Writing: The Color Blue

 What was your favorite color when you were a child? Mine was Blue. Blue was a color that just made everything better for me. In a sense, everything that was Blue was superior in my eyes as a child. It ranged from clothes to objects to cars to anything you can imagine. If it was Blue, I would most definitely like it. If the food had Blue packaging I would want to have it. Blueberry muffins, pancakes, and other things were my preference. As I grew older that part of me faded away.

Starry Night Over the Rhone, Vincent Van Gogh. Musée d'Orsay.

One's favorite color was a nice ice breaker for a simple conversation. When you're becoming friends with another person, it's easy to ask what their favorite color is. Without thinking you could ask the question: "Why?" It is interesting to find out that the answer to why ones favorite color is what it is can vary from a very simple response like "because I like how it looks" to a whole story associated with the color or colors.

Blue things I own. Shirts.

That is one more point. There are so much colors available for us humans to see and yet we sometimes narrow them down to a few or just one as our favorite. Some people might even hate certain colors. I can relate in a way but it is still very confusing to me. I can barely choose a color as my favorite now and yet some people can like and dislike a color so easily.

Wool Bucket Hat and a Rain Jacket.

Ever since I lost favor for the color Blue, I was in some sort of color favoritism limbo. I couldn't pick what color was the best in my eyes. I began to ask myself what color should I believe will give me the most satisfaction. This only brought me to a conclusion that I can not pick only one color. At that point of my life I liked all colors. I would respond to the question of favoritism by saying that I liked all the colors and it is just in a way on how they are used, combined together and the occasion they are being used for. Of course the old ways of picking blueberry muffins and blue dyed food still lingered.

As of now I chose Navy Blue as my favorite color. It looks sturdy and elegant. It works well with a lot of the other colors. It is a remnant of my childhood's favorite color. I still like all of the colors when correctly used but it feels good to have arrived to a conclusive answer to my question.

Hats and other accessories.

So when you ask someone what their favorite color is, it will actually tell more about them than you think. It might tell you about things and people they love. It might tell you about how they see the world. It could also tell you that they just like Yellow.

Writing: Labor Cost Comparison

Did you ever wonder why so much things are "Made in China"? From clothes to little items that I can't even name them because I am pretty sure that everyone here has interacted with goods manufactured by China. Anyway, this made me think about what I am buying and how it affects the price and quality, to a degree, of the things I purchase.

There's a saying that goes:

You get what you pay for.

This is true to a degree because the money you pay gives budget to the manufacturers of the product meaning the more they charge for labor cost, the better they can pay their laborers and therefore have higher quality product.

Here's a table for you to get a perspective on how much difference there are in labor costs in a few cases.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor. *From what I understand, Hourly Compensation includes the hourly pay, benefits, and social insurances.

The figures were gathered from a couple to about a few years ago but it is probable that the costs have only gone up a bit. Well there's the comparison. I just wanted to share with you guys the table so that you'd get a better idea of what exactly the difference is. Thanks for reading.

Spotlight: Profound Aesthetic

The first hats I got were the ones in the right and left. Portland Rose and Alzarin Paisley. Photos from the Profound Aesthetic website which will be linked below.

My first encounter with Profound Aesthetic was actually at Urban Outfitters. I was browsing around the store and something that really caught my eye was this floral patterned hat. I held the hat in my hands and I knew that I had to have it. It wasn't all too exuberant but just the way the hat was put together was making it so appealing. I went home and ordered two hats from their website after looking at their designs.

Profound Aesthetic was established in 2008 in New Jersey. The creators wanted to deliver visually appealing pieces while also having a meaningful inspiration behind it. They have inspirations drawn from American history and culture, historical artifacts and iconic individuals. The general feel anyone would get from their items is that they pay attention to very small details. They take great pride in their product.

Visions and Victories (2014 Collection)

Visions and Victories (2014) Lookbook.

Now more than ever, Profound Aesthetic comes back with a collection that pays even more attention to the small details of a product.

Left: The American Aviator Hooded Parka Jacket in Khaki Tan. Smaller photos: Various clothes pieces.

Americana: A main feature of a lot of the products in this line is the flag of the thirteen colonies. The first original colonies are Profound Aesthetic's way of expressing their origins in New Jersey. The Americana theme is felt throughout the collection because of the cultural references to many different eras in American culture.

Sports Inspirations: Sticking with the general theme of Americana, Profound Aesthetic's creators draw inspiration in the things they enjoy. The football jerseys are made with top quality which could be felt with its weight. Iconic figures and designs are featured in their graphic t-shirts.

Profound Aesthetic, to say the least, is one big, beautiful paradox. Minimalistic designs with a maximum amount of detail. Historical references with a modern approach.

Special thanks to Kristina for giving us her time to answer our questions about their products. Check out their website at www.profoundaesthetic.com.

Bonus: Photo with the masterminds of Profound.

First Person: Final Questions in Multicultural Education Course.

As a education student, the main focus in my classes have been recognizing the diversity of our nation today. These are the final questions asked to me in the class. I found myself very passionate about question number four. These are just some responses to questions with the use of the knowledge I have gained in the class or by personal experience. These short answers are just my two grains of salt so thanks for reading!

1.What are some multicultural concepts that you would teach in your classroom. Why are these concepts a critical part of your classroom curriculum, and what strategies will you use to teach the concepts?

The main concept I would like to teach in my classroom is the fact that each and every student is different, even if there are similarities with children from the same ethnic or cultural group, everyone is still a unique individual. I would want my students know that I will try my best to accommodate all of the learning styles that they might benefit from the most. These 2 concepts are mostly critical to my classroom because I believe that open-mindedness and understanding of one's self and others will promote a healthy classroom environment. The students, in an environment they can be comfortable with will be able to have less social issues to worry about and be more focused on learning the material in my class. Also, identifying the learning styles of my students will help me develop plans for them in a manner that they can all learn the material in all of their unique ways. I will be sure to use the major types of learning which I categorize to be, competitive and cooperative, hands-on work, self-study work, and group assignments.

3.What if the school’s student population is not diverse? Should you still provide a multicultural education to an all-Black, all-Native American, all-Hispanic or all-white school? Explain.

Just because the classroom does not have diversity does not mean the whole world stops being diverse. I will still provide a multicultural experience for my students to inform them of other cultures that they will definitely encounter in the real world. The advantage of a classroom like this would be that, while all students are unique, I have a higher chance of not having to assemble a lesson plan that changes too often. Students will have a higher chance of having similar culture and therefore will possibly be slightly easier to develop lesson plans for. I will still provide them multicultural education because it is my duty to help them understand the many other different kinds of culture in the world. If I do not provide this, my students are at the risk of developing ethnocentric philosophies.

4. How would you respond to a colleague who, referring to students of diversity, said, “Don’t you think it’s about time they gave up their traditions and started to act like Americans?

My response to my colleague would be, “They are acting like Americans. The United States of America has received many immigrants and different cultured people across its entire history. The American way of the “melting pot” might have been the norm in the past but one has to accept that times are changing and that is just not true anymore. Melt enough of something into a mixture and it will change. You might think that America absorbs people and turns them into Americans but if you look at it historically, it is actually people who make America what it is. We have traditions even today that are from other cultures. They are shining ever so brightly in our country because of the vision of the founders of having a haven for all people. You can argue that the founding fathers of the country only had white males in mind but you can see the power of America itself. It can change itself to accommodate anyone who is not holding anyone else back. It provides opportunity to everyone and even if the old ways of inequality still linger, the story of America is still being written. Think a lot before you speak of giving up traditions. These traditions are the voices of the ancestors of a culture that still speak today. These are traditions and cultures build unto what we call America.”

Spotlight: Freeman

The Commodore. A vest that fights off water like a navy officer. Hence the name perhaps.

When choosing apparel, reasonable people usually plan ahead. They would choose a piece of garment that will fit their needs for the day or climate. That is what Freeman clothes are all about.

The Freeman jacket, perfect for rainy days.

When you live near the coast and all the weather you get is windy and wet then you have to have a nice piece of outerwear that can stand the test of the weather. Freeman's products are inspired by and manufactured in Seattle, Washington since 2010. The jackets and shirts are not too flashy in design. The designers were not really going for anything too flashy and they lean towards a more functionally effective product while having a standard look. While the designs aren't all too flashy, the small details on the products are really what caught my eye. The use of neutral or natural colors mixed with powerfully bright colors was very eye-catching. All of the outerwear are made for the usual Seattle outdoor weather.The outerwear has nice details in the lining as well.

Women's jacket available soon maybe hopefully!

Thank you to the Freemans for being so friendly, letting us take photos, and giving us time to answer a few questions. Be sure to check their website out at http://freemanseattle.com/.

There currently are only men's wear items but there might be a women's jacket available soon so watch out for it!