Report Card – Semester Two

Well, I did better than I expected.

Psychology certainly was a good class. I ‘d perhaps like to minor in it, to get more into detail about some of the topics that were only briefly covered in the intro class. I’m a people watcher of sorts,  so a better understanding of the mind’s processes, peoples’ behavior and all other sorts of stuff has always been kinda interesting to me I think.

English and Reading were my worst classes in elementary, middle and high school, so when I scored 100% on my entrance exams last year I was a bit surprised. Then with English 101, I totally nailed that as well, averaging about a 95%. English 102 was even better, finishing at 97%. I did do some technical writing/editing for Macromedia (Adobe) years ago, but really I’m not sure where the ability came from. I guess as I’ve grown older, I’ve become less lazy with how I tackle things. I was able to put together some good stuff in high school, tho that was generally too sporadic to notice.

Japanese 102 was a little bit more rocky than 101, but I did well anyway. I’m definitely going to have to step it up for 201 though, I don’t think things will be as forgiving at the University of Kentucky as they have been here at BCTC. In any case, I’ll be spending a good chunk of my free time during the summer practicing this stuff to make sure I’ve got it all covered before the fall. Plus I want to make sure I’m in a more able state for my trip to Japan this July.

Public Speaking was a class I wasn’t looking forward to, but I guess it was a good experience. I’m not much of and impromptu, or face to face speaker, but if given ample time to prepare, I can pull it off it seems. I got a D on my first major speech, was not prepared at all. Being the first, and combined with the fact that it was on a topic that I didn’t really care about, plus putting things off to the last minute… yeah, I set myself up for that one. The first speech wasn’t weighted too much in the overall grade however, so it didn’t affect things too much. Second speech was on the types of clarinets and a demonstration on how to put one together. Pulled in a B on that one, a good improvement and the clarinet is an instrument I played for a while, so I kinda knew what I was doing. My best speech was my third, an informative speech, “What is a Wota?” Got an A on that one. Japanese music and culture is one of the few if only things I’m really passionate about, so it’s no wonder I found that to be a topic that I could easily talk about. The last speech wasn’t as good as the previous but I did alright. I was totally expecting to get a B in this class, but I pulled it off, even tho I feel as if I didn’t put in enough effort.

Spring 2009 (14)

A – PSY 100 – Intro Psychology
A – ENG 102 – Writing II
A – JPN 102 – Intro Japanese II
A – COM 181 – Public Speaking

Summer I 2008 (3)

A – MA 109 – Algebra

Summer II 2008 (3)

A – MA 123 – Calculus

Fall 2008 (19)

A – ENG 101 – Writing I
A – JPN 101 – Intro Japanese I
P – CIS 105 – Intro Computing
P – CIS 130 – Micro Applications
A – GEO 130 – Earth Science
A – STA 291 – Statistics

Trip to Tokyo

July 17 – July 28, 2009; Tokyo, Japan. Flight is booked, hotel reserved. Will figure out the rest later…

Summer Break – Fall Lineup

I’m definitely looking forward to a bit of a break this summer. Not that I’ve been overwhelmed or anything, but a lil time off from school will be nice. Hope to make it home to Maryland for a visit around the end of May, then a nice 14 day trip to Japan around the end of July through the beginning of August. Not all planned out what I’m going to do in Japan yet, but I’ve just about nailed down the flight and accommodations.

Will be at UK this fall, kind of. The BCTC Blue+ program allows me to be dual enrolled at the University of Kentucky. It offers an awesome discount on tuition and sets me up for some great scholarships.

Fall schedule, while it’s a ways off, is all setup. I’ll be continuing Japanese with JPN 201 and will start on my economics path with Microeconomics, which I’m looking forward to. Astronomy should be interesting. I wanted to take that in high school, but I couldn’t fit it in. Last up is a course in logic, not too sure how I feel about that one.

JPN 201 – Intermediate Japanese I
ECO 201 – Principles of Microeconomics
AST 191 – The Solar System
AST 195 – Introductory Astronomy Lab
PHI 120 – Introductory Logic

Self Discovery and the College Student

Everyone goes through a bout of self discovery in their lives; an attempt to find their true selves, what they want to do and where they want to end up in their lives. One could argue that this stretch of self discovery, rather, the most influential stretch in an ongoing period of off again and on again awakening, occurs during one’s college years. Then what of those who do not end up going to college, whether delayed by necessity, circumstance or by personal choice? Well, of course they may be missing out on a great opportunity, but sometimes it’s just too much of a hardship to take the next step. On the other hand, delaying college can be a great catalyst for self discovery. Certainly this would not be true for all, but for me personally, I feel that this was a great way to go.

As the end of the high school career nears, a student’s primary focus in life shifts to independence and rebellion. Gail Sheehy mentions in her essay “The Predictable Crises of Adulthood,” that this is a defiant phase where one breaks off from the umbrella of family support and clings to even the slightest nuance to distance themselves from what was routine; jumping on fads and into cliques of like-minded individuals to further empower their revolt. Sheehy goes on to describe this stage of life to be potentially filled with identity crisis and irrational decision. A state of mind that I was in at the time, although perhaps it wasn’t as chaotic as described, but it’s something that I’m sure many eighteen to twenty-two year olds can also relate to. In reflecting on Sheehy’s words, I’m thinking to myself, is this really a good time to be setting off alone and deciding on an education that will supposedly guide a career and future endeavors? Finding one’s self, one’s passion, it would best be carried out with a fundamental desire to do so, rather than from a collection of irrational drives and intentions.

Indeed, it is still possible to vent off that sedition without stepping right into college. Perhaps at that age, as my own brand of rebellion, I had decided that I was going to skip college for a few years. Out of high school, I dove straight into the workforce. Working in a sales/marketing position, I was able to connect with many new and interesting people and glean a bit of insight into their ways of thinking. There was an air of maturity that developed as I experienced the real world, a sense of focus and responsibility. Not to say that I was really the unruly type in the first place, but as time passed on, I could see the change within myself, as could my coworkers, into a more rounded and willing character. I had grown up during this turbulent age, detached from the troubles that college life can pile up on a new student. This period was filled with experienced guides and consolers; from them, I was able to pick up a great work ethic and an ability to openly understand differing points of view.

Free of the inner turmoil of adolescence, now at the age of twenty-five, I feel better equipped to learn, to find a mentor in professionals and peers who may have similar, clear aspirations. Sheehy describes this time in our lives as the time for inward thinking and self discovery, another phase in life that I can completely relate to. It wasn’t too long ago that I had begun seriously thinking about the future, and where I wanted to be in the coming years. While I have been working in areas of computers and technology that greatly interest me, things have overall become stale and I’ve been looking for a way out. It was during this period of questioning myself, that I decided it was time to make the transition to college, to pursue various interests and open up some other doors in my career. So far I have not been disappointed. Attending college, even just the planning for college, has triggered some new ideas and caused me to rethink some of my career goals. From CIS to Japanese, economics, psychology and more, I feel that this experience has opened up, or at least presented me with a lot of new doors to look into.

To touch briefly on differing experience, in his essay “The Men We Carry in Our Minds,” Scott Russell Sanders discusses an eye opening episode that gives a hint that this discovery process can be adequately triggered by circumstance. Sanders, a boy from a modest life in the suburbs and military areas, recalls his familiarity with a certain class of man and their position in society. He contrasts his viewpoint on the factory workers and military men he had known growing up, with women he meets as he attends a prestigious college. These women viewed men, doctors, corporate big wigs and the like, in a completely different light, causing Sanders great curiosity and a longing to relate. On this point, I can see where migrating from a limited view on things and into a significantly diverse environment can be a jolt into the real world in its own right. In the end however, it seems as if Sanders’ experience only acknowledges the shared ignorance of the two parties, but doesn’t seem stimulate the topic to the surface. Though the means for Sanders to experience more facets of the real world outside of the college arena may not have been readily available, I can only think that if he had the chance, he would have had more time to look inward on himself rather than to be distracted, albeit slight, by the confusion and misunderstandings. That is a message that perhaps more people should look into, not only for self discovery, but also for a better ability to learn.

Report Card – Semester One

So far so good. Made the Dean’s list, which is kinda cool I guess.

Summer I 2008 (3)

A – MA 109 – Algebra

Summer II 2008 (3)

A – MA 123 – Calculus

Fall 2008 (19)

A – ENG 101 – Writing I
A – JPN 101 – Intro Japanese I
P – CIS 105 – Intro Computing
P – CIS 130 – Micro Applications
A – GEO 130 – Earth Science
A – STA 291 – Statistics

Five Years in Kentucky

Over the past year I’ve started to make some changes.

Firstly, with going back to school. I’m doing pretty well so far; 25 credits and all As. I may not be able to keep it up this semester, but I’m going to give it my best. Japanese class is going great and I’m really enjoying Psychology so far. Psychology is something I may be looking into a bit further, I’m not sure yet.

Next semester I’ll be dual enrolled at the University of Kentucky, on the road to my Bachelors of Arts in International Studies, with a major in Foreign Language and International Economics. Depending on how UK ramps up their Japanese Studies program some of that may change, In any case, I’m looking forward to it.

I’m tentatively planning a trip to Japan this summer. Might not see a Berryz concert, which is a big reason I would want to go, but a trip to get a bit used to things and overall cultural immersion might be enough for a first. If things go well, I may plan another trip in the fall.

Just recently left my job after going part time for about half of the year. Need a bit more flexibility and to focus more on school. I’ll be doing some freelance stuff, we’ll see how it all turns out, but I’m optimistic.

Looking forward to the future!

25 Random Things

That thing, from Facebook…

1. I have a twin sister. A lot of people know that I guess, but some don’t. Oh, and I’m older (2mins).
2. I’m 6’1” which is kinda tall when compared to the rest of my family. I’m pretty sure it comes from my mom’s side of the family.
3. I’ve lived in 5 states. Minnesota (born), Wisconsin, New Mexico, Maryland and Kentucky.
4. I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t drink coffee. I don’t drink tea.
5. I’ve travelled out of the country twice. Once to Canada (Toronto), once to Sweden (Stockholm/Linchoping).
6. I’ve got three tattoos. My sister and I partially celebrated our 18th birthday by getting them done. A dragon kanji on the back of my neck and the kanji for fire and water on my right shoulder. The dragon is meant to represent a protector of treasure, the treasure being me (lolwut); that and a sort of representation of my thick skin. The water would be my nonchalant go with the flow attitude while the fire is some unkindled passion I have yet to discover. I’d like to get a dragon to cover the whole of my back. Sometime soon maybe.
7. I have horrible handwriting and I suck at spelling stuff. I also write my lowercase A’s as double-story, I think that’s what it’s called anyway. My English teacher in middle school did this occasionally and I thought it was cute. I’ve been using it ever since.
8. I’m a good cook? I’d like to think so anyway. I’ve been cooking since I was 3, I think. I used to cook breakfast for myself and my sister before we went to school. I took a cooking class in high school and at one point had contemplated going to a culinary arts school. Nowadays, I don’t cook so much cause I’m kinda lazy as far as going out shopping &c. I do still enjoy it tho.
9. I procrastinate way too much.
10. I want kids. Actually, I think I have for a while, tho I’ve usually said that somewhat jokingly. I’ve got some issues, as most people do, but I think I’d be a good father. That said, I don’t think I’m a good uncle at the moment. Sure my nieces and nephews don’t live anywhere close or whatever, but still, gotta work on that.
11. I’ve never missed a day of school. Might be because I never get sick. Which might be because I don’t want people to have to worry about me.
12. The name Geoffrey comes from Geoffrey Chaucer. George was considered at one point I believe, but I think it was my mom that didn’t want another George Washington Williams (the third). I still have the same initials tho, GWW. I think I want to name my first son George Walker.
13. I don’t read books. Actually, I can say that I’ve never read a book all the way through.
14. I fail at remembering the names of songs, lyrics, movie titles, actors and actresses. I don’t know how to do the electric slide. Or is it, “I don’t want to know how to do the electric slide”, hmmm… I fail at a lot of pop culture stuff really.
15. I rarely get stressed, mad, angry or the like. One thing that is annoying tho, is when people assume that I’ll get stressed, mad or angry when they tell me something. I can get a bit impatient sometimes, but that’s only with family I think. On that note, I’m an overall apathetic and emotionless person anyway; so if you ever do see me getting mad, maybe you should run :) . No, no, no… I’m not one of those people who will snap and go crazy or something.
16. I love snow. I love weather in general. I used to watch The Weather Channel all day.
17. I’m a Japanophile. I’m also a Wota. In some ways’ it’s not as bad as it sounds. In other ways, ya, it kinda is.
18. Cheese. Don’t know if it was Wisconsin or what, but man I love me some cheese. I also love Chinese and Japanese food. Mmm, and nothing beats a good salad. What I don’t like is food with bones still in em. Chicken wings and legs come to mind. Generally don’t like fish, but I love sushi. I’m also not a big fan of bread.
19. I absolutely adore cute stuff. “Hot” and “Sexy”, not so much.
20. I got an award in elementary school for being best dressed or something like that. This has carried on throughout the years, I’ve always ‘dressed up’ I think.
21. I’ve built a couple computers and am fairly computer savvy.
22. I used to make and play music with keyboards, synthesizers and computer software. I was in the school and church choirs. I played the clarinet and bassoon in middle/high school marching and concert bands. I’m currently teaching myself to play the drums.
23. I love learning about history and social studies, but I’m not good at remembering all of the stuff I’ve learned. I’m good at math, but I don’t like it. I can be a good writer, if I put the energy into it.
24. Off and on, I’ve had relatively long, straightened and often dyed hair whilst growing up. Nowadays, I just keep it short.
25. I’m pretty much an open book, but only if you ask the right questions. Otherwise, I’m quite content with just sitting back and observing the goings on around me.

Math is not Fun

So, I decided to take care of my math classes this summer just to get them out of the way. Initially I didn’t know what to expect after failing (56%) my placement test; but I ended up doing okay. Alright, a little better than okay. I finished up averaging greater than 100% in Algebra / Calculus, but I didn’t enjoy it. Continuing to take math classes would probably be an easy boost to my GPA, but I’m just not interested. Even my Calculus teacher had suggested that I look into getting a minor in Mathematics. Like I said tho, not interested. I want to do History, Economics or something else. Something that while I may not be the best at it, they’re subjects that I will more than likely enjoy learning about.

What’s next?

Before the Fall semester, there are about 4 exams for credit that I’m going to try. A bunch of computer/programming related stuff. I feel that even if I don’t fully know the material, I’m clever enough to wing it and at least pass.

I’m halfway looking forward to the Fall semester, and halfway not. I’ve never really did well in English before, so I am not looking forward to ENG 101. I think I can do well in the class tho, as long as I keep my procrastination in check. Statistical Method, of winch the Calculus class is a prerequisite, might be interesting. It’ll be a math-ish class, but more applied mathematics which could be fun.

On the other part of the Fall semester are Science and Japanese. Earth’s Physical Environment is a general science class that can lead up to Weather and Climate. I’ve always liked Metrology, weather watching &c, so I’m looking forward to this. And unlike math, science is a subject that I usually do well in and actually like. Japanese is of course what I’m most looking forward to. I’m not too confident that I’ll do well in the class, but I am confident that I’ll try and get the most out of it. I’ll be studying a bit for the next few weeks so that I can get a leg up for when classes start.

If my exams and Fall semester go well, I’m going to consider transferring to EKU earlier than the two years I had originally planned. I just need 24 credits and a 3.0 GPA to qualify for a couple of scholarships they have setup. I’m still considering UofL, but I think EKU is offering more of what I’m looking for. We’ll see. Hopefully with working part time and being in school full time, I won’t be overwhelmed. I’m going to try my best!

School’s [Not] Out for Summer

I had decided late last year that I wanted to go to college for a variety of reasons. Primarily, it would be to supplement my relatively extensive experience in web development with some education that could help me move up in the work force. Another reason tho, is that I’ve been interested in some study abroad opportunities and or perhaps even teaching.

Enhancing my Business and Management Skills

I’ve been fairly successful wherever I’ve worked as far as job performance and income are concerned. Self taught, a quick learner and an ability to sell my skills to potential employers; even tho my resume isn’t too extraordinary, I do have 7+ years of professional experience. (geez, narcissistic much…). Anyway, with that experience, although I feel that I could move up into more supervisory roles without a formal education or degree, I have concluded that education should be the next step for me.

Ultimately I’d like to become more of a people manager and application / software architect. While my skills as a web developer have and would help me better communicate and understand the inner workings of the development process, I believe that an education in business would allow me to branch off into the higher level areas of development. What I mean by higher level is things like specification and programming guideline development. That’s in contrast to what I’m doing now (programming from start to finish, application maintenance, bug fixes, &c). I’d like to develop these documents per se, and then let a group of professionals have at the actual implementation, with me mentoring and supporting the team where necessary.

Learning and Sharing the Japanese Language and Culture

On to my second main point on getting an education, studying / teaching abroad. It’s not specifically studying abroad as much as it is learning [and teaching?] in and about topics that interest me. I’ve always been interested in a wide variety of social studies (history, culture and other social sciences), and study abroad programs offer a great deal of immersion and otherwise great hands on learning that you probably wouldn’t get just by going to college here in the States. A particular area of interest is Japanese culture and entertainment.

I was once asked something along the lines of, “Why Japanese”. My confused response boiled down to how I seem to relate more to [my perception of] their reserved culture when compared to the outspoken American culture. Learning about that relationship and finding more commonalities was a motivation. Really, I hadn’t thought about it too much before; and with that said, I still don’t know what it is exactly, but I am engrossed.

So the study abroad aspirations come from a desire for immersion, the teaching comes from my wanting to help people. I enjoy being a mentor of sorts, helping people solve problems and such. I’ve joined a few online communities in the past in which I use my knowledge and work experience to help others or point them in the right direction. I think that being able to share my knowledge as a teacher would be a very gratifying experience. As a fairly introverted person, communication isn’t my strong suit, bit I think it’s something I would like to give a try. Going to school to learn new things and share what I’ve learned with others would be nice.

Class is in Session

College placement tests were taken about three weeks ago. I did surprisingly well on the Reading and Writing portions of the test (97/100 and 100/100). This was a surprise as I had never done well in English classes in middle / high school. I got a 56/100 on my Algebra placement test; apparently tho, all that was needed to take college level math tests was a 48 or higher. Wit the tests out of the way I’m all set up for Summer and Fall semesters.

College Algebra class started last week. It’s been so long that I’ve forgot a lot of the things that were reviewed the first few days, but overall I think I can hang. I’ll probably take Calculus the next half of the Summer just to get them out of the way. I’ve always been fairly adept with math but never really enjoyed it. As I said tho, it’s been so long (8+ years), I hope I’m not too rusty.

The Fall semester is one I’m deficiently looking forward to, outside of English 101 that is. Earths Physical Environment is a general Science class, but a topic I’ve always been interested in. Sociology should be good, I like learning about these types of things. Last up is Japanese 101, this is what I’m looking forward to the most. JPN 101 will be followed up by JPN 102 in the Spring and then hopefully study abroad next summer.

Here’s hoping it all pans out.

Four Years in Kentucky

I’ve been living and working in Kentucky for the past four years now. It’s been a great experience thus far and I hope to stick it out for a few more years.

While I have been living here for a good amount of time, I haven’t really experienced Kentucky all that much. Lexington in particular, being a college town, has a lot of stuff going on throughout the year. I need to get out more, heh. I’ve never really been motivated enough to do so. I think it’s about time to start being a bit more proactive in getting to a point of settling down, starting a family and all that jazz.

I’ve recently joined a Japanese culture and language group that meets periodically. Additionally, The University of Kentucky seems to have a good Japanese program and a couple of groups that seem interesting to me. With my work schedule lightning up a bit, I hope to check them and others out over the next few months.

And speaking of work, the reason I moved out here to Kentucky in the first place. I’m very glad that I’ve been able to gain a lot of experience in a field of work that I enjoy and meet a fine group of people. I’m very thankful for that.

Looking forward to the future!