Final Post

When I first chose this class, the main reason I took it was that I needed a writing course for my major. Coming into Writing Reviews , I absolutely hated writing with all of my heart. But during the music review, as I was writing it, I really began to enjoy it. I have learned that if I am really interested in a particular topic, I really love writing about. Professor Sprouls let our class explore our writing capabilities when most of my recent professors did not. This class has taught me to accept criticism of my own work because it can help motivate myself to create better papers in the future with my own ideas. Thank you, Professor Sprouls!
Sincerely,
Justin Isaacs

Satsang

The sounds of snow begin to crash to the ground that can be heard throughout the woods. The piercing sun beams strike the snow off of the tree branches causing the snow to tumble off. As the fire places burn, smoke begins to fill the air throughout the neighborhood. Once the first flake hits the asphalt of the many driveways, the echoing sound of shovels begin. As it becomes later and later, the warmth of the sun shrivels the snow, barely leaving a trace of it on the ground. Many forecasters believed this to be the "Blizzard of the Decade" but in reality was everything but that.

Bombay

Naan

Located in a shopping plaza off of English Creek Ave in Egg Harbor Township, Bombay offers some of the best Indian cuisine I have ever tasted. If you do not like the strong taste of curry in your food, this is not the place for you. From the outside, I would not have known there was a restaurant there, judging from the small sign that sits right above the entrance. As I walked in, I felt as if I magically arrived at a restaurant in India. The host came up to me as soon as I walked in and asked in a kind manner, if I was here for my Writing Reviews class and I politely told him that I was. As I sat down i began to scope the inside of Bombay and realized it is much bigger than it appeared to be. On the walls, there are elaborate artworks that are inspired the culture in India.

Indian Basmati Rice

Alu Gobhi

Once the host brought a glass full of water to the table, he told me that "I was welcomed to go up to the buffet". Bombay is not only buffet-style but you can also order other foods and drinks. As I went up to the buffet, I grabbed a plate and made my first decision, which was to get Alu Gobhi. This dish is basically potatoes and cauliflower cooked with special spices(curry). Not only did I grab a couple scoops of that, but I also took a couple servings of rice. The rice was Indian Basmati rice with cumin seeds, clove and cinnamon. When I got back to the table, the host brought out a basket full of bread to go with my meal. The Indian bread is called Naan, which is basically flat bread. Naan compliments the abundance of spices in each dish because it cools down the rush of flavor. The Indian Basmati Rice had a fabulous taste because it was sweet from the cinnamon but that was countered with the cumin seeds. The Alu Gobhi had the strongest spices, it was a bit too full of flavor but nonetheless was very tasty. Lastly, for desert I had Galub Jamun. When I first seen this desert, I thought the dish was some type of meat but as soon as I chomped down on it, an explosion of syrupy, sweetness, ran through my taste buds. The Galub Jamun is basically made from milk solids, known as khoya in India and Pakistan. They are then mixed with dough, sometimes with a pinch of flour, and then shaped into small balls and deep fried at a low temperature of about 298 °F. From my vantage point, Bombay was very clean and the service was right on point. If you want to have Indian food but you do not want travel around the world, Bombay can fulfill your needs every time.

Galub Jamun

Stockton's Parking Problems Podcast

https://soundcloud.com/user941102497/commuter-lot-podcast-review

Commuter Lot Podcast Review

            Intro – Hello, here today to speak about the ongoing issue of parking in the commuter’s lot is I, Maurice Piccolo from mauricepiccolo.blogspot.com and Justin Isaacs from JustinIsaacs@blogspot.com …… We are here to tell future Stockton University students about the issue of parking available for those who are commuting.

Although you may want to save money by commuting to school rather than paying thousands of dollars to live on campus, there are some things you need to know first.  In the fall semester of 2014, there were 8,570 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. Of the total, 1,186 were first time freshman and 1,064 were new transfer students with this being said, limited space will be available for those who are commuting to the campus. Have you ever been in a rush to get to class? Well consider this. Stockton University requires you to get to campus at least 15-20 minutes earlier than when your first class starts. You will have a very difficult time finding a parking space and will often find yourself cruising up and down the lanes in search for a spot. Being in a rush can be the source of plenty of problems for students. Imagine yourself and others rushing to class for your final exam. Your eyes are going back and forth searching left and right, front to back, for your spot. BOOM. You’re blindsided by another car and instead of sitting in class, you’ll be finding yourself in the hospital. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and because of your accident, you will receive a handicap sign to put on your dashboard so you can be guaranteed front row parking. Negativity lurks throughout the commuter’s lot.

With the given information that Maurice has given to you, there are many issues in the commuting life.  As commuters, we can give you first hand experience of what its like. Picture yourself getting out of class. Anxious to arrive at your car but you run into a problem. You begin to feel as if you are an antelope being hunted down by a group of hungry lions. Each step you take, you have to constantly look over your shoulder because other students will stalk you for your spot. Due to the fact that there are not enough parking spaces, students and faculty will do anything it takes to get to their class on time. One of the most important reasons why there are limited spaces is because students who already live on campus park in the lots instead of taking the shuttle or walking to class. This provides a problem because there are not enough parking spots for faculty, commuters, visitors and on-campus students. You will find yourself parking in North Lot (If it is not full already) to take the shuttle to class. Sometimes this may take 5 minutes or it might take 20 minute depending on the arrival of the shuttle. This will cause you to be late to class if you do not handle your time wisely.

You might wonder why we haven’t discussed how many parking spaces are on campus well the answer is because Stockton’s offices would not release this information to us. If you called, they will bounce you around like a basketball to each office without giving you any answers. Through different charts and statistics we approximately believe that 60-70% of Stockton’s student population are commuters. So out of the 8,570 students who attended Stockton in fall of 2014, 65% of that would equal 5,570 commuter students. As many people know, Stockton is growing and becoming one of the more distinctive universities in New Jersey thus causing more problems if this issue isn’t fixed. If you plan on being a commuter, you should focus on the consequences that come with it because you might find yourself living on campus eventually.

Music Review Mr. Brightside

“Mr. Brightside”- The Killers

            Music is changing every day, almost simultaneously with technology. Alternative music is now, modern day’s punk-rock music of the 1980’s. As many bands come and go, a predominant alternative group that came onto the scene in the early 2000’s is The Killers. Finding each other from an Ad in a Las Vegas newspaper, Brandon Flowers (Lead Vocalist and Keyboard player) and Dave Keunig (guitarist) were set out to find two missing pieces for their band. After persuading Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (Drummer) and Mark Stoermer (Bass) to leave their bands, both joined to complete the lineup in 2002. Being first recorded in Dave Keunigs apartment, The Killers’ debut studio album was released in 2004, called “Hot Fuss”. The first three singles off the album went on to have five Grammy Award nominations. The singles consisted of “Mr. Brightside”, “Somebody Told Me”, and “All These Things That I’ve Done”.

            “Mr. Brightside” is the band’s most popular hit which attracts many covers of it. The up-beat electric guitar in the intro soars through your ears as each string is being plucked by Dave Keunig. After a few seconds, Brandon Flower’s high-pitched voice chimes in with the words “I’m coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine” with the echo of the drums in the background being played. As the next verse begins, the bass is introduced swiftly in the background, joining the gang of instruments. The up-beat rhythm of the song creates anxiety through my body as each string is being plucked and each vocal cord is being heard. If you believe music is made not just to listen but to visualize and feel, this is up your alley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE

“Mr. Brightside”- Monsters Calling Home

            As many branches of music begin to appear as if they were coming from an imaginary tree, a certain genre is on the rise throughout the world. This genre is Indie-Rock, which is basically soft-rock mixed together in a musical salad with alternative music. The band, Monsters Calling Home, fall into this category. Based in southern California, the band is not really known by the common person but they should be. They were formed in 2011 and built around the vocals and guitar of Alex Hwang. The band also centers on Sally Kang, who is a vocalist and plays the keys. Daniel Chae plays the guitar as well as violin alongside Jennifer Rim. This leaves Joseph Chun as the lone bassist and John Chong as the drummer.

            A song that caught my attention by Monsters Calling Home was a cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Given that this band does not make profit off of this song and was just doing a cover of it at a show, The Killers were not greedy enough to sue them for it. As the slow rhythm of the acoustic guitar begins the intro, the mind relaxes into a soothing state. Hwang’s voice compliments the guitar as his soft tone begins to sing the words to the song. It is almost like the lyrics are much more magnified through his voice, painting a picture in your mind. When he sings the words, “I just can’t look, it’s killing me and it’s taking control..jealousy” helps to know the true meaning of the song rather than the original up-beat version. The chorus begins with Sally Kang’s high-pitched voice and the sound of violins peacefully playing alongside the guitar. If you are a sucker for emotional songs, that relate to real life experiences, this is it. Covers can be based off of an interpretation by different bands. This cover will make you feel mellow or sad if you can relate to the lyrics but it is truly a work of art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njajgOJxGHc

           

Food Blog response 5

Two Different Food Blogs Response

            For this Response I took two of the top 15 food blogger on the website, Huffpost Taste. One of the blogging website I chose is Pastry Affair. The most recent blog post that is on the website is about a particular food, Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Loaf. This is different compared to normal blogs on Restaurant as a whole rather than specific dish. The reviewer is uses an abundance of imagery words to describes how the dish is taste and how it was made. “A bowl of dough-..a blank slate” and “This dough begins as cinnamon rolls do—a rectangle, which is rolled into a coil.” These quotes help to paint a picture in my mind how the cinnamon rolls are baked into a coil.

            The second blog is written by the town of Wildwood, New Jersey, under the food critic section. In particular, the restaurant that is of importance in this blog is La Dolce Vita which is in Belmar, New Jersey. The blogger discussed how their waiter seemed to be a “season veteran” of the restaurant and head waiter. I particular was amused by how the described the waiter considering he looked like he knew what do. As the blogger talks about the food, “We started our dining experience with hot fresh bread delivered with well seasoned extra virgin olive oil. The wine list consisted of about thirty fine white wines and fifty or so reds. Most were recognizable labels with modest prices. Leno recommended a super Tuscan that did not disappoint. We started our meal with Buffalo mozzarella and ripe tomatoes garnished with fresh basil and scallops nestled in a bed of endive. This is the kind of simple and delicious food that makes Italy famous.” The adjective and nouns I want to pick out of this is the “Hot Fresh Bread” , “Ripe tomatoes garnished with fresh basil” and basically when the blogger says the food was delicious make the audience want to try the food