Week 3: Books

I have read several books while growing up, but only a few have really influenced me, and got me thinking about several aspects of the work.

Here, listed in the order I read them, are the books which inspired me the most:

1) "A Child Called It" by Dave Pelzer

This book is an autobiography, and it explains the author's experiences of child abuse while growing up. He describes, in great detail, the various harsh punishments he had to endure when he wouldn't complete a task or a responsibility. Sometimes, he would even face a punishment without anything to warrant it। The first chapter of the book describes how Child Services picks him up from school and takes him away from his abusive mother and spineless father, who would witness the abuse his child went through, disagreed with it, but wouldn't step up to protect his own child. The last sentence of the first chapter is the author writing, "I'm free?" From there, the book proceeds into a flashback of his earlier childhood. The biggest reason I liked this book was no matter what he experienced while growing up, he never gave up. He couldn't go against his mom, but his will power to survive was what inspired me.

2) "False Memory" by Dean Koontz

What I really enjoyed about this book is the amount of imagination the author possesses. It was actually this book which got me into writing. I used to have a blog which I used for creative writing purposes (I deactivated that account due to the amount of spam which I received). For those of you who like reading psychological thrillers, I'd certainly recommend this book to you.

3) "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler

This book, to the surprise of many, has made it to my list. Here's my reason why: Every book I've read in regards to American and World History have always pointed fingers at Nazi Germany for being the evil empire it was. While learning about the World Wars, I always wanted to get a sense as to the Nazi Germany point of view of the war and what their motive was. "Mein Kampf", an autobiography of Adolf Hitler, explains just that.

Week 2: Media Impact

I remember seeing an article couple years ago about a 22-year old in Russia who was an avid video game player. He played real-time strategy games, which include Internet-based fantasy games. Many of these internet players are hardcore, and that's pretty much all they do. They get so involved in the game, it becomes their life. This young player had an Internet rival through the game "Lineage II." The two players had agreed to meet in person which ended in murder. The victim's sister had accurately stated, "I think they have confused the game and reality."

In my opinion, it's terrible how people get so obsessed with video games or movies, they forget where to draw the boundary between the screen and real life.

The story of this tragedy can be read here.

Week 1: Media Autobiography

Given the 8 various types of mass media, I can certainly say I have a connection with each. I'll go one-by-one and discuss how each has affected me.

• Books: Growing up, I read several books throughout school. I continue to read for pleasure, and have favorite authors and genres. I am a big thriller fan and really enjoy reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels.
• Newspapers: Every morning after I wake up and come downstairs, I like to take a look at the newspaper. The section I grab first is Sports, because I'm a huge sports fan. Even though when I'm on my computer, I have a tab open for ESPN, I still like to read what the San Jose Mercury News has to say regarding various sporting events. I also like to read Roadshow's column regarding traffic laws and other various questions drivers have regarding roads around the Bay Area.
• Magazines: Another hobby I have is reading about cars. I used to subscribe to Motor Trend and Road & Track so I could read about new cars (either production, concept or prototype). Most of the cars I would read about are European supercars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, etc), but eventually, these magazines began mostly focusing on domestic cars. Due to this, I began to lose interest.
• Movies: I love watching movies. If I think it has a good plot, I will watch it. Unfortunately, I don't watch movies in the theater anymore due to the high prices. Having technology like Comcast's On Demand has helped. Subscribing to premium channels like HBO and Starz helps customers like me watch a movie anytime without having to leave home. My family still has to pay for the networks, but the number of movies which are at our disposal is certainly much cheaper than watching a single movie at the theater for $12 or $13.
• Recordings: I have a big collection of MP3s on my computer, and they vary from hip-hop to rock to movie soundtracks to old classics (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, etc). I also include a large collection of Indian music. Having such a variety of music helps prevent me from getting bored of the same music after listening to it over and over again. I have an MP3 player which allows me to transport my music. The MP3 player, with the help of an auxilary cable, lets me listen to my music on-the-go in my car.
• Radio: I used to listen to the radio a lot. Some radio stations I'd listen to are Wild 94.9 and 106 KMEL. Lately, these radio stations have started playing a lot of the same music, and they all sound quite similar to one another. Therefore, I have slowly stopped listening to the radio and started listening to more of my own MP3s and services like Pandora.
• Television: My favorite television show was "24", starring Kiefer Sutherland. It reached its eighth and final season last year. I have all the seasons (except the last) on DVD, so I do enjoy going back and rewatching them. Nowadays, I don't watch as much television as I did earlier. If I do, I'll only watch shows on ESPN or maybe a few documentaries on either National Geographic or The History Channel.
• The Internet: Honestly, without the Internet, I would probably lose my mind. Having the world at my fingertips certainly helps me get a lot done. First of all, I can listen to music, watch videos, chat with friends and even reconnect with old ones who I may have not spoken to for several years. I also use the Internet to do research on papers or any other assignments which may require some sort of additional information on certain topics.

While growing up, music was the most important to me. It continues to be important, but the Internet may be the most important to me currently. It helps get a lot done, whether its for recreation or productive use. I have a large passion for sports, and with the help of the Internet, I was able to start a sports blog. This allows me to write my opinions on various sporting events, players, teams, or other major issues, and let anyone visit my blog to read what I'm thinking and to post their own views, questions or anything else they have on their mind.