DBSK Why have I fallen in love with you lyrics!!

Doushite Kimi Wo Suki Ni Natte Shimattan Darou? (drama vers.) - DBSK

Doushite Kimi Wo Suki Ni Natte Shimattan Darou? (drama vers.) - DBSK Doushite kimi wo suki ni natte shimattan darou? Donna ni toki ga nagaretemo kimi wa zutto Koko ni iru to, omotteta no ni Demo kimi ga eranda no wa chigau michi Doushite kimi ni nani mo tsutaerarenakattan darou? Mainichi maiban tsunotteku omoi Afuredasu kotoba, wakatteta no ni (mou todokanai) Hajimete deatta, sono hi kara Kimi wo shitteita ki ga shitan da Amari ni shizen ni tokekonde shimatta futari Doko e iku no ni mo issho de Kimi ga iru koto ga touzen de Bokura wa futari de otona ni natte kita Demo kimi ga eranda no wa chigau michi Doushite kimi wo suki ni natte shimattan darou? Donna ni toki ga nagaretemo kimi wa zutto Koko ni iru to, omotteta no ni (mou kanawanai) Tokubetsu na imi wo motsu kyou wo Shiawase kao de tatsu kyou wo Kirei na sugata de kami sama ni chikatteru, kimi wo Boku ja nai hito no tonari de Shukufuku sareteru sugata wo Boku wa dou yatte miokureba ii no darou? Mou doushite kimi wo suki ni natte shimattan darou? Ano koro mo, bokura no koto, mou moderenai (kangaeta) mou modorenai (kangaeta) Doushite kimi no te wo tsukami ubaenakattan darou? Donna ni toki ga nagaretemo kimi wa zutto Boku no yoko ni, iru hazu datta (sono mama nii) Sore demo kimi ga boku no soba nara to itte mo Eien ni kimi ga shiawase de iru koto Tada negatteru Tatoe sore ga donna ni sabishikutemo (setsunakutemo) どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう どんなに時が流れても君はずっとここにいると思ってたのに でも君が選んだのは違う道 どうして君に何も伝えられなかったんだろう 毎日毎晩募ってく思い あふれ出す言葉 わかってたのに もう届かない はじめて出会ったその日から 君を知っていた気がしたんだ あまりに自然に溶け込んでしまった二人 どこに行く乗りも一緒で君がいることが当然で 僕らは二人で大人になってきた でも君が選んだのは違う道 特別な意味を持つ今日を 幸せ顔で立つ今日を きれいな姿で神様に願ってる君を 僕じゃない人の隣で 祝福されてる姿を 僕はどうやって見送ればいいのだろう どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう あの頃の僕らのこと もう戻れない（考えた考えた） それでも君が僕のそば離れていても 永遠に君が幸せでいること ただ願ってる たとえそれがどんなに寂しくても（寂しくても） Why did I end up falling for you? Why did I end up falling for you? No matter how much time has passed I still thought you were right here But you've already chosen a different path Why couldn't I call out to you at all? Every day and night growing emotions And words overflow But I realized that They'd never reach you again Since that day I first met you I felt like I already knew you You and I melded into each other so smoothly It was natural for me to be where you were The two of us grew up together But you've already chosen a different path Why did I end up falling for you? No matter how much time has passed I still thought you were right here Now we can't turn back The special meaning held by this day Today you stood with a happy expression You looked beautiful while praying to god But I wasn't the one next to you And the image of you receiving blessings Of that how could I let go? Why did I end up falling for you? How we were before We can't return to it anymore (I've thought it through, thought it through) Why didn't I hold on to your hand? No matter how much time has passed You should've always been by my side (never changing) But still, even if I'm nowhere near you anymore I'm praying that you May be happy for eternity No matter how much that would make me lonely (no matter how lonely) coded by: a-lyrics

Woohoo! 19 and Legal!

Ah finally the long wait is over, for both my 19th birthday (yesterday) and DBSK's newest Japanese single which also came out on my bday!! very very happy about it, and the fact that they got #1 on the Oricon daily charts. I'm just sad I don't know where I can buy one.

Ahhh! I've become a total fan girl but how can I help myself? They are just so perfect!! And dorky as well. But that's why I love them so much.



Spaz! Such a great song, I can't get enough of this.

Illustrations by Moi

Yet another essay

Yes. Yet another essay I had to write. This time it was for Introductory Psychology. I have an exam for that course on Saturday, and ...er... what is the probability of me getting through 300 pages of text in two days? I'd say not likely...but then again, miracles have happened before.

I can always hope...and not sleep for two days. Sigh.

The Serial Position Curve: Analysis, Explanation, and Implications

One of the most intriguing puzzles of life is the inner working of memories. Countless scientists have attempted to unravel the mysteries of how memory is formed, stored, retrieved and in many cases, forgotten. One interesting finding about memory is the Serial Position Curve or Effect (SPC, SPE), which can be explained using developed theories and principles of memory. The study of the Serial Position Effect is important because it relates to general memory usages such as improving short-term memory, as well as translation of short-term memory into long-term memory.

The Serial Position Effect was observed by Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) when they conducted a study which presented participants with lists of items, usually 10, 15, 20, or 30 words, one at a time, after which participants were asked to recall as many words as they could. When recall was immediately after the last word, plotted results showed that the percentage of correct recall for words at the beginning and end of each list was much higher than mid-list words, giving a U-shaped graph. These results are known as the Primacy Effect (better recall of earlier words) and the Recency Effect (better recall of most recent words). However, when recall was delayed by just 15 to 30 seconds, and participants were asked to perform an interpolated task (e.g. counting) to prevent rehearsal, the Recency Effect disappeared while the Primacy Effect was still present (Passer, Smith, Atkinson, Mitchell, & Muir, 2004, p. 299). Some memory theories and principles can be applied to examine what causes these results.

Under immediate recall conditions, the resulting SPC can be divided into three sections corresponding to the proportion of recall for each item: Primacy or Primary, mid-list words, and Recency. These differences in recall percentages can be explained by applying the Duplex Memory model, which is similar to the three-stage mode of memory, in conjunction with part of the Interference Theory and active rehearsal.

The Duplex Memory model depicts memory as two distinct but interrelated sections: short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). Short-term memory is also known as ‘working memory’ because it holds information that one is aware of at any moment, and actively processes information. There are three components of working memory: auditory (phonological loop) which is when we repeat something mentally; visual-spatial -- a mental ‘sketchpad’; and the central executive, which directs our actions by deciding how much attention to give each of the two other components and recalls long-term memory. Short-term memory lasts just around 20 seconds, and has a limited capacity of 5-9 meaningful items. Long-term memory, on the other hand is more permanent. In fact, unless the brain is damaged, it is capable of forming new long-term memories until death, and so far, research suggests that its capacity is unlimited and memories may last up to a lifetime. (Passer et al., 2004, p.296)

As stimuli enter sensory storage, they are transferred as codes into short-term memory. Typically, there are four forms of codes: visual (mental images), phonological (sound), semantic (meaning of the stimulus), and motor (physical actions). Usually the form of the code is different from the original stimulus (Passer et al., 2004, pp 296-7). For example, when learning to play a piece of music, the original stimulus is printed sheet music (visual), while the code formed is usually motor, since it is impractical to memorize the position of every note on a scale. Instead, it one usually memorizes how fingers must move to produce the correct notes. Once in the STM, rehearsal of information occurs. The code may still not be encoded and therefore forgotten, encoded and transferred into LTM, or immediately recalled. Once in the LTM, a memory can be retrieved through long-term retrieval processes, or if not reviewed, eventually forgotten (Biggs, 2008).

In the Serial Position Effect study, as the first few words in a list are shown to the participants, they have the time to repeat the words to themselves until a new word is shown. Therefore, through rehearsal, the first few words enter participants’ long-term memory. However, as the list becomes longer, there are too many words for the participants to repeat before the newest word is presented. Therefore, the new words are not encoded into the LTM, and stays in the STM. Given the short “shelf-life” of short-term memory and its limited storage, the words following the first few are quickly forgotten and “knocked-off” as new words follow. Thus, the recency effect is present when recall is immediately following the last word, as they are still lingering in the participants’ short-term memory. However, when recall is delayed, and participants are prevented from rehearsal by simple tasks such as counting, the most recent words are forgotten because they are only stored in short-term memory and are replaced by the simple task. Delayed recall does not affect the primacy effect because those words are stored in the LTM. (Passer et al., 2004, p 299)

The Interference Theory is another possible explanation for the inability to transfer more words into long-term memory. Interference occurs when we forget information as a result of other items in the LTM preventing our ability to recall it. There are two forms of interference: proactive interference and retroactive interference. Only Proactive interference may influence the Serial Position study, since it occurs when material learned in the past interfere with recall of newer material (Passer et al., 2004, p 316). Given the fact that as the list of words get longer, it becomes harder and harder to rehearse words as more are presented. Hence it is likely the earlier words are ingrained more deeply than the mid-list words. So when the participants attempt to recall mid-list words, their minds can only recall the more familiar earlier words. Retroactive interference, which is a consequence of newly acquired information interfering with the ability to recall information learned at a earlier time (Passer et al., 2004, p 316), does not apply to the Serial Position Curve, despite resembling the recency effect. This is because participants are not actually learning the new words. Rather, when recall is immediate, participants recall a fresh image of the most recent words, which have replaced preceding words in STM.

Two theories, which do not directly impact the serial position curve, but affect overall memory, are Levels of Processing and the Duel-Coding Theory. Levels of Processing in memory is the concept that the deeper a concept or piece of information is processed, the better it will be remembered (Passer et al. 2004, p 300). There are three general levels of processes. The shallowest process is Preliminary Process, which involves feature detection, such as lines, angles, colours, etc. Slightly deeper, is Pattern Recognition; i.e. do features match previous knowledge? This is the level at which words in the serial position effect study are processed, since not enough time is given to participants to do much more than recognize the words. The deepest process is semantic analysis, which focuses on the meaning of stimuli (Biggs, 2008). The Dual Coding Theory is similar in that it says that memory can be enhanced by encoding information in both verbal and visual codes. Doing so would ensure a deeper consideration for information and concepts one is learning. One way to apply the Dual Coding Theory is the Method of loci, an ancient Greek process which assigns each concept one is attempting to learn to a section in an imaginary environment (e.g. a room in a house), then taking a mental ‘walk’ through that environment and connect each concept to it’s assigned place. The Dual Coding Theory is harder to apply to abstract concepts such as feelings (Passer et al., 2004, pp 303-4).

In learning new concepts, rehearsal is also useful. There are two types of rehearsal: maintenance rehearsal, and elaborative rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal is the simple repetition of information. This is not overly effective when trying to learn complex concepts, but still necessary when learning rudimentary things like an alphabet, or as in the case of the Serial Position study, when not enough time is given to do anything else. Elaborative rehearsal focuses on the meaning of new information or relating it to something we already know. This is more effective in transferring information to the LTM because it utilizes a deeper level of processing since it involves semantic analysis (Passer et al., 2004, p 301). Neither Dual Coding Theory nor Levels of Processing explain the Serial Position Effect because participants are not given enough time to utilize either concept.

The SPC may be viewed as a representation of what likely happens when a student crams for an exam the night before, something most students have done at least once. When cramming, one often tries to get through the material as fast as possible, simply because of the sheer volume of material that needs to be covered. In doing so, the student is unlikely to stop and think about the material because he or she is running out of time. Hence, like the participants of the study, during the exam, the student can recall the first few lessons which he or she have reviewed repeatedly, as well as the most recent, since those are still in their STM. However, the student would probably experience difficulty recalling all the material in the middle of the course.

Therefore, to form long-term memories of course material for more efficient information retrieval, it is important to spread studying over several days, and use elaborative rehearsal methods. Once all the material is encoded into long-term memory, it is important to review the material regularly to keep it fresh in your mind, as the Decay Theory suggests that with time and disuse, the physical memory trace in the nervous system fades away (Passer et al., 2004, p 316). Therefore, by keeping in mind the limitations of our memory, as shown my the Serial Position Effect, and incorporating established memory models and theories to our study habits, we can greatly improve our academic performance in terms of recalling information.

References

Biggs, TC (2008) Chapter 8 notes. Course Website.

Passer, M.W., Smith, R.E., Atkinson, M.L., Mitchell, J.B., & Muir, D.W. (2004). Psychology: Frontiers and Applications (2^nd ed.). Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited.

Interpretation of the Major Theme in “The Force That Through The Green Fuse That Drives The Flower”

Poets often use their commanding ability of the English language to illustrate many subtleties of life and nature. “The Force That Through the Green Fuse that Drives the Flower” by Dylan Thomas is a powerful poem that uses imagery of nature to explain its central theme: life is a process that continuously cycles, from birth to death, and back again.

Thomas uses rich imagery and comparisons to bring across the idea that life is a cyclic process. In the first stanza, the passage “The force that through the green fuse drives the flower/Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees/Is my destroyer.”(Thomas, lines 1-3) argues that the same force that aids the growth of organisms is also the force that brings about their destruction. Hence, from the moment of birth, the forces of nature (of which time is part of) guide us towards maturity, and finally death. The same basic argument is also present in the first three lines of the second stanza. In addition, the overall imagery of the second stanza contains heavy allusion to the cyclic nature of life in the description of water and ‘mouthing streams’. The mouth of a stream is where it joins a larger body of water such as a river; eventually, the river empties into an even larger body of water such as a lake or ocean; then, the water there will make its way back into rivers, and finally streams. Therefore, just as the flow of life giving water is cyclic, so is life.

As the poem continues to the third stanza, the imagery becomes darker and more focused on the destructive forces of nature, which act to create ‘whirlpools’ and ‘quicksand’. However, the meaning of the first few lines is less clear than those in the previous stanzas. The next couple of lines continues the tone of the third stanza by saying that after death (perhaps by hanging), the corps will return as clay to the Earth, from which flowers and trees grow out of, giving yet another argument on how life is a cycle. The fourth stanza revisits the notion of birth, or resurrection, although in a cruder tone. “The lip of time leech to the fountain head;/ Love drips and gathers, but the fallen blood/ shall calm her sores.”(Thomas, lines 16-7) These lines can be interpreted as the physical nature of the relationship between men and women giving rise to a new generation (Themes). Since very early in history, children have been viewed as a continuation of their parents, so that families live on in their children, even after death.

As the poem’s main theme is the cyclic nature of life, this poem it self can also be viewed as a cycle. In its final two lines, “And I am dumb to tell the lover’s tomb/How at my sheet goes the same crooked worm.”(Thomas, lines 21-2) reminds the reader of the “crooked rose” in the first stanza, and brings to mind the growth of the flower at the beginning of the poem. Thus the poem comes full circle, beginning with birth and development, then death, then back to birth. The unique format and arrangement of the poem thoroughly applies the central theme of the poem; that life is a process that cycles continuously.

Work Cited

“Notes on Poetry: The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower (Themes).” Ask.Com. 24 May 2008 <http://www.answers.com/topic/the-force-that-through-the-green-fuse-drives-the-flower-poem-2>.

Thomas, Dylan. “The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower.” The Longman Anthology: British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch, et al. United States: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004. Vol. B: 1372-73

The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower

The force that through the green fuse drives the flower

Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever.

The force that drives the water through the rocks
Drives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streams
Turns mine to wax.
And I am dumb to mouth unto my veins
How at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks.

The hand that whirls the water in the pool
Stirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing wind
Hauls my shroud sail.
And I am dumb to tell the hanging man
How of my clay is made the hangman's lime.

The lips of time leech to the fountain head;
Love drips and gathers, but the fallen blood
Shall calm her sores.
And I am dumb to tell a weather's wind
How time has ticked a heaven round the stars.

And I am dumb to tell the lover's tomb
How at my sheet goes the same crooked worm.

-I'm reading this for my English class, I've been told that it's a very lovely poem, and I'd have to agree...except for the small fact that no matter how many times I read it (silently and out loud) or summaries of it (also analysis), I can't understand it. Too bad I've only got 9 more hours to figure it out before I must submit my essay. *gulp*

Pretty Random

I guess if anyone happens to be reading this, you would be wondering why in the world I would post an essay such as my first post. My reasoning is that my life is not nearly interesting enough to post here, so why not post the writing which I am required to do for my courses? That is what writing is for...to be read by people. So now and then, I will be posting the essays and papers I write, and hopefully get some helpful feedback about my writing, and topics.

-enjoy

Peter Cappelli’s Views on Managing Talent in the Twenty-First Century

The article “Talent Management for the Twenty-first Century,” by Peter Cappelli, discusses the many weaknesses of current talent management practices being used in a large number of companies. Such weaknesses lead to either a surplus or shortfall of employees to meet the needs of the company. Two ineffective methods that evolved to solve these problems are either: do nothing, or make predictions and plans to determine the human resource needs of the company. Cappelli suggests looking at talent management from a supply-chain perspective instead, and following four main principles.

Unlike the market of the 1950’s and 60’s, when market trends were relatively easy to predict and employees tended to stay within a company for life, many economic changes have dramatically changed the structure of companies today, as well as created a highly unpredictable market. Economic recession in the early 1980’s caused white-collar lay-offs for the first time, and lifetime employment was no longer guaranteed. As a result of decreased hiring and promoting employees, many companies removed talent development programs from their organizational framework. Why keep something that will not be used and will potentially cut into company profits? Inevitably, companies that retained these programs throughout the recession got into more trouble during the 2001 recession.

Removing talent development programs in companies resulted in a switch to hiring talent externally, which was practical at a time when there were large resources of white-collar lay-offs. Many companies make it their goal to perfect the method of recruiting talent away from competitors while also improving their ability to retain their own talent. However, continued economic expansion in the following years diminished the size of this ready source of developed talent, and companies discovered themselves acquiring and losing employees at the same rate.

Many companies at present are referring back to the 1950’s model of talent management of forecasting human resource needs and basing plans on those predictions. However, such long-term models are incapable of dealing with the unpredictability of today’s economy. Using this method may force a company to restructure their business, and develop a new plan often to account for changes in the market. However, Cappelli brings up the interesting point that a plan is meant to be a long-term action guide towards a goal, which for all firms is to make money. What is the point to making a plan then, if it will need to be changed often? Cappelli suggests that the best way to deal with talent management is to look at it as analogues to supply chain management. In the same way companies perform line balancing and just-in-time manufacturing to determine the fastest and cheapest way of production, they must switch to a method Cappelli calls, “supply-chain-management” to meet the talent needs of the company while reducing costs associated with necessary training and retention fees. Such a switch means companies will have to follow four main principles when dealing with talent management.

The first principle that Cappelli urges companies to follow is to balance internal development and external hiring to minimize costs associated with training and retention fees. Fifty years ago, talent had to be home ‘grown’ and job-hopping was a sign of failure. Hence, shortfall of talent was a company’s biggest concern. This would result in the need to either push inexperienced people into unfulfilled roles, or simply drop or put off projects. The only way of preventing this was to overshoot projections. If too many trained employees result, the extra people would stay on the sidelines until a need develops. Today, this method is expensive and ineffective since employees may not want to sit on the sidelines and choose to leave the company once they are trained and have a competitive advantage. It is also costly to overshoot predictions in terms of training costs and retention fees. On the other hand, if a firm decides to hire all of its human resources needs externally, it may negatively affect the culture of the company, which may cause conflicts. Therefore, the best option for companies is to use a combination of both developing talent internally and hiring ready talent externally. Given the high error rate on forecasts regarding business needs, a firm should always aim to undershoot those predictions, and hire more employees as needed later. This works to minimize waste of company resources.

The second principle companies should follow is to develop a method that allows for easy adaptation to changing trends and demands. Consider buying something in bulk: this would require predictions regarding how much you will need, and how long the product will last. However, if we purchase smaller quantities more frequently, we do not have to make predictions for a long period. If a firm applies this principle to talent management and development, it would mean that they could better react to changes in the economic environment. This principle can also be applied to long-term programs by subdividing the program into smaller parts, and making predictions for each part separately. This allows companies flexibility in planning.

It is impractical to invest all of one’s money in one stock, since there is a high risk of losing money should the company perform poorly. It is much more practical to spread investments between a variety of companies so that if one company perform poorly, earnings from another will balance it out. Similarly, when training employees, it is better to have a general program, in which employees from different departments are trained together, so each have a broad range of abilities. This way, if one department has a surplus of talent, extra employees can be easily transferred to a department where there is a shortfall. In this process, the company also stands to save a lot of money in regards to training costs.

The third principle is to “improve on the investment return in developing employees”[1]. Many companies, especially those in Singapore and Malaysia, have taken steps in this direction by asking employees-in-training to sign a contract, which states that unless they stay with the company for a specified length of time after their training, they will have to pay back the cost of the training to the company. This provides an incentive for employees to stay with the company for an extended period of time.

The fourth-major principle Cappelli suggests is for firms to “preserve the investment by balancing employee-employer interests”. In the past, employees allowed companies to make career choices for them, and felt like they had no choice but to follow those choices for fear of losing their job. Today, if a talented employee does not receive the job that they want, it is relatively easy for them to find another job. In an effort to reduce turn over rate, some companies, like Dow Chemical, opened up vacancies to its existing employees. A down side to this is that management losses some control over their internal talent distribution. The interests of employers and employees may differ and cause conflicts within the company. It is important for companies to seek a solution that weighs the wants of both parties equally.

Cappelli argues that by incorporating these principles into the company’s talent management, companies would be able to integrate the interests of all parties involved (employers, employees, and society in general) into their general framework. Such actions will ultimately support company goals, which, in all cases, is to make money.

Bibliography

Cappelli, Peter. “Talent Management for the Twenty-First Century.” Harvard Business Review

Vol. 86 issue 3, Mar. 2008: p74-81.

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[1] Pg 80