrey Baratheon’s was extremely cruel and disrespectful towards everyone including his own mother who was Queen. Later in the series, Joffrey Baratheon was appointed to the Iron Throne and became ruler of the Seven Kingdoms due to the death of his father. Before Joffrey’s father passed away, King Robert Baratheon wrote that he didn’t want his son to take the throne after he was gone. King Robert saw Joffrey as a disappointment because his son was spoiled as a kid and didn’t really retain any type of manners. His son did not have much sense between right and wrong so would just act according to what he was feeling. In one of the episodes, Joffrey became intrigued by the site of a pregnant cat and decided cut it open to see the babies. What he does here really describes his overall character and foreshadows his actions later on.

 New to the Iron Throne and all the power that comes with it, young King Joffrey did everything that a respectful king wouldn’t do. He enjoyed that sight of pain and suffering of others which fit the definition of cruelty. Unlike his father who treated the Queen with great respect, Joffrey humiliated his wife whenever he was given the opportunity. Lord Eddard Stark was King Robert’s best friend, right hand man, and had the right to the Iron Throne before he was betrayed. Lord Eddard Stark was also father to Joffrey’s wife, Sansa Stark. Strong willed and irrational, Joffrey sent his wife’s father and his father’s best friend to be beheaded in front of the people of Westeros. Joffrey was annoyed by the actions of his wife’s father and therefore decided to just get rid of him.

 Joffrey’s character in the series has an uncontrollable temper that can’t even be mediated by his own mother. During a rant about how he viewed women as an object to use for personal pleasure, his mother slapped him across the face. With an evil sneer, Joffrey told him mother that if she ever did that again he would give her the same fate as Eddard Stark, having her beheaded. As time went on, Joffrey Baratheon became known throughout the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as the worst King in history. Joffrey’s grandfather said, “We’ve had vicious kings, and we’ve had idiot kings, but I don’t know if we’ve ever been cursed with a vicious idiot for a king!”

 The Gothic portrayal of men as tyrannical throughout history is because they are physically stronger than women. Unlike the modern era, men throughout history have been known to do as they please and use strength to get what they want. Women were viewed as hapless probably because they had less strength and given specific roles such as caring for their family. Whether or not individuals are Gothic really depends on the culture and perspective of the viewer. What’s Gothic to Americans may not necessarily be Gothic to Europeans.

Problem Statement

   Bicycles are ranked number one on this list of most stolen items in the United States. One location that definitely has this problem is the University of Florida. Bikes on this college campus are taken away from their owners every day. Finding bikes missing there tires with just the frame on the concrete isn’t too rare while walking through campus. Bicycle theft at the University of Florida is a big problem because it promotes an unsafe environment, and isn’t a priority to security or law enforcement.  

   Many students use their bikes on a daily basis because its convenient and saves a lot of time. The University of Florida has a very large campus and a student population of approximately 50,000 students. With thousands of students attending school at UF, the limit on available parking spaces becomes an issue for many that have cars. Using a bike to commute to class and other places around campus resolves the issue for many students. Biking on campus is quicker than driving because it eliminates the hassle of finding parking which from my experience can take a decade. Bikes can take more direct routes, that cars can’t go, around campus without having to deal with traffic lights and congested streets in the afternoon. Saving time isn’t the only benefit of biking, it also keeps you active, healthy, and conserves the gas in your tank. Unfortunately, all these benefits can be taken away within hours of you leaving your bicycle unattended.

    During the Spring semester this year, my friend had his road bike stolen overnight. Even with a lock, the thief or thieves still managed to take it away. He wasn’t the only one with missing property, many others at UF have reported their bicycles as stolen too. Bike theft happens when you would least expect it to, as the robbers are very swift about it. The market for stolen bikes is huge in the area because it’s easy money to those that don’t get caught. After taken, these bikes can be sold in various ways. They can be sold online through websites like Craigslist and eBay, or even at pawn shops in the area. Stolen bikes are difficult to recover because there are very few ways to identify them, and they could be hundreds of miles away in a matter of days. UFPD (University of Florida Police Department) recommends registering your bike with them. In the case that it gets stolen, the information from the registration can be used to help identify it to the owner. Details like serial number, color, brand, model, and size can help officers spot the bike if they come into contact. After hearing about my friend’s incident, it made me rethink whether or not to invest in a road bike due to the fear of it getting stolen.

    Knowing that many bikes are stolen on University of Florida’s campus is disheartening. As a well known public university, things like theft shouldn’t be tolerated. College students and professors shouldn’t have to worry about their mode of transportation being gone after class or lecture. Universities should have a safe and secured environment where students and faculty don’t have to worry about this kind of issue. Students have insane amounts of homework to worry about but are also here to have fun. No one can be worry free and have fun in what seems like an unsafe environment.

    The number of bike thefts occurring on the University of Florida’s campus tells us that security isn’t giving it enough attention.

Solutions

I believe the best solution to this problem is bicycle theft prevention. Preventative measures like "U locks" can be used to secure bikes while parked around campus. This lock is very thick steel that is incredibly hard to cut through. Another solution I think would be great are secured bike parking spots that require your UF ID and scanned bar code to put in and take out your bike.

Proposal

Bicycles in the United States are ranked number one on the list of most stolen items. It's a huge problem in cities throughout the country and is way up on the theft list. Bikes get stolen from fellow Americans daily even if they have it locked up. Reports by law enforcement range from stolen tires, frames, and the entire bike if they can cut through the lock. 

Practical Solution

Cities that have a high number of bicyclists should invest in secure public bike storage systems. In Tokyo, Japan, many Japanese opt to bike to their destinations because of traffic. Underground bike parking locations are all over the city. Having this system prevents bikes from being stolen because a identification card has to be scanned. The universities and busy public places across the country would benefit greatly by doing this because it would decrease the number of bikes stolen.

Challenge Check In #2

My progress so far has been me jotting down characters and scenes that I think relate well to the definition of Gothic. There are many aspects of the Game of Thrones that are Gothic so I could really choose anything in the show to talk about. I plan on watching a few episodes over again and taking note of more specific details that I see.

Blog Post #3

Entertainment

 Above is a picture of Tiger Woods playing in the World Golf Championship in Shanghai, China. Tiger Woods in the first pro golfer in history to earn over 1 billion dollars in his sport. He is without a doubt one of the best golfers to ever play the game.

 I grew up playing sports like soccer and tennis, but my favorite sport was always golf. Golf is my favorite sport because the only person in control of the outcome is you. I was born in 1995 which was the year before Tiger Woods turned professional. After he turned professional, Woods was always on the golf channel. My motivation to get better at golf came from watching Tiger Woods play and win many tournaments. He always seemed very focused on the golf course and played aggressively by taking risks that very few pros would take in major tournaments. I admired the way he played and made it a goal to improve a little bit everyday. It was easy to relate myself to him because he's also Thai and Buddhist. With personal traits in common, he became someone I modeled the way I handled myself during tournaments. On the golf course, I  became was very focused confident with every shot I made. The hunger to hit shots like Tiger really pushed me to play well and win many junior tournaments. Without Tiger Woods, I'm not sure if I would have been as motivated as I was to practice for hours daily.