Revised blog post #3

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On Monday night, I danced-- truly danced-- for the first time in almost three years. That was my first night as a member of the Penn State Vole ballet club, and it was the most amazing night I've had in a long time.

I danced for twelve years before I stopped in June 2008. I would spend eight hours a week in the studio, dancing Salsa, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Modern, Ballet, and Tap. It was the one sport at which I was actually decent, and it was my one real passion.

After class on Monday, I came back to my room in such a great mood. My roommate just laughed at me, so, naturally, I dragged her to a different dance class on Tuesday night. (Which she ended up loving, might I add.)

[Just so you know, the White Building offers a large variety of classes. You can click here to view the fitness schedule.]

So my first conclusion on personal growth is that, in order to figure out what makes you tick, you must first find things about which you are passionate. These things could include sports, music, drawing, reading, writing, or simply taking time out of your day for yourself. When you find something that you really enjoy doing, you lose yourself in it, and only when you lose yourself can you really find yourself. As abstract as that may sound. Having a passion will give you something to focus your energy on and to look forward to each day. You will become a happier person, and I personally find that when I'm spending my evenings doing something that I love, I'm more focused on my studies during the day. Not to mention, spending time doing activities you love will keep both your body and brain active.

If you would like to explore new hobbies, about.com has posted a great list of simple hobbies that are proven to relieve stress. To view the list, click here!

Your goal for today, ladies and gentlemen, is to go out and find something that you love doing, then let me know you feel after. :)

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Revised blog post #2

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Lunch is a notorious time for my roommate and me to discuss the "controversial" topics we encounter in our everyday lives. Almost every week, at least one of our conversations ends in the following manner.

"You know what I hate?"

"What do you hate?"

"I hate boring people. No one can carry an intelligent conversation anymore. I tried talking to someone in my class today, and we ran out of things to say after 20 seconds."

"I agree. It's hard to find people with substance, anymore."


Sad, but true, not many people know how to hold a meaningful conversation nowadays. Simply walking down College Avenue, one will hear countless "he-said-she-said"s, all in varying Valley Girl accents. One will catch snippets of conversations about "how drunk I got last night, brah." However, one will probably not hear anyone discussing the recent happenings in Egypt, the rise in tuition costs, etc. At least, not from anyone under 25 years of age. Occasionally, one may encounter someone with whom he can hold a conversation. The conversation usually gets awkward pretty quickly, though, when one of the people can think of nothing more to say.

Society today is certainly not lacking in the rhetoric department, but the younger generations really need to learn some conversational skills. Or speaking skills, in general. Sadly, even some of our most prominent cultural figures are incapable of intelligible discourse. A perfect example is of Miss South Carolina, whose interview video you can view here.

If they don't, who knows where tomorrow will take us. No one wants to live in a meaningless world, as seen on Jersey Shore. "He-said-she-said" will only get us so far.


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Revised blog post #1

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After watching this commercial the first time, I really didn't know what to think. Should I be offended? Should I laugh? All of my Romanian friends were posting links to this video on Facebook, infuriated that their national chocolate, Rom, had been Americanized.

Okay, maybe I should give some background information first. In Romania, Americanization is a sensitive topic. Many, if not the majority of the population, believe that America is gradually taking over the world. Romania is a very small but patriotic country. They have their own language, customs, genres of music, food, etc. English is beginning to sneak its way into daily vocabulary, as Romanians begin to learn it from the day they prove capable of speaking. Muzica Taraneasca has been shoved aside by the youth for the more favorable mainstream American music. Rom chocolate is an object of national pride. Frankly, it is one of the most delicious chocolates in the world (in my personal opinion,) and since the day of its creation, it has been wrapped in the Romanian flag-- a testiment of Romanian patriotism.

[Romanian rapper Puya does a good job of explaining the invasion of American culture into everyday Romanian life in his song "Americandrim". You can also view the translated lyrics here.]

This commercial, which relies mostly on ethos, is clearly meant to be taken in a sarcastic way. There is no way that Rom would ever actually replace the Romanian flag wrapper for one with an American flag. This aspect of the commercial evokes a substantial amount of emotion in the viewer. As explained in the previous paragraph, Romanians are very bitter about the Americanization of their culture. I got to see this emotion first hand through my friends' angry Facebook rants.

At the same time, a child who is too young to understand the sardonic nature of this commercial may beg his mother to rush him to the store and buy him some of these "new" candy bars. Why? Because he, being of the younger, Americanized generation, wants to be a star...just like the Americans.

A final emotion-evoking element of this commercial is the fact that it is presented in English, with Romanian subtitles. This simple component is enough to anger any proud Romanian watching it.

All-in-all, I feel that this commercial is an extremely good example of rhetoric based on pathos, and a good representation of rhetoric in a culture other than our own.

If you would like to read more about this topic, you can click here to read a blog featuring a Romanian's viewpoint on the reaction of his fellows.

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