OK, so I graduate one week Thursday and … I am so EXCITED! This is a huge step for me and I cannot wait to start my post secondary education. When have you ever been so thrilled about something as big as graduating? And not just high school; graduating university, college, public school, apprenticeships …
Some people don’t see something like this as important, but it IS a big deal! Be happy that you’ve accomplished something in your life; I know I’ll be once I walk across that stage with the rest of my friends and classmates.
It shows that we have to enjoy the things that life throws our way and accept facts. You’re getting older and there are so many opportunities out there that are just waiting. I hope to accomplish everything I want to do on my long list, don’t you?
Is it just me, or do our entire lives revolve around social networking sites? If we want to communicate, aside from texting, we’ll use Facebook or Twitter. “Hey what’s up? Did you hear about ..."
This is apparently what matters the most to us: following every single thing that the celebs are up to every minute of the day and having to tell everybody else, who apparently hasn’t heard yet.
Or,
You get home from school, you make yourself something to eat and then... Oh it’s Facebook time!
Is this what our lives are all about? Spending endless hours on social networking sites uploading pictures, playing mindless games and tweeting? Don’t you get tired of updating your Facebook status every ten minutes? Is this the only thing that we can rely on to entertain us and keep us away from what actually goes on in the outside world, apart from who is wearing what?
Now don’t get me wrong, I like Facebook. But come on, there has to be a limit for goodness sakes. Sure, update your status or Tweet about something when it is actually worth the time, but don’t make it a habit. You don’t want to be known as “that person with the annoying statuses."
Whoa, trippy eh? I saw these illusions and I felt like my mind was being messed with. But by applying logic from what your eyes take in and when it finally gets to the brain, they are not so confusing after all. You just have to know where or what to look for, why the illusion does it, or see if it was simply made a certain way just to be confusing.
They are so cool, and I praise whoever created some of them out there. It is pure art!
Here are some more optical illusions to think about...
"The Hidden Tiger"
Can you see the tiger that is hidden in the picture, aside from the regular tiger?
Cool!
What do you see in this picture?
Many people will see that it is of an intimate couple. This is usually from prior knowledge or exposure to this theme. However, if you ask a child, they will tell you they see 9 black dolphins in the picture.
So, the other day I was reading a news article on toddlers and the effects that perfectionism from parents has on them. The article talked about mothers who dress up their young children for the purpose of beauty. This includes tanning, shaving their legs, putting make up on them and dressing them in inappropriate clothing.
Is it necessary for a child at the age of 4 to 7 years old to wear make up? It is sad to see that beauty is being implied as looking, well, superficial, when really it is how a person should feel on the inside.
Parents should not exploit their children at such a young age in the way of making them look and feel older then they really are. When is it right to take away their innocence and introduce them into the advertised world where “being pretty gets you noticed”.
has anyone seen the show Toddlers and Tiaras? I could only watch 10 minutes of it before I had to shut it off; it was just too much for me to see these young girls parading on a stage, where they are judged on beauty and talent when they are only 6 years old!
The effects on these kids are even more devastating. Do parents realize what it will be like for them in the future when they’re older if they continue to encourage superficial beauty? They may grow up believing that beauty is solely on the outside and have no tolerance for those who “do not apply” to the principle.
The article was a good way to make the issue known that parents should not create their children into something that defies moral standards. It starts with children, so leave them to explore the world when they are ready.
It’s Saturday morning and you just can’t wait to get up, because you don’t want to miss them. You start running down the stairs, up the stairs, or wherever, and get the remote and sit right in front of the TV. Your brain is already awake, though your body may not be, anticipating the arrival of those Saturday morning cartoons!
OK, so I know I don’t watch these shows anymore, but didn’t you just love the weekends when you were really little, and you sat there for hours watching cartoons until your mom called you down for breakfast? Yes I remember those times! Saturday was always my favourite day of the week and I just couldn’t wait till it came, after a long week of colouring, simplified math and recess in the earlier years of public school.
And weren’t they funny? I mean, the usual characters running around and making you laugh in absolutely every episode? Despite the fact that many of the episodes had the same concept, it just never got old. You knew what would happen in the Road Runner; that the coyote would get trampled, run over, or crushed. Or that Timmy from Fairly Odd Parents would get himself into trouble and would learn a lesson from his Godparents.
Children’s shows are what make childhood. You create heroes, like Shaggy from Scooby Doo, and role models like Wolverine from X-Men Evolution.
It is really sad though that some of the cartoons I used to watch aren't on anymore. X-men Evolution was seriously one of my favourites! (even though I'd be too old for it). But it really doesn’t matter what age you are and sometimes, those cartoons are just as entertaining to you as they were when you were a kid. Reliving our childhood is good! Make the most of it.
As a person who lives with a sister that frequently watches reality TV shows, I can truthfully say that I have seen several shows myself. Of the many lame excuses of a show that reality TV networks come up with, such as scripted clips of excessively tanned wannabe teenagers who are actually 30 years old, there is one show that I truly enjoy watching; and that is American Idol. Yes, that’s right.I have to also mention that this show actually has talent and people with real dreams that inspire.
American Idol. Even though the season is over, sadly, there are certain performances that I will never forget. Jessica Sanchez was in fact my favourite contestant for season 11 and when you hear her beautiful voice, you have to stop and think about those other artists out there with no true talent.
Jump in my hooptie hooptie hoop I own that And I ain’t paying my rent this month I owe that But f** who you want, and f** who you like That's our life, there’s no end in sight Twinkle, twinkle little star
Now everybody let me hear you say ray ray ray Now spend all your money cause today's pay day And if you’re a G, you a G, G, G My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki
This is exactly what I am talking about. This is just a portion of the ridiculous crap that the music industry puts out there. These lyrics are from Nicki Minaj’s Starships. Can someone please just tell me the how people can listen to artists who have to use fake, British accents and stutter meaningless words that clearly make no sense? How do we, as teenagers, fall into this repetitive work of what they call art? You can't possibly compare American Idol contestants to this type of 'singing'?
Even though some may think that ALL reality TV shows are incredibly fake and usually irritating, American Idol is surely not one of them. Just listen and see for yourself that these people on the show can bring real contribution to the music world, not people “discovered” by other artists who only use auto tune to make their music, um, “better”.
Oh, and stop watching those shows where bachelors toy with the emotions of the contestants; I’m going to have to tell the same to my sister back home.
It’s just a comfort food. A craving. It's pretty cheap. It always taunts me ...
Hold it right there!
Why do we do this to ourselves? Lie I mean. We all know that this kind of fast food is bad for us, but we still have to convince ourselves when we go out that it’s OK to maybe have it once in a while. So here’s the thing: Instead of having a burger or fries, try a homemade salad, have the better choice on the menu. Look past those Harvey’s, McDonalds and Burger king advertisements on the TV and the billboards and think to yourself: “Will this benefit my health in the long run?”
But when we do eventually give in, why is it that we have to defend ourselves when we go out to eat at a fast food restaurant? “Oh, I’m just having another craving.” Is it maybe because we feel guilty? Worried someone will judge us?
I don’t know about you but like everything else, we must know our limit! Do you want to end up having heart failure at age 30? Or suffer depression because you rely so much on this bad food?
No, dammit we don't!
It doesn’t matter how much we want that cheap, unhealthy food to be good for us, and for vegetables like broccoli to actually taste yummy, but this is just not going to happen.
You don’t have to feel guilty as long as you truly have it once in a while. So, what’s your favourite fast food meal anyway?
Throughout my childhood, there were many books that my mother and father read to me that I loved so much: “The Proverbial Mouse”, “The Giving Tree”, “Arthur”, “Telephone Ted”… and then there were also books that I read myself (well, more liked look at the pictures while the teacher read them to me), from the bookshelves in the Kindergarten classroom. “Where The Wild Things are”; I smile every time I see this book, even when walking past book stores and old libraries today.
It is a book where imagination can come alive. It lets a child’s mind wander freely and lets them live in a world where ‘Wild Things’ roam.
I still love this book, even though I'm grown up! I mean come on; everyone had to have at least one or two childhood books that they just couldn’t put down. A Dr. Seuss book maybe?or a Robert Munch story?
Don’t you remember when your siblings and your friends wanted to read your books and you just refused to let go? Well that was me all the time, not just with “Where the Wild Things Are”, but also a book called “Kisses”.
Go back and find that childhood book and cherish it. Who knows, it might surprise you like it did the first time you sat down during story time and read it.
