Author Archives: pheaktras

Dear portfolio readers,

Thank you for taking the time to read some of my work. English was never really a subject I enjoyed very much and had a hard time with throughout my teenage years in school. It was cause of my lack of maturity and lack of wanting to learn anything that made it that way. So I decided to take a break from school and start working after I graduated. I was in and out of jobs and felt like something was missing from my life. I then decided in fall of 2013 to go back to college and continue my education. I am now twenty four years old and I can say that I don’t regret returning back to school. I’ve matured a lot and felt more focused. At first when I decided to take this course I was a bit hesitant. I haven’t done essays or research papers for a long time but I came in with an open mind. I’ve learned a lot from this class and felt it opened up another creative aspect. I’ve enjoyed this course and I hope you enjoy some my writing.

Our last assignment in this course was to write a research paper. I decided to write my research about cell phones and smartphones. That was because I knew a great amount about it and I can observe them almost everywhere I go. When beginning to brainstorm about this topic I came up with so many different ideas I could’ve written about but when reviewing what I had on paper with Mrs. Pappas, I can see why my topic was such a broad topic. So I decided to narrow down my research but still get in everything I felt was necessary and not take away from my original concept of the paper. I felt I was in good shape and that my research felt on point with everything I wanted to explain.

Our third assignment was annotations. This assignment I believe was the most difficult one by far for me to write about. I really didn’t have a clue what annotations meant and I didn’t know where to begin. After going through a few examples in class I started to kind of get an idea what it was about. I chose to write about graffiti and not just about graffiti, but also about a place called 5 Pointz that resides in New York. I’ve never written a paper on annotations before but at least I found a topic I was very interested in. I had to really find some good good enough sources and it was hard at first but then I kicked into a rhythm. I would like to try this type of assignment again knowing what I know now.

My last essay in the portfolio was the memoir assignment. This to me was my favorite assignment to work on and probably my most favorite paper out of everything I’ve wrote in the course. It was actually the first assignment we had to do in class. We had to either write about creativity, curiosity, or persistence and how it is played out in our own life. I chose to write about persistence and how it is related to what I do and that is break dancing. It was something I started to do for fun in my high school years but then I grew and still have such a love for it. So this paper is actually a sneak peek into what I do. Also this assignment helped me look forward to what this course had in store for me.

Even though I felt that I was off to a rough start I did really enjoy this course and kept an open mind. It changed my aspect on English and I’ve learned lots from it. I believe that I have definitely become a better writer and how to really start my assignments. I’ve also learned that it isn’t just about writing, but about creativeness. Using words to describe out a scenery with such detail to imagine it in the reader’s minds. I’ve unlocked my creative side through writing and because of that, I grew a somewhat likeness towards writing. I would like to thank the readers once again on taking the time to read some of my work. I enjoyed writing it very much and hope that you too will enjoy reading it.

Best regards,

Pheaktra Sambun

In the past few years or so the amount of the world’s population that own a cell phone have grown. The majority of the world own cell phone now and since then technology have grown with it. Cell phones and smartphones are being used constantly. On average Americans spend about “seven hours a month talking on their cell phones” (Rosen). Even laws have been passed like the “No texting and driving” law because of the excessive use and dangers it may bring. I believe that it may have also become a trend. Newer more powerful models being introduced or released for the world. For example the Iphone’s or the Samsung Galaxy’s are whats popular now and seems like everyone would like to get their hands on either one of those. Even now it wouldn’t be a rare sight to see children walking around with one in their hand. My point is that cell phones increasing use may be killing face to face time with one another because of what cell phones and smartphones have to offer.

The use for a smartphone compared to a mobile phone is substantially greater because of its 3g and 4g network capabilities. Research conducted by eMarketer have shown that they estimated smartphone users to total 1.75 billion worldwide in 2014. “We estimate that the total number of mobile phone internet users will rise 16.5% in 2014 and maintain double-digit growth through 2016” (Smartphone Users…). The PewResearch Internet Project in January of 2014 took a sample size of 1,006 adults in America. About “90% of American adults own a cell phone” and “58% of American adults have a smartphone” (Mobile Technology Fact Sheet). A survey also by PewResearch has shown that “78% of teens own a cell phone, and almost half (47%) own a smartphone.”

Now  because the impact social media had on society, cell phones have become more in tuned to keep up. With its constant updating and the thousands of apps users can download. from Facebook to Instagram, and other social media apps, people tend to communicate on there with wall posts or comments and picture comments. Users can even play video games or listen to music from your phone’s Pandora app. Even the quality of the camera has become greater. Which means that people can take pictures anytime they want to and share it on Facebook or Instagram. Also could be used to record good length videos and also share them. And because the camera quality is so good people tend to take more photos of themselves, also known as a “selfie.” Not necessarily saying its a bad thing but people tend to be on them all the time because of what their phone is capable of. From the article Our Cell Phones, Ourselves she states that our “phones are becoming your swiss army knife.” (Rosen)

In additions to social media, text messaging has changed communication also. A majority of my friends would rather contact me by sending me a text message rather than give me a phone call. Through text, people can easily misinterpret the message you are trying to get across. That is because they can’t hear your tone of voice. If they could then then can whether or not you were joking with them or actually being serious. Another thing is that a majority of people are constantly going through our phones to check messages and walking around staring at them. If I was to try and approach a person who is on their phone I would feel a bit uneasy and hesitant because I don’t want to bother them. It is almost like the seclude themselves from reality and shut themselves off from the world. “What was something you did in private or downtime has now become an obsession” (Glaser) he states in his article.

Sometimes even when I go out to dinner I notice people on their phones. I recall one time when I went out to dinner with a few friends. I remember that there was a couple sitting at the table behind us and they seemed to be glued to their phone. I asked myself what was so important that they couldn’t even spend quality time together on what seemed to be date night? They hardly spoke a word to one another the whole time there and that is definitely a pet peeve of mines. So when I’m out to dinner I either put my phone on silent or on vibrate. Glaser even recalls a time he was out to dinner with a friend. He wrote “But when my friend chooses to tap on his Iphone while we are out having dinner, I feel like I’m having dinner for three: me, him and the Iphone” (Glaser). As society, most of us have developed a bad habit.

Smartphones are definitely great to have nonetheless. And why is that? It is because “The most frequently cited reason is convenience, which can cover a rather wide range of behaviors.” (Rosen) states in her article. I find her statement very true. Smartphones are very convenient and it has everything, from the internet to look things up on the go or in case of emergencies you can immediately get in contact with someone. Not to mention that we can also stay very well in touch with our family and friends. The days of writing hand written letters are somewhat a lost art and somewhat people are losing a form of expressing their creativity. Everyday life has seemed to be much easier as we go. We can even pay bills over our phones too and in some cities, get our groceries delivered to us.

Definitely convenient but my argument is that we have become very dependent on our cell phones or smartphones. That some of the population can’t live without one let alone leave it behind in such cases. Constantly glued to them and it has now, I believe developed into an addiction. Even for myself in someway. I never leave my house without my wallet, keys, and my phone. I tend not to use it very much because I like interact with my friends and family face to face rather than over a phone in which I never get to hear their voice.

Works Cited

Glaser, Mark. “How Cell Phones Are Killing Face-to-Face Interactions.” PBS. PBS, 22 Oct. 2007. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

Madden, Mary, Amanda Lenhart, Mauve Duggan, Sandra Cortesi, and Urs Gasser. “Teens and Technology 2013.” Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Pewinternet.org, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

“Mobile Technology Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Pewinternet.org, Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

Rosen, Christine. “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves.” The New Atlantis. June-July 2004. Web. 01 May 2014.

“Smartphone Users Worldwide Will Total 1.75 Billion in 2014.” – EMarketer. N.p., 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

In 1971 a man named Jerry Wolkoff  brought the building and had leased it out to a company that had made record player accessories and eight-track tapes. The company then moved out in the early 1990s, so he decided to rent the space out as studios to artists. In 2002 the former warehouse known as the Phun Phactory slowly turned into the 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc. Located in Long Island city, New York. “Considered to be the world’s premiere “graffiti Mecca,” where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful pieces on the walls of a 200,000-square-foot factory building.” (About 5 Pointz). The attraction brought many artists from all over the world to come and paint their pieces all over the walls. The name 5 Pointz was given by a man named Jonathan Meres Cohen. The name signified the unity of the five boroughs of New York coming together as one. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

The outdoor museum brought many tourists and even attracted hip hop and R&B artists. Such as Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, and Rahzel just to name a few. Also was featured in Hollywood films. The most recent movie I believe it to be in was “Now You See.” This place brought the community together such as holding events and also having tours. One of the most recent events was to actually save 5 Pointz. The owner had other plans for the building. Petitions were signed and even more events took place.

Before it was ever called graffiti it was called writing. Some say it was considered the earliest form of writing. Connecting it to ancient Egypt or ancient Rome. This form of art was used as a social or political message that evolved with the hip hop culture. Also there was gang related graffiti to mark their territories around the city. Graffiti as we know it today started in between the 1960s and 70s in New York. “The first modern graffiti writer is widely considered to be Cornbread, a high school student from Philadelphia, who in 1967 started tagging city walls to get the attention of a girl.” (Melker)

There is a connection between graffiti and hip hop. It’s pretty much like the dance moves in hip hop. For ever the new moves and changes and also, in trying to be the best. It started out as a competition. And unlike the gang related graffiti tags, hip hop graffiti is actually considered real art. There is always different kinds of styles and new techniques being introduced. “Hip hop graffiti is a means of self-expression and creativity rather than a way of gang demonstration.” (Pomoni). One of the four elements of hip hop, graffiti was also practiced by Djs, emcee’s, and breakdancers.

Jerry Wolkoff had plans for the building. He wanted to build to high-rise towers with luxury apartments. Wanting to avoid any confrontation he added that there would be a 60 high-wall for artists to paint on freely. Mr. Wolkoff said,“I am telling you, I did not like what they did — I loved what they did.” He enjoyed the beauty of the artists and appreciated it. Sadly though over night the building was painted over white. It broke the community’s heart seeing ten years of the largest aerosol art center gone within one night. All of the artists work can never be replaced. “The judge gave me the right to demolish my building. It would take three months. To watch the pieces go down piece by piece by piece would be torturous.” (Buckley). Ten years of art erased that can never be duplicated again.

“ABOUT | 5 POINT.” 5 POINTZ. IV.Creative.Inc, 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

It’s a minute til 7:00 pm and I’m sitting there listening to the track Judgement Day by Method Man while bobbing my head to the beat. While in the waiting room, the door to the studio room opens as students exit from their last class of the night. The purple walls, the four windows, hard wood floor, with the red and grey mats laying pushed against the walls. The stereo system with its four speakers spread out along the top of the walls and the 15 foot mirrors along one whole side. This is my place, my sanctuary, where I can learn and evolve my skills. Where I create and perfect my movements. A home away from home even if its only for a few hours. This is my lab and I’m the mad scientist.

As I walk in and place my backpack and my gear wherever there is an empty space on the floor, usually right next to the window where I prefer. As crew mates enter the room we greet one another and begin to stretch together while one of us will plug in their laptop or Ipod through the auxiliary wire to the she studio’s sound system. After stretching for about 15-20 minutes I feel pretty good. I start to stand up slowly just to shake my arms and legs so it’ll loosen up my muscles and let the blood flow. I begin to hop around and somewhat jog in place. Feeling like I’m a bit more warmed up I start to being myself to focus. Now is the time to hit the dance floor.

I want to work on every aspect of my game. From top rock to foot work to back rocks, freezes and transitions to of course power moves. Now these are all the things a bboy needs to actually well, be considered a bboy. Everything I felt, needed a bit of polishing up. The moves I’ve come up with and taught myself took years of practice. Countless hours of training that makes me go further and further beyond my own expectations and limits. Lately I’ve been working on my power moves, mainly flares. A move consisting of swinging my legs around with only my hands holding me up. So basically, my legs are the propellers to a fan, keeping me going. Takes tremendous hip control and some flexibility to be able to do it consistently and at a good pace. Even when I scrape the side of my knees or legs I take a break, then I go right back at it again.

My motivation can be linked to many things. Like for example I like to listen to different genres of music and thinking to myself how can I dance to this? Or by watching different styles of dance, from ballet to modern jazz, and I try to incorporate it somehow and give it that bboy flavor. Being focused also helps my training very much. Not trying to worry about a move that I may keep on attempting and failing at constantly. Like airflares, a move that consists of being upside down hopping around circles while almost in a handstand position with my legs propelling me around. Cause of my own fear of slipping upside down and quite possibly landing on my neck, I tend not to work on it as much but then I will further on perfecting different types of transitions that I already felt I’ve mastered. And of course my own dedication to this dance. The feeling of satisfaction I get when I finally overcome mess ups and get a move down by the end of a session. Numerous amounts of trial and error lead up to achievement and it feels great. I’ve been at this dancing game for so long that I have developed such an unconditional love for it.

The main issue or problem that us bboys have is how long will we be dancing for? How long will it take for bodily harm to impact a bboy’s longevity in the dance? Now I’ve managed to keep a dedication and determination still even when injuries have surfaced and I have definitely endured many. From bumps and bruises, popped shoulders to sprained ankles. Even when I had one or more body parts injured that never stopped me from still going to practice and continuing to train. My injuries I never let healed properly and I can say I definitely am starting to feel it catch up to me. Another thing is an average bboy’s height is about 5’3″ to 5’5″ and of course when I first started I was pretty much around that height frame. A smaller body frame and weighing less helped out a lot for bboys because of how athletic this dance can get. And because of my height and weight now it was much harder for me to do certain moves these little guys did but that hasn’t stopped me yet. I’ve adapted, improvised and learned how my own body worked and if something like that stopped me, then I don’t think I was very really made for this dance and my dedication was never really there.

During practice my crew and I will start what we call “vibe off” one another and that is when one of us seems to be doing everything they wanted to do, then the next person starts doing the same and it continues. We start feeding off each others energy. Putting in work and having a good time. Our level of stimulants would be quite high and we get hype. Gaining adrenaline and start to push one another. When one of us gets frustrated, we give them advice or pointers and tell them,”Don’t beat yourself up for it, you’ll get it eventually so cheer up.” Things like that make us have such a great bond and we continue to grow and learn. We all strive for the same goals and are always the students of this great dance. If it wasn’t for my crew mates I wouldn’t be the dancer I am today. Always influencing me and there is always more improvement needed. There is no greater feeling to me then to go back to the lab and continue to do what I love with my crew and practice together.