The Gadget I Cannot Live Without - Process Analysis - Essay Example

The Gadget I Cannot Live Without I took some time to study the topics presented in class possible subjects for this essay. Among all of them, the one that caught my eye was the topic “A Gadget I Cannot Live Without”. The reason behind this, is that I am a person who has an interest in gadgets. The gadget I would feel naked if I left it at home or lost it for some reason would be my Samsung Galaxy Y android phone. My android phone has become my best friend due to its highly helpful features that truly come in handy whenever I need it. Take for example the extra bright LED screen of the phone. When I walk the dark streets at night, I just have to touch the screen and its illumination serves as a flashlight. It's constantly connected to the internet so I can easily do informative searches whenever I need to. Lately, I have been using its navigation features a lot as I travel the city and try to get around traffic. It even has a compass installed for those times when I am hiking in the woods and feeling like I have lost the path. Needless to say, my android phone has become more than just a mobile phone. It is my security blanket, my life preserve. In fact, I am now wondering how I ever got along in life without it. It would be impossible for me to go on with my life without my Samsung Galaxy Y phone. Required Writing 2: Narration My narration will be about: A story about a broken or troublesome machine or gadget The dominant conflict is: Human versus nature or situation My overall tone (feeling) is: Frustration at not being able to fix the situation. The point or purpose of my narrative is: ... is to let people know that sometimes, it is better to wait for a malfunctioning piece of equipment to break down before it is replaced. 2 Weaknesses to fix: 1. I need to learn how to use a more active voice when telling my narration. 2. I should be able to tell a story in a more animated manner than I already to. 2 Strengths to be proud of: 1. My personal life is filled with anecdotes that make for interesting story telling. 2. I am able to remember details that help make the story interesting to the listener or reader. The Troublesome Washing Machine My mother bought a fully automatic washing machine about 5 years ago. It was working fine for the first 3 years after it was purchased. It washed the clothes and wrung it out without any hassle. It was so quiet when it was running that we often forgot we had our clothes in the wash. That is why when the machine suddenly sounded like bombs were dropping over Baghdad when it washed the clothes, we all thought that the machine was broken. My mother immediately called for the service guy to come over and fix the problem because the noise the machine was making was so loud, we were afraid our neighbors would call the cops on us for disturbing the peace. Upon closer inspection by the repairman, he informed us that the machine was working fine with a slight problem. My mother incredulously asked him, “ How can it be working fine if it has a slight problem?” The repair guy went on to explain that there was nothing wrong with the machine work-wise, it just had a part that was aging and that was causing the ruckus we were hearing during the spin cycle. My mother asked how much it would cost to replace the offensive piece of hardware and was promptly given a price that totally floored her! For a little more, we could own a brand new washing machine and that is exactly what my mother said. So here we are 5 years after the machine was bought and my mother and I are still waiting for the old clunker to finally break down so that we can buy a new one. But the old one simply refuses to give out. Somehow we managed to make our peace with the neighbors about the noise and learned how to ignore or muffle the sounds coming from the washing machine. We know that it will eventually totally break down and then, we can finally wash our clothes in peace once again. Required Writing 3: Process Analysis Essay My process analysis will be about: How to buy a used car The point or benefit of understanding this process is: Many people are in the market to own a car but can't always afford to buy a new one. Those who buy 2nd hand cars usually end up owning lemons as they have no idea about what to look for when buying a used car. This process analysis essay will help them figure things out and help them make a good 2nd hand car purchase. 2 Weaknesses to fix: 1. I need to learn how to analyze online website for validity and accuracy of information. 2. I need to express my thoughts in a clearer manner to the readers. 2 Strengths to be proud of: 1. I am capable of smoothly transitioning from one paragraph to the next. 2. I know how to write a short but informative essay that can truly help the readers understand the process being discussed. Steps to Consider When Buying a Used Car Everyone needs to be able to get around fast and hassle free in our heavily transport dependent modern world. However the ease by which we travel is solely dependent upon our ability to be able to gain instant access to a mode of transport. In this day and age, as in the past, owning your own car is usually the best solution to this problem. But not everyone can afford to buy a spanking brand new car. In such situations, what is a person, who needs to get around fast, to do? The only option he has is to love the car that someone before him loved. Yep. Owning a used car may be the best way to go. But you don't buy a used car like you would say, candy in a sweet shop. As Julie Vernon, an incoming college freshman learned, there are actually steps that have to be considered when buying a used car. Today, we join Julie as she goes on a quest that hopefully, will land her that much needed mode of transportation. According to Julie she did an internet search in order to get some guidelines that she could follow when car shopping. She suggests that most first timers will get the guidance that they need from the automedia.com (Nikkel, Cathy “Top 10 Tips for Used Car Buying”) website. It was at this website where she developed what she believes to be the Top 10 tips to follow when buying a used car. First of all, Julie learned that she needed to figure out what she would be needing the car for and based upon those needs, decide how much exactly she was willing to spend to own the car in the class that she needed. She knew that she had to consider fuel efficiency and safety features in order to make sure that she would be getting her money's worth on the car of her choice. Secondly, she exercised the power of the internet in order to narrow down her car choices. By doing comparison shopping online and taking owner's comments into consideration, she managed to figure out which would be the possible best buys within her price range for the pre-loved car. By figuring out exactly how much the insurance coverage, and EPA mileage for the car was, she was able to determine how much she would be spending every year on the maintenance of the car. Together with other consumer reports that she collated, she managed to figure out the “true market price” of the car. These pieces of information were of the utmost importance to her since she was getting the car through financing. It was because of those steps that she found herself where she was today, test driving the car of her choice and looking into the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) just to make sure that she wasn't going to plunk her cash down on some lemon. Julie also came prepared to get a second opinion before her purchase. She had her own mechanic in tow who looked over the engine and other often worn out parts of the car she was considering for purchase. Thanks to his presence, she was able to haggle down the price of the car a little bit more. After getting the proper clearance from her personal mechanic, she finally had enough confidence in the car she wanted to own in order to purchase it. Although the car was second hand, she was confident in the knowledge that she had done her homework on the car and she had made the best purchase possible in relation to her circumstance. Sources Nikkel, Cathy. Top 10 Tips for Used Car Buying. autoMedia.com. 2012. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. Required Writing 4: Comparison/Contrast Essay, With Thesis I will compare/contrast: Riding a bicycle and driving a car on these criteria: 1. Ease of use 2. Speed 3. Traffic considerations 4. Safety factors What I / we learn by comparing or contrasting these two elements is: That both riding a bicycle and a car have its advantages and disadvantages so the choice of what to ride for daily transport depends upon the personal choice of a person. I will organize: X Point by Point or One Side at a Time 2 weaknesses to fix: 1. I need to sharpen my researching skills in to choose the most accurate topics for discussion pertaining to my subject matter. 2. I need to be able to transition my paragraphs in an much smoother manner. 2 Strength to be proud of: 1. I have an ability to choose good essay topics that are easy to research. 2. My essay writing has began to show improvement in terms of written expression. Riding a Bicycle vs. Driving a Car Before the advent of the motorized vehicle, man relied first on horsepower to get around town. Later on, bicycles were invented and changed the way that man traveled from then on. We went from a society of manual transportation to motorized vehicles all within the past century. But what exactly makes traveling by bicycle and by car the same and yet still different? Is one mode of transport actually better than the other? This essay paper hopes to answer those two questions through a series of comparison and contrasting situations meant to shed light on the debate that is “bicycle vs. car”. When one thinks of getting on a bicycle in order to get around the city or suburbs, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is that anybody who would choose to use his own muscle power to travel rather than sit in the comfort of a car and travel in style would have to be crazy. Bicycling entails a tremendous amount of personal effort on the part of the cyclist and results in a very tiring method of transportation. However tiring it may be to cycle about, cycling enthusiasts believe that they are doing their bodies a great service by opting to pedal rather than putting the pedal to the metal. That is because doctors have long agreed on the fact that biking is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise and results in a faster metabolism and endurance on the part of the cyclist. On the other hand, cycling in the suburbs or city where the car is considered the king of the road may prove to be detrimental to one's health as well. That is because of the possibility of a cyclist being side swiped by a car on a busy thoroughfare. It is not uncommon for cyclists to be putting their lives on the line when they cycle in areas that do not have appointed bicycle lanes. On the other hand, those who ride in cars travel in relative safety as their vehicle is not easily over turned by another car, neither is it easily or accidentally hit by oncoming traffic. There is also a practical reason why traveling by car is the default choice for most people over traveling by bike. The fact is that a bicycle was only meant to travel a short distance from point to point while a car was designed to go great distance regardless of travel time. It is incomprehensible for one to think that a person on a bicycle can travel cross country to visit relatives. Whereas going cross country by car to visit friends and family is part of the normal way of life for most people. Traveling by bicycle also hinders the amount or number of items that one can take along during a trip. A person traveling by bicycle can only mount a small amount of lightweight equipment on his bike and pack as part of his backpack. In fact, a person traveling by bike should not take anything more other than himself and a bottle of water to cool down with if he wants to be able to go a decent distance on sheer pedal power. While a car will allow you to pack as much as its storage area can handle during a trip, including companions. Speaking of companions, cycling is indeed a lonely way to travel, unless you are one of the lucky few people who have a tandem bike in stow away. You tend to pedal alone on a bike path and travel in relative silence. Some people enjoy that mode of travel as they find the solace soothing and soul freeing. On the other hand, traveling by car with companions makes the trip go by a lot faster as the group tends to bond during these types of trips. Delving deeper into the study of comparing and contrasting the bike and the car now brings us to the other reasons as to why some people believe that traveling by bike is the best option. These reasons include but are not limited to a bicycle being (Living Car Free- Compare and Contrast The Bicycle and The Car; Cite the Advantages / Disadvantages of Each) : 1. Cleaner and air friendly 2. Healthier for most people 3. More fun because it can go to places where cars cannot reach 4. Requires almost no maintenance cost whatsoever 5. Allows road rage to be burned off rather than built up 6. Does not require yearly registrations, insurance, or a license to operate Whatever the advantages of cycling over the use of cars, the fact remains that cars will remain the de facto mode of transport for many generations to come because it is the most convenient way for people to travel in this day and age of time being of the essence in everything that we do. Works Cited N.A., “ Living Car Free- Compare and Contrast The Bicycle and The Car; Cite the Advantages / Disadvantages of Each”. 2 Jan. 2010. bikeforums.net. bikeforums.net. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. Required Writing # 5: Argumentation Persuasion Essay W/ Thesis My argumentation/ persuasion will be about: Why I prefer Mitt Romney over Barack Obama for president of the United States The point or benefit of understanding this aspect of the argument is: that we have had 4 years of “change” for the worse in our country and it is time to make it stop. The country has changed for the worse and we are all worse off for it. 2 weaknesses to fix: 1. I need a deeper grasp of national politics in order to discuss it as a level that I would like to. 2. I need to learn to be more aggressive in the presentation of my arguments so that I can persuade people to believe in what I have to say. 2 strengths to be proud of: 1. My interest in national politics shows my love of country 2. I was able to acquit myself satisfactorily in the arguments that I presented within the essay. Why I Prefer Mitt Romney to Barack Obama as President of the United States As the presidential race heats up towards its November finale, people of this great nation are being asked to pick the best candidate for president. On one side, we have Barack Obama, the incumbent president whose reign has not been smooth nor totally accepted by most members of society. His decisions have been hotly contested before the supreme courts of this land and he has steered the country towards a road of “change” for the worst as most people see it. Then we have Mitt Romney on the other side of the fence. The man whom other people see as the alternative candidate who can actually bring America back to its once glorious standing on the world stage. Although whom you vote for president is none of my business as that vote remains a personal choice, I would like to share with you some of my insights as to why I believe Mitt Romney would make the better president for this great nation. First of all, Mitt Romney's birth and nationality has never been questioned like the case of Barack Obama who until now is hounded by the Birthers, demanding that he admit to his true place of birth and nationality. It has been truly difficult for most Americans to salute a president whose name sounds so Muslim that it sounds like we installed an enemy of the country in the White House over the past 4 years. Until he clears up his true heritage and whether he is a Muslim by religion and life choice, his presidency and reasons for wanting to ascend to the presidency shall remain in question. Barack Obama had promised to enact change once he was elected president. He had been given what most see as a legal mandate by the voters to do exactly that. I will have to admit, he did manage to keep his promise. He changed the nation alright, for the worse. He managed to get thinly disguised tax increase laws passed by both congress and the senate in order to triple our taxes and get a health care program that nobody wanted or needed. Barack Obama has also made it his personal mission to apologize for the existence of America to the world. Thus cuckolding our status as a nation on the world stage. That is why we are now being ignored by China and bullied by the terrorist Muslim nations. This is an international political situation that must be rectified immediately if we are to ever regain our standing as a world leader of importance in the coming decades. America is in worse shambles than when George W. Bush left it in 2008. What makes things even worse for us is the fact that we have a president who is running on a campaign to get re-elected by finger pointing and under handed tactics. He continues to blame the past administration and the Republicans for all the short comings and failures of his own government. That is not an acceptable excuse in any book and that is exactly why we I prefer Mitt Romney over Barack Obama. Mitt Romney served his dues as a politician in our country, having served his constituents in Massachusetts honestly and truthfully for a number of years. He has the political experience to get things done the right way. He knows American politics like the back of his hand unlike Barack Obama who did not even serve as a senator of Chicago long enough to have been considered of service to his city. While Barack Obama knows the law and how to get around it, Mitt Romney knows the business world and how it functions. Let's face it, running a country is just like running a business. If the CEO of the business does not know what he and his henchmen are doing, the business is going to sink. Exactly the same way that America sunk under the “leadership” if you can call it that, of Barack Obama. Mitt Romney is an advocate of America and has no intention of turning America into a semblance of a socialist state as Barack Obama is trying very hard to do. Mitt Romney understands the benefits of capitalism and why it should be supported by the government. He does not believe that American people may work hard but still owe everything they have because “the government built it” as Obama once put it. Mitt Romney understands what makes America work because he has lived his whole life in America. He has not lived offshore and just come back because of one mixed up or made up reason or another. Romney is American through and through. He has never abandoned the country and has instead done his best to emerge as one of its most note worthy business leaders and politicians today. Having presented both sides of the political persona of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as known to the public, the future of our proud nation is now in the hands of the voters. One can only hope that reason and logic win over charisma and Hollywood this time around and that the right person sits in the throne of power in the Oval Office come November. Works Cited Altchek, Christopher. Why I Support Mitt Romney Over Barack Obama. policymic.com. policymic.com. Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2012. Required Writing 6: Division and Classification Essay W/ Thesis My division. classification will be about: My music collection Dividing or classifying my topic this way teaches me this important lesson: That I actually have a vast array of taste in music that I never gave any thought to until this essay assignment came along. 2 weaknesses to fix: 1. I need to train my brain to think more logically in order to properly assess the contents of my classification / division essays 2. I must increase my knowledge of figurative language in order to further engage the readers of my essays. 2 strengths to be proud of: 1. I have a strong understanding of the difference between division and classification essays and when to use each respectively. 2. I am comfortable writing an essay that calls for the combination of division and classification essays in one paper. My Music We go through life hearing music practically from the womb. Yet we somehow manage to take the existence of music and its importance in our lives for granted most of the time. We don't really pay too much attention to the music we hear or the music that we have in our iPods and CD collection. But if we just took a little time to pay closer attention to the music that has helped shaped our lives, we will come to realize that the music collection that we have shows our evolution as an individual and our constantly growing and changing taste in music. That is what I discovered during the time when my family had to move homes and I had to pack up my life into boxes marked clothes, books, DVD's, CD's. Of all those boxes, the ones marked CD's turns out to have been the most important of them all. As I sit amidst the moving boxes in my bedroom, it dawns upon me that I have 2 huge moving boxes filled to the brim with my music collection over the years. Opening each box, I rearrange them upon my shelves in order of musical genre. By the time I finish unpacking the first box, I have traveled down memory lane and revisited my past music inclinations that would help explain my current taste in music. Just like anyone who was first coming into the realization that there was more to music than just what I was hearing on the Mickey Mouse Club, Nickelodeon, and the nursery rhyme cd's that my parents bought for me when I was growing up, I have an extensive collection of pop music from the 90's. The era when Britney Spears was the Queen of Pop and Christina Aguilera was a wanna be who never was. It was the era when pop music was co-reigned by boy bands like N'Sync. Then came the time when I was introduced the movie musical via the High School Musical series of television shows and concluding movie. Add to that my interest in the Hannah Montana TV series and you get a clear mental image of how extensive my movie and television soundtrack collection actually is. Still more sorting to come while I hear my mother telling me that I should have sold some of my collection on eBay if only to make more space on the shelves in my new room. I'll pretend I did not hear her say that. Anyway, back to my music collection. It suddenly occurs to me that I actually have an eclectic mix of music cd's on my shelf as I see some country music (Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift) cd's mixed with my edgier music collection of pop rock anthems from Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. I know it sounds like a strange mix to find in any music collection but it somehow makes sense in my music universe. Now I remember that I first got interested in country music when Carrie Underwood won on American Idol Season 4 and I started listening to Taylor Swift's music after the Kanye West incident. I remember that I thought I would not like country music at first but it turns out, the music was not bad at all once I had given it a chance. Then I slowly entered the age of maturity and so it seems, did my taste in music. Now I had the jazzy but danceable music of Kylie Minogue on one side of the box and the sweet operatic voices of Il Divo on the other. Hmm... pop jazz mixed with pop opera? It doesn't make sense as my mother would say. But there they were in my music collection box. So who is anyone to judge right? So... if I were to organize my music collection into its specific classifications we would end up with the following sets: 1. Pop 2. Pop rock 3. Country 4. Country Pop 5. Jazz 6. Pop opera 7. Soundtracks Each classification of music in my personal collection signifies an evolution towards a more mature personality on my part as each particular type of music was one that I listened to during a specific age, situation, or memorable event in my life. It is easy to see how my personality and outlook in life was influenced by the music that I listened to as my music choices were quite transparent and not really confusing to understand if one chooses to look deeper into my music choices. Read More