Tag: Uncategorized

Item 1: Folder

I do not really keep much stuff in this folder considering all my classes are online and I do not get physical paper.

Item 2: Notebooks

I write most of my notes in these two books. They are for chemistry in math. At this point I can not tell which one is which.

Item 3: Clarinet reeds

I keep my clarinet reeds in my backpack in case I need them. I keep them in a zip lock bag in order to preserve the humidity.

Item 4: Graphing calculator

I use this graphing calculator for my math class. I lost the normal cover for it, so I decided to get one with musical notes on it.

Item 5: Writing utensils

These should be in everyones bag. I tried to keep a small amount.

Item number 6: Fidget spinner

This has been in my bag ever since the fidget spinner phase, and I never really took it out.

Item number 7: Small Rubix Cube

I do not really know how to solve one, but I keep it in there in case anyone does.

My idea for organizing my items was simplicity. I keep a very organized bag, and I do not have any unnecessary items in there besides the fidget spinner and the Rubix cube, which I do not mind leaving in. I put those two items next to each other. I organized all the writing utensils in one pile and put the reeds sightly above it. My graphing calculator was neatly put under the utensils. I decided to put the orange folder inclined against the backpack because I did not want the picture to be too perfect, as I am not too perfect. The picture I created is simple and organized with a hint of disorderliness. To me what was challenging in this assignment was figuring out what aspect of myself I wanted to portray in the picture. I decided that the easiest one would be simplicity and neatness because those are traits you can also find in a bag. This assignment would represent writing. I believe anything that uses symbols to convey a message or idea can be considered meaningful writing, and that is what is being done in the assignment. We are explaining the meaningful placement of items, and what they represent.

• Computer: My connection to the outside world.
• Phone case – representative of my phone and driver’s license. I used the phone to take the picture and I’m not adding my driver’s license because my picture looks bad. Also, it is illegal (?)
• Blue big notebook: Math.
• Green big notebook: Chemistry. I dislike opening this one.
• Purple big notebook: Biology.
• Blue small notebook: PACE.
• Red small notebook: Writing
• Pink small notebook: Health.
• TI-84: Handy for calculations or to push random buttons when you have no idea how to solve a problem.
• Pen and white-out: I don’t like to use Pencil since it feels slow, takes time to sharpen, and makes a screeching sound.
• Blank sheets of paper: I do calculations on these.
• Lined sheets of paper: I re-take notes on these.
• Book: Extreme Economies by David Grann. I like it so far. I think I’d have this in my backpack, as something to do in free moments.
• Expired Water Bottle: It just feels wrong to throw out (can you even throw out water? Doesn’t seem kosher).
• Laminated Sheet of Paper: Somehow adds to the ambiance.

Since I am studying from home this semester, it felt weird to consider what I would have in my backpack, but these things all felt like they deserved a spot. I’m so much more than the sum of the significance of these things in my backpack, so I wouldn’t say its representative of anything more than my academic work. This assignment was challenging because I had to make decisions about what things represented me most: a backpack only has so much room, and this one is already quite heavy. To make this image, some choices I made were to write out a list of things I use in my daily routine, and then combining them all in a way that suggested organization, when really I’d be less deliberately organized with an actual backpack. I do not think that the picture is writing, but the list and paragraph definitely are. I think a catalog of my stuff can qualify as writing if it is written: a picture doesn’t feel like writing, I think.

Here is a picture of all the things in my bag:

1. A Macbook computer
2. A facemask
3. Two notebooks (One for my previous internship, another for my classes )
4. One pencil
5. A wallet
6. AirPods

It is funny that I have a NYU bag instead of an Emory one. I got it from the NYU bookstore. Because I went to a high school in New Jersey and NYC is just a 40 minutes drive. I like to take notes during classes or doing homework, so it reflects that part of my personality. Moreover, I am a “semi-Apple fan” that is why all of my electronic products are from Apple. As many can tell, I carry little items in my bag since I can easy loose things everyday in my life. There isn’t many challenges while I was doing this project since I just laid out all of my stuff. Yet, it is a little bit embarrassing to have only one bag and it is printed with a NYU logo.

This is a list of things which I suppose would be in my bag on a usual day in college. The list is not in order of preference (all are dear to me).

Charger: necessity since my phone’s battery life is just as short as my patience

Calculator: considering I’m on the Finance and Quantitative Science track, I’d require it

always

AirPods: for both music and talking to people on the phone while eating food

Nachos: The half filled Cornitos packet right there signifies that food will always find its

place in my bag, no matter the space

Chocolate: Something sweet to digest the day 

Pencil kit:  The pink one is worn out from school, but it’s lucky so I’ll take it along

Art Journal: To sketch and scribble whenever I get a chance

Peach Folder (with that quote): I do have brain tabs open but they are organised

White register: class essential

Sticky note pad: To stick stuff in my frontal lobe of the brain that I tend to forget

Lip Balm: advised by my mom but I am sure I’d never use it

Fidget Spinner: That’s fills the void of a ‘game’

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get that charging wire in the right form. That picture is 100 for me on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the messiest. Those items placed in a disorganised way make my organised self want to weep. I placed the objects in such a way to hint at the fact that a picture is not enough for you to know me. It’s just as good as seeing my face because you wouldn’t be able know all my traits. Its only my comments from above that might reveal that I love food or I’m organised enough to have a folder (taking a long shot here). The most challenging part about this assignment was that it’s been over six months since I have carried a bag, so I’d forgotten how it felt packing a bag and having your essentials loaded on your back. Unfortunately, Zoom universities do not require it. I went around my room looking at stuff thinking what deserved that space in my bag. It was a tedious screening process. 

Representing oneself in a catalog of the stuff in one’s bag is a type of writing since it almost fulfils all the parameters on paper. It’s a medium of communication through symbols( objects in the bag) and can be reconstructed by other human beings. It just leaves too much space for assumption. I’m all for open ended writings but this one is like an open ended introduction, body and conclusion. It is a form of writing but definitely not my type of writing.   

Image: Clicked by me

• Laptop/phone: 80% of my world is on there, now even more so thanks to virtual classes.
• Powerbank and charger: To save me from panicking in the middle of a Zoom meeting.
• AirPods: To watch funny videos and listen to embarrassing voice notes from my friends, without the fear of getting judged (or worse– my parents hearing someone swear :p).
• Mask and sanitizer: Because COVID is still very real.
• Wallet: Only reason I need this is to buy food when I’m hungry (that is, always).
• Driving license: Subtle plug that I can drive a car.
• Comb and hair tie: To maintain the bush, otherwise referred to as my hair.
• Hoodie: I have extremely low resistance to cold temperatures. (‘Noice’ and ‘Toit’ are references to my favourite TV show– Brooklyn 99)
• Sanitary pad: Hopefully don’t need to explain this.
• Painkiller tablet: The only reason I survive period cramps.
• Umbrella: Because it’s easier to predict the position AND energy of an electron (what’s up, Heisenberg?) than the weather in Mumbai.
• To do list: A small effort to manage my time well and avoid procrastination.
• Body spray: Just to, you know, smell good.
• Sunglasses and watch: This is just me trying to act cool. I don’t really use either on a daily basis.
• Snickers bar: For emergency hunger and/or stress situations.

This is definitely one of my favourite posts so far. I use the objects in the image almost everyday. These objects, and the post in general accurately represent who I am as a person– just another average (virtual) college going girl with a questionable sense of humour. This kind of representation of self through an image of contents of one’s bag seems random. However, I believe that it actually gives an interesting take on a person’s personality which other forms of writing may not be able to shed light on completely. Often, seemingly irrelevant details add depth and character to the impression of a person in a reader’s mind, and thus make the person feel more real.

Welcome to the backpack content of a normal college freshman. A laptop with its charger is a must, along with a notebook and a pen- a “basic starter pack” for any college freshman. The most fun thing in my bag would be the hard drive. This has my most valued collection of movies, tv-shows, and anime, not available on NETFLIX. I downloaded around 500 episodes of Naruto Shippuden, which I finished in two weeks during lockdown. It also has a USB to Type-C connector because that’s the only thing that works for apple, and my headphones which I just use when listening to music. 

The crafting took little to no time. So, I learnt this term mis-en-scene in my film class and it basically means how you represent a shot. Filmmakers look at mis-en-scene carefully, as to “amplify” the characters present in the scene. I chose to keep the white charger on my notebook so you know its there, without looking at the picture very carefully. Since I’m at home doing classes online, I don’t keep a backpack, because I don’t need it now. But, this picture is just a representation of what would have been in it, if I were on campus. The only thing challenging about this assignment was figuring out what would I should have been in it. And I think just showing a catalog of the content of the backpack is a form of writing because there is a very famous quote- a picture is worth a thousand words.  

Notebooks: to take notes

Pencil case: for write down

Cough drops: love the taste

Laptop: need it for doing assignments

AirPods: love music, a must-have for me

Sunscreen: always forget putting on sunscreen before going outside, so I put one in my bag

Lipsticks: to make me look less pale

This is the bag that I usually use when I go to the library. Therefore, I do not agree that these items inside my bag could fully represent myself or my personality since I carry these things mainly because I need to use them in the library.

It was not hard for me to take this picture. I started with taking out everything that was inside the bag. Then, I put these on the floor and grouped items together based on categories. For me, this should be considered as writing since there was truly a message that I wanted to share in these paragraphs.