Topic 13 & 14

Topic 13
Eheh... lil' late...


I would use technology unless it had a negative impact on the environment or otherwise. I would most always choose technology. Always choose higher technology? Do you mean like... Windows 7 to Windows XP? Then yeah, I guess...


Topic 14
My mom is totally better than everybody else's mom cause she's my mom. It'd be the same for everyone. They all think their mom is better (unless they hate their mom, in which case...). I chose to write about this topic because... it's short, sweet, and simple.


Off-Topic
Oh, and this is totally off-topic, but I have a new favorite quote: "The English language has rules for a reason. Abusing them doesn't make you a special snowflake, it makes you an idiot."
...
:3
I'm a spelling/grammar Nazi. Live with it.

Topic 12

I think that we should be held responsible for our actions. Though sometimes it leads to bad consequences, most of us know well enough what will happen when we do something. Perhaps it's not the exact thing, but it's something similar. Being ignorant depends. If a person is ignorant because they don't know any better (due to being a small child or something), then they should not be held responsible. In the case of the "legally insane", I have no idea. I guess it depends on the insanity level and type.


The lack of action depends, as well. If the reason is that you had no other choice, then no. If the reason was that you were just being lazy, then yes. How to determine the reason is beyond me. This stabbing, I believe that yes, they are indirectly responsible, due to the fact that they were either a) Too lazy, or b) Too busy. That's no excuse to let a man lie dying on the sidewalk. Obviously, the person who actually stabbed him was directly responsible. Society doesn't help, I can say that much. Perhaps I've been hearing false tales, but in Canada, almost all houses have at least one to two guns. But nobody ever hears about shootings! That's not to say they don't happen; it just means that they don't focus on the horrible things in the news. I don't blame the seller/previous owner of the knife (unless they were in cahoots with the stabber), because the likelihood is that they had no idea that the knife would be used for such nefarious purposes.

Topics #10 and #11

So the question remains: do we see mystery and wonder, and just walk on by?  Or is it hard for us to see?  If it is hard for us to see, if it really is hidden -- why?  Or, of course: is it just not there?

I see the mystery. I see the beauty. It's hard for most of us to see the beauty in things. It's not hidden -- it's right in front of our noses. Even in large cities, you can find beauty. Even buildings can be beautiful, and human-made art is beautiful in many cases. Beauty is always there.


Something that you could never live without.
Should animals be treated like humans, like those mega-pampered pooches?
The best summer of your life.


I'm going to change "Something that you could never live without" to "Someone you could never live without". Because I can. Live with it. Anyway, the person I could definitely never live without is my best friend, Griselda! We're the perfect pair. :P And she's there for me whenever I need it. Unfortunately, she doesn't pay attention enough. -.- I'll be walking right by her and she won't notice me. Ugh. Annoying. But anyway, it's hard to imagine what life would be like without her. I've slept over at her house more than I have anybody else's. :P And she'll listen to what I say and won't judge me (unless we're joking around or it's really really disturbing). She's also one of those people who maybe won't say a certain thing herself, but doesn't mind when you say it. For example, "Oh my God". She says that, but (no offense to anyone in this class who may have this view), I don't get it when people think it's taking God's name in vain. It's not; trust me. Anyway, off-topic mini-rant. But yeah, she's my absolute best friend, and I can't imagine what would've happened if I hadn't met her in 7th grade. She's a year older than I am, so if I had waited just a year's time, she would've been out and in high school, and I would've been left with no best friend (due to the fact that my other best friend moved away).

Topic #9: Don't Get Me Started

I dread this topic. It's sort of a problem, because I get really heated and pissed off when I talk about the subject.


So I'm probably gonna get on the bandwagon and start shouting. I can already feel that pressure of anger.


So I agree with Ryan. Most stuff isn't dependent on gender. Some guys depend on women, and vice versa. This includes other topics. Who gives a crap?


But I guess I'll say a bit (it will most likely be more than a bit).


Women are mistreated, run aground, and basically accepted as the slaves. Women used to be property. The world is run by men. It is my very, very, very biased opinion that women are better, considering our history. Think of this: I know I haven't ever heard of a female rapist. I've heard of only a few female murderers. Women provide, nurture, are the child-bearers, and we are all treated like crap. Maybe men can lift more than we can. Does that matter? Men are over-sexed and mature at a much slower rate, and yet they think they're all that. As you can see, I am incredibly feminist. I have heard too many times that men are the better gender. I'll mention the previous topic: it is most always men that are serial killers, rapists, child- and wife-beaters, but they have the good life! "Oh I'm so stressed out, I had to do SOME HEAVY LIFTING TODAY!" Well, you know what most women do while their husbands are sitting on their asses in the living room? Cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, the works! Women only just recently got rights. What are we, specks of dust on the windshield of the common man? Are we dogs who will back down when we get scolded and kicked? Are we NOTHING? Women have always been what made the world go round! If the world was comprised entirely of men, it would be a barren wasteland, destroyed by war. If the world was comprised entirely of women, it would probably be very pink and flowery. That's not to say I enjoy the prospect of a pink, flowery, girly existence. Men have created some of the best inventions (such as the PC!), and neither gender would be able to live without the other. Though, honestly, if women found a way to procreate without the help of men, I'd say go for it. That's not to say artificial insemination, by the way. That's creepy.


Okay, so I cussed (and wanted to say the F word), and I'm trying to refrain from doing that for the most part, especially on this blog. So I'll stop there, and I've pretty much made my point anyway.

Topic #8

My life is missing value. I am lacking the responsibility that everyone must undertake at some point. My biggest obstacle is fear of past, present, and future.

Topic #7

My favorite part of Spring is Spring Break. Entirely. The moment that I can see Spring approaching is when it reaches about March and it's stopped being freezing, though it's still raining.

My favorite season is Autumn, though we don't have much of one here. I love the color of the leaves and the not-too-warm, not-too-cold feel (except here, it's pretty cold).

Topic #6: Groups

I belong to the "outcast/loser" clique (no offense, Maggie :P). What stereotypes do I match? I don't know, because I don't really pay attention to current stereotypes. Stereotypes will affect me if I discover that I match a bad one. Ooo, I just thought of one! Computer geek... yeah, I totally match that stereotype except for the pocket protector and taped glasses. Or is that computer nerd? Whatever, same difference. Most of the time, if people put me in a category, it's simply from not knowing me well enough. Stereotypes do not inconvenience me until it affects how I make friends. I am perfectly happy with my social group at the moment, and I would not do anything to change my close group of friends.


On the topic of labeling others, I tend (or try) not to do this. You can never, ever, predetermine what someone's personality will be. When I do add others to a social group without hearing it from them firsthand, it's normally convenient (I hope), though I will not deny that I have put people into potentially harmful stereotypes.

Topic #5: Music

Music is amazing. I haven't been really listening to that pop crap that always on the radio as of late; I listen to rock and soundscapes. Soundscapes are basically just those really mellow piano instrumentals. I like listening to them a lot more than rap or pop (which nowadays is basically rap).

If I do listen to pop, however, I listen to the 2000-2007-type stuff, rather than music today.

I listen to Matchbox 20, Imogen Heap (who is not that old, but I like them), Before Their Eyes (no idea who they were until Christmas), Breaking Benjamin, and others.

My favorite song right now (sad to say that Mr. Zmolek introduced the class to it) is the CD version of Hallelujah by the Canadian Tenors. Some people might recognize the song as being in Shrek, but sung by Rufus Wainwright.

Topic #3 and #4

#3:
My favorite movie at the moment is... Ratatouille? It's so cute ^^
Best movie I've seen in the last month or two is Avatar. AMAZING!
For the rest, I have no answer (because I can't remember).

#4:
I think sports are a good thing when played in moderation. Your life can't revolve around sports, you need to be well-rounded. I think they teach teamwork, but on the other hand, they also teach competitiveness. I think the Olympics are a generally good thing, as they allow the greatest of the great to really stand on their own and shine, yet the next time, they allow newcomers to the pedestal.

Elements of Fiction

When I look at a story, the parts that really put the pieces together are the characters. The scenery can tell me what's going on and where, but the characters just make the story.

As for defining my interaction with the world, character aspects do describe it well. I tend to analyze a person's personality by what I see, hear, and feel. Unfortunately, I tend to be the last one to join the loop, so I don't really get a whole lot by what I hear. Most of the time, I don't believe rumors unless I've seen them to be true myself. I do tend to pry to get the whole story (or at least not pry and hope they tell me). It's the way I am. I like to observe life around me, and when I hear things others are saying, I jot them down in my mental notebook. For example, the other day, I sat near a girl and her friends. Normally, this girl is incredibly quiet, but that day, with her friends, she was loud and talkative. I found that interesting. I'll also tend to just sit back and listen to our class debates to see others' view on things, and to catch a glimpse of their personality.

When I write a story (which I am writing a couple right now), I also tend to focus on defining the characters first. I don't tend to describe the environment enough.

Anyway, that's me.

Grading the Class!

I actually couldn't find the topic because you put "!42!"...

Anyway, 5/5 for the class. Totally worth it! Love the class, the topics of discussion, the chance to submit my opinion without being judged (for the most part).

I grade myself an A, as I genuinely take an interest in this class, and I pay attention (most of the time).

Video Games

I love video games. All for 'em.

I can see how they would be harmful, though. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so addicted. You can get addicted and avoid doing things you should be doing. There have also been cases in which video gamers became violent after playing a video game.

I can also see how they would be helpful. For example, on many occasions, I have been playing a completely un-educational video game and found an interesting fact that I didn't know. I can't give any examples at the moment, though.

The first video gaming console I've ever gotten was a PS2. I got it when I was like, 7. Guess what my first game was? Grand Theft Auto III. My mom thought it was a racing game. You know why she took it away? Because I could kill police. Not because of the blood, the gore, the robbing, the prostitutes. Because I could kill cops. I'm sure she didn't know about the rest though. She just always blamed it on that one aspect of the game.

The most annoying thing in the world to me though, are inappropriate video games. You will look at the cover of a game and think, "Hey, that looks like an awesome game!", then when you pick it up, and look at the back cover, there's a half-naked woman. There are too many inappropriate video games out there. The reason why this is annoying is because, even if you are not performing the actual event in real life, you're still doing whatever virtually. That's just as bad.

I'm planning on becoming a video game designer. It's my dream job. It's also my job to be passionate about video games. It's quite impossible to be in a job where you create video games and not be passionate about them. I've already created a few simple video games in my time. For a short while, I was learning C#, the programming language for making video games. I was actually able to make one, but it was so incredibly complicated. Not to mention I cheated by using one of the tutorials.

Topic #14: Favorite/Hated Books

Dang it, man! It's too hard! Grr...

Not in any particular order...

Favs:
1) Time Cat (another reason for my project)
2) DO NOT OPEN
3) The Figure In the Carpet
4) The Black Book of Secrets
5) Wavewalkers

Hate with the fury of a thousand suns:
1) Twilight (go figure)
2) ... That's about it.

#13: Resolutions? Uhm...

Ehh... I dunno if I have any. I have loads of improvements I could make in my life, and I can TRY, but honestly, I have no faith that I'll actually get the nerve to go through with them. So far, it's January 10th, and I can't think of a dang thing I should make a resolution to.

Oh, wait! Resolution, not guaranteed to happen... get a new graphics card for my stupid computer! There, I thought of one... wait, does that mean I have no life if my New Year's resolution is to get a new graphics card?

...

Oh well.

Oh, oh, wait, I thought of another one! Get version 3.0 of SwitchEx up and running! Yeah, let's go with that...


Ooo, and get more people to sign up to World of Warcraft: Discovered!


...


I have no life AND I'm a World of Warcraft nerd/geek! WOOT!

...

Sorry, randomness and odd post over.

#11: Internet Privacy, #12: Christmas Traditions

Topic 11

The topic I've decided to do for my argument is somewhat controversial; the government would say one thing, while we, the people, would say another.

My topic is internet privacy.

Here's my argument:
I think that Internet Service Providers should not track our internet usage. It's an invasion of privacy and we have a right to privacy. Doing this also acts like keyloggers, viruses, or hacking, which are all illegal. It is also not the ISP's job to monitor internet for illegal usage; that is the job of the police and other law enforcement agencies. In saying this, the ISP is encroaching upon the job of law enforcements.

Ok, I was finally able to load this, so I completely forgot lots of stuff...


Topic 12

Christmas traditions? Well, one, I most always write a letter to Santa, until this year, I believe. Just for fun. And we always have ham, mashed potatoes, yams, and such for Christmas dinner. I get to open one present Christmas Eve. I always get at least one thing I want for Christmas, and we always hang the stockings over the fireplace on special stocking hangers my mom bought years ago. Sometimes I'll get up really early by accident, like around 7AM or 9AM, and my parents are still asleep. I wanna wake them desperately, and I most always do :P  I always get my parents a mushy Christmas card, too. Most of the presents under the tree are mine, because my parents never really want anything for Christmas and I have no siblings, so more presents for me! :P

Another tradition is that every year, I get a cat ornament! Turns out my mom bought me one this year, but forgot about it, so bought me another one! :D I get both!

I also always get $50 from my Grandpa for Chanukah and $25 from my Aunt Heidi for Christmas!

Blog Name Ideas

Can't guarantee how good or bad they are, just bear with me here. They're open for interpretation and change. Anything in parentheses will be a note from me.

• Luminous Brushstroke
• Transcendental Soul
• Ephemeral Perception
• Metaphysical Dream
• Intuitive Context
• Expression with Poetry
• Soul & Soup (I just found this one funny)
• Analysis of Sentiment
• Superimposed Insight

Whether or not any of these appeal to you (the class), I'd like to know your thoughts on them :)

Answer to #10: Negativity

In this entire entry, I risk sounding (am going to be) over-dramatic and verbose, but this is just the way I feel.

Many of us are horrible. Many human beings, not necessarily of a certain age or race. All of us as a whole.

Most humans could care less about things that matter, that are needed to better our world. But all we do is sit in front of our televisions and computers, and block out the world, with not a single glance back. I admit to almost being one of these people; I care about the world, I would love to do something, anything, for it, but I don't have the means to accomplish anything significant.

"One person can change the world." I believe this, but is this one person myself? Or anyone I know of, really? No, because we are all just going to sit back in our computer chairs and relax on our couches because we don't have anything to worry about. Oh no, the children in Africa have things to worry about, the starving and homeless, even the people whose lives have been affected by war; they all have something to worry about, while the rest of us sit down at our posh jobs and live our everyday lives. Not a care in the world... or is the correct term "not a care about the world"?

As for our country, its just rotten to the core. America is the most lavish, extravagant country in the world. Eventually... we'll just kill ourselves.

Nothing is going right in the world at the moment. Poor people are getting poorer, the rich richer, the hungry and alone are dying. We don't even care about our own kind, for god's sake!

I promised myself, that as I grow older, I would do something, anything, to help this planet... I don't even see how that could happen anymore. If the world as we know it is going to end in 2012... I don't even know. Even if this horrible event that philosophers and soothsayers predicted hundreds of years ago never happens, what are we to do? Sit there and cower in our basements until we're sure nothing is going to happen? And what of those without shelter? What are they to do? Wait for the inevitable?

Sorry, lost track of my point for a moment there... anyway, the future holds nothing for us. We're as good as dead. I can only hope that I'm not here at the downfall of the human race.

Food? >.>

Uh...  

Favorites:

• Anything junky, obviously
• Salad
• Fruit
• etc...

DISGUSTING:

• Any type of spinach that is NOT in spinach salad
• Stir fry. That's just a yuck.
• Most types of salami. It's really hard to find GOOD salami.
• That fancy fruit-cheese crap that tastes like curdled... all milk products you could possibly think of mushed together into one big ball plus a heaping helping of mold.

Good stories? Not particularly. Nothing that I can remember at the moment, anyway.

As for Thanksgiving, we always get amazing food, unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of turkey. I prefer ham, but my mom is cooking, and she'll probably make turkey instead.

As for stuffing, I've tried it, like, every Thanksgiving, and I still hate it! I don't get why it's so gross...

Health Care: OMGFREE?

So, personally, on the issue of health care, I believe these things:

• First of all, free health care would be awesome (frickin' Africa has it, why not us?!)
• I can see the negative impacts on us, though. Like for instance, taxpayers will pay an obscenely larger amount of money. Also, (from the looks of things) it apparently takes a lot of money to pass a bill.

Insurance makes things a whole lot easier, but there must be some point that insurance doesn't pay for everything. What point is that? Half a million USD? One million USD? I don't know (though someone might, maybe there isn't a limit).

A way to compromise would be to allow free health care for serious injuries and diseases, such as cancer treatment or breaking every bone in your body.

The minor things (flu, cold, a sprained arm or leg, etc) someone might be able to pay for, but there must be some point where the price becomes outrageous.

In the end, I like the idea of free health care, but that means more taxes; some of us just can't afford the... what... $30-$60 more a year? Something such as that. Though, seriously... most people would not be able to pay a $500,000 hospital bill. I'd take a little more taxes over that, myself.

The problem with this country is that we're trillions of dollars in debt, and there's no one there who is willing to help us out financially (considering that most all of the countries that could help us out, we actually owe money to).

The point is that I believe there should be cases where lower prices or no charge is given.

Answers to #6 and #7

I know I'm a bit late on this.

For topic 6:
I'm scared of lots of crap for no apparent reason. I'm scared of insects, spiders, heights, death (of me or someone I know), pain, the dark, and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff I can't even think of. My fear of spiders and insects is completely rationalized by this fact: they're creepy-crawlies, and I don't like them. As for heights, I didn't use to be scared of them, but one day I got on a Ferris wheel, and oh boy, no way! Death is rationalized by the fact that no one wants to die unless they're tired of life. And for pain, I'm just scared of pain. I've had too many emotional and physical distresses to live with pain any longer. Fear of the dark is never really fear of the dark; it's fear of what lurks in the dark. I'm a huge scaredy-cat, and I believe in all manner of things; cryptids, ghosts, demons. Finally, I'm really scared of ending up like either of my parents. I won't go into any details on that one.

For topic 7:
I know for a fact I have entirely bad luck. I've never won a contest that actually mattered to me, I'm always this close to winning. I also got my first cavity a couple nights ago, and we don't have any dental insurance. I also got the flu after I went to the doctor. Finally, I lost my entire math notebook with all of my math notes for most of the year, and I need it for my homework. I'm also very superstitious. I knock on wood when I think something bad might happen, and I see that I actually have better luck when I pick up a heads-up penny or carry around my rabbit's foot. When I was younger, I used to say "bread and butter" when I was walking with my mom and we were separated by poles and other people. I didn't really understand what it was back then, but I do now. I also know a lot about superstition; one of my favorite tales is that people started to say "God bless you" when someone sneezed because they believed that the soul flew out of the body and went wandering and could be stolen by the Devil. You could prevent this by saying "God bless you", thereby returning the soul to the body. For a touch back on the previous topic, I said I believed in all manner of things. I'm very superstitious about all of these. I believe that just because you can't see it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I also believe that anything is possible; when you really think about it, the Earth is big, and we've not discovered even a quarter of all living species on it. Who says that there's no Sasquatch, Loch Ness monster, Chupacabra, or anything else people believe in? I even think that if there's someone to believe it, it's real.