@#!
In the category of Most Vague Questions Ever.
Probably the biggest thing that tends to be a problem for me is my time management. I may have mentioned this already, in my celebration of procrastination. But it isn't all rosy and nice. Time management is a serious problem. I failed two courses last year at school as a result of poor time management and it is taking quite a bit not to go down the same road this year. For whatever reason I tend to prioritize less important things in order to leave off on the things that I really need to get done. This is why this challenge is important to me: it forces me to do something I have traditionally put off and forced me to get into the habit of writing, which is a Very Good Thing. It is something which I am going to really have to challenge myself with, especially since my poor time management has also had a very detrimental impact on my spiritual life. So, if I were to be making a New Years resolution it would be to better my time management.
1.06.2011
1.05.2011
Day 04 - Your Views on Religion
So this is a big topic. Everybody has their own opinions on religion and what it means to be religious, which means that I am most certainly not alone in the opinions I have and that there are just as many people who would agree with me as would disagree.
Beating around the bush, whoo!
My views on religion are primarily informed by the fact that I am a Christian. What that means exactly for me is the subject of another day (Day 17 actually), but it is useful for now to serve as a starting foundation to understand where some of my ideas come from and what I believe religion's place is in the world.
I believe that everyone subscribes to some kind of religion or another. Atheists would probably like to bite my head off at that statement, but I believe that the term religion can be applied beyond the systems of faith - such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam - that it is traditionally associated with. Science has rapidly evolved into a kind of religion, a central hub for explaining the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, with the greats in their fields evoked much in the same fashion as the Catholic saints. Whereas people once reached for the supernatural to give them hope and direction for their lives, people adhere to the tennants of Science. It even has its own zealots; people like Dawkins who evangelize the virtues of Science. I don't want to come across as a science hater - in fact I love science and try to get beyond the false barrier put up between science and faith - but it does provide a very good example of a modern, non-spiritual religion.
Religions can be tricky things. Much of what we find wrong with religion happens when it is separated from its core set of beliefs, when the practices and the rules become more important than the heart of the practice. This is the case in Christianity anyway. We often get a really bad rap because of some crazies in the States who are trying to prove a point by being as controversial as possible. Honestly, I get a little disgusted and ashamed when the news reports on groups like the Westboro Baptist Church. Much like the Pharisees of old, these groups miss the point - that we are all imperfect beings in need of love and grace - and fill the void with legality and hate. This is religion without faith, religion gone wrong.
I believe that religions can be a powerful force for good in the world, just as long as they are on the right path.
Beating around the bush, whoo!
My views on religion are primarily informed by the fact that I am a Christian. What that means exactly for me is the subject of another day (Day 17 actually), but it is useful for now to serve as a starting foundation to understand where some of my ideas come from and what I believe religion's place is in the world.
I believe that everyone subscribes to some kind of religion or another. Atheists would probably like to bite my head off at that statement, but I believe that the term religion can be applied beyond the systems of faith - such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam - that it is traditionally associated with. Science has rapidly evolved into a kind of religion, a central hub for explaining the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, with the greats in their fields evoked much in the same fashion as the Catholic saints. Whereas people once reached for the supernatural to give them hope and direction for their lives, people adhere to the tennants of Science. It even has its own zealots; people like Dawkins who evangelize the virtues of Science. I don't want to come across as a science hater - in fact I love science and try to get beyond the false barrier put up between science and faith - but it does provide a very good example of a modern, non-spiritual religion.
Religions can be tricky things. Much of what we find wrong with religion happens when it is separated from its core set of beliefs, when the practices and the rules become more important than the heart of the practice. This is the case in Christianity anyway. We often get a really bad rap because of some crazies in the States who are trying to prove a point by being as controversial as possible. Honestly, I get a little disgusted and ashamed when the news reports on groups like the Westboro Baptist Church. Much like the Pharisees of old, these groups miss the point - that we are all imperfect beings in need of love and grace - and fill the void with legality and hate. This is religion without faith, religion gone wrong.
I believe that religions can be a powerful force for good in the world, just as long as they are on the right path.
1.04.2011
Day 03 - Your Views on Drugs and Alchohol
The nice thing about this challenge is that some of these questions are good and open ended, meaning that I can interpret them any way I want. In this case, I can assume that this question is more in regards to the use of, or abuse of, drugs and alchohol.
The short version of the story is that I am straight up against the overuse of drugs and alchohol. End of story. I don't believe in getting plastered, smashed, pixilated, crunked, or wasted. I don't see the pleasure in spending time with my head in the toilet or forgetting my weekend entire (though if I spent said weekend with my head in the aforementioned toilet I might). That just isn't my idea of fun. I'll enjoy an alchoholic beverage or two with a meal or with friends, but that is it. That said, if you like to imbibe I won't say anything as long as you're smart about it. No drinking and driving on my watch.
Drugs get a similar ruling. Recreational drugs are out. No question there. I don't need anything entering my body to alter my state of mind. Medication on the other hand is a bit more tricky. If a doctor prescribes it, I'll take it; I tend to trust the judgement of medical professionals. But honestly, for the most part I try to avoid things like Tylenol and Advil. If I've got a cold (which doesn't happen too often) I'll take the minimum medication recommended, as I also do when my seasonal allergies hit. But for the most part I figure that we were created with an immune system for a reason, and if I am proactive in keeping myself healthy by eating right, getting sleep, not stressing out (ha! yeah right) too much and engaging in physical activity (which I've been working on), I should come out all right. Plus, all that talk about superbugs kind of freaks me out.
So there you have it. Pretty simple from my end: too much booze is bad, and drugs can be too.
The short version of the story is that I am straight up against the overuse of drugs and alchohol. End of story. I don't believe in getting plastered, smashed, pixilated, crunked, or wasted. I don't see the pleasure in spending time with my head in the toilet or forgetting my weekend entire (though if I spent said weekend with my head in the aforementioned toilet I might). That just isn't my idea of fun. I'll enjoy an alchoholic beverage or two with a meal or with friends, but that is it. That said, if you like to imbibe I won't say anything as long as you're smart about it. No drinking and driving on my watch.
Drugs get a similar ruling. Recreational drugs are out. No question there. I don't need anything entering my body to alter my state of mind. Medication on the other hand is a bit more tricky. If a doctor prescribes it, I'll take it; I tend to trust the judgement of medical professionals. But honestly, for the most part I try to avoid things like Tylenol and Advil. If I've got a cold (which doesn't happen too often) I'll take the minimum medication recommended, as I also do when my seasonal allergies hit. But for the most part I figure that we were created with an immune system for a reason, and if I am proactive in keeping myself healthy by eating right, getting sleep, not stressing out (ha! yeah right) too much and engaging in physical activity (which I've been working on), I should come out all right. Plus, all that talk about superbugs kind of freaks me out.
So there you have it. Pretty simple from my end: too much booze is bad, and drugs can be too.
1.03.2011
Day 02 – Where you’d like to be in 10 years
This one's a tricky one. I don't know where I want to be in a single year, let alone ten. Honestly, there is just way too much in flux in my life right now to give a definite answer as to where I would like to be. That said, there are a few things I would like to see in my future self. I would hope that I would be married by that point, maybe with little spawnlings running around. Maybe not. Whatever I'm doing for work (no specific aspirations for that that at the moment) I hope that I am involved in some way working with kids; if its as a part of my actual career then that would be cool, but so would be just having volunteer opportunities that I could capitalize on.
More important to me is being where God wants me to be in that time period. We may not have the best of relationships at times, but I'm sticking to Him and seeing where He is going to lead me. Hopefully I follow. In the mean time, I just have to try to live my life to the best of my ability and to the fullest. Whatever the Future has for me is in the future, and there's not much I can do about it right this moment. All I can really do is trust God to show me the ways that will bring me in line with His plan, and try to do so by getting as many different experiences as I can. Hopefully, ten-years-older me will be able to look back on this and say "yeah dude, plan worked" and not just "man, did I ever cop out on this topic."
More important to me is being where God wants me to be in that time period. We may not have the best of relationships at times, but I'm sticking to Him and seeing where He is going to lead me. Hopefully I follow. In the mean time, I just have to try to live my life to the best of my ability and to the fullest. Whatever the Future has for me is in the future, and there's not much I can do about it right this moment. All I can really do is trust God to show me the ways that will bring me in line with His plan, and try to do so by getting as many different experiences as I can. Hopefully, ten-years-older me will be able to look back on this and say "yeah dude, plan worked" and not just "man, did I ever cop out on this topic."
1.02.2011
Day 01 - Your Highs and Lows of this Past Year
Not a bad time to tackle this topic, having just left a year behind. Its uncanny that this would show up just in the same time that people traditionally get reflective, like someone planned it or something... :D
Lets start with the lows of the year, since they tend to be more painful. Probably my biggest low for the year was my academic performance my second year at Trent. Failing two courses isn't an easy pill to swallow, and neither is suddenly realizing that a) you have a lot of bad habits to deal with and b) that you may Be a bit out of your depth trying to tackle things like a "normal" student instead of suiting your education to your needs. Its an ongoing learning process. Continuing on the not-so-great side of the year, and something which may or may not be related to the previous point (I tend to believe it is), I also realized how unplugged I had become from life. Sure, I got to hang out with my awesome girlfriend and other friends, but compared to highschool I wasn't doing much. No extra-curriculars for me, no church groups or ministry work (if I even got to church), no volunteering. It bummed me out a lot. Again, something that is an ongoing battle, though I have been going to a church fairly consistently now and I'm even involved in a group there. *Shock, horror* its a miracle!
On the cool side of the coin for last year, I did manage to make some new friends at school. I also finally got to go to Jamaica and see first-hand some of our family history there. It was a wicked 11 days spent, again, with my awesome family, for whom I am so thankful.
Lets start with the lows of the year, since they tend to be more painful. Probably my biggest low for the year was my academic performance my second year at Trent. Failing two courses isn't an easy pill to swallow, and neither is suddenly realizing that a) you have a lot of bad habits to deal with and b) that you may Be a bit out of your depth trying to tackle things like a "normal" student instead of suiting your education to your needs. Its an ongoing learning process. Continuing on the not-so-great side of the year, and something which may or may not be related to the previous point (I tend to believe it is), I also realized how unplugged I had become from life. Sure, I got to hang out with my awesome girlfriend and other friends, but compared to highschool I wasn't doing much. No extra-curriculars for me, no church groups or ministry work (if I even got to church), no volunteering. It bummed me out a lot. Again, something that is an ongoing battle, though I have been going to a church fairly consistently now and I'm even involved in a group there. *Shock, horror* its a miracle!
On the cool side of the coin for last year, I did manage to make some new friends at school. I also finally got to go to Jamaica and see first-hand some of our family history there. It was a wicked 11 days spent, again, with my awesome family, for whom I am so thankful.
1.01.2011
Jumping On The Band-Wagon
I enjoy writing, really I do. That is part of the reason why I started blogging in the first place: to have a place for me to put my thoughts down and to have a (somewhat) creative outlet. Well, that plus it was something that none of my other friends were really doing at the time - and, now that I think about it, still aren't. But looking at my progress on this, my chance at a fresh start in the blogosphere, I can't help but be reminded of the same troubles I have had previously trying to have a blog: I'm just not very good at the whole upkeep thing.
However, this being a shiny new year full of opportunity and new chances, I intend to overcome that blockage in the hopes that maybe if I start writing here on a regular basis I might start writing again in general. And so, partially inspired by my friend Hansen, I am taking up a 30 day blogging challenge; I am committing to updating this blog every day till the end of January. Now to make sure that I actually do this and don't beg off a day because I can't think of anything to write about, I will be laying out the topics I'm going to tackle in advance. And becauseI completely lack in the imagination department imitation is the highest form of flattery, I'm also going to be more or less stealing Hansen's topics, with a few modifications.
The List:
However, this being a shiny new year full of opportunity and new chances, I intend to overcome that blockage in the hopes that maybe if I start writing here on a regular basis I might start writing again in general. And so, partially inspired by my friend Hansen, I am taking up a 30 day blogging challenge; I am committing to updating this blog every day till the end of January. Now to make sure that I actually do this and don't beg off a day because I can't think of anything to write about, I will be laying out the topics I'm going to tackle in advance. And because
The List:
- Day 01 – Your highs and lows of this past year.
- Day 02 – Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
- Day 03 – Your views on drugs and alcohol.
- Day 04 – Your views on religion.
- Day 05 – A problem that you have had.
- Day 06 – Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
- Day 07 – Your Myers Briggs Personality Type and if you think it fits your personality.
- Day 08 – Your views on mainstream music.
- Day 09 – How you hope your future will be like.
- Day 10 – Discuss your first love.
- Day 11 – Put your
ipodzune on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up. - Day 12 – Bullet your whole day.
- Day 13 – Give pictures of 5 girls who are famous who you find attractive.
- Day 14 – Your earliest memory.
- Day 15 – Your favourite blogs.
- Day 16 – Someone who fascinates you and why.
- Day 17 – Your beliefs.
- Day 18 – Disrespecting your parents.
- Day 19 – Something that you miss.
- Day 20 – One of your favourite shows.
- Day 21 – How have you changed in the past 2 years?
- Day 22 – How important you think education is.
- Day 23 – Your favourite movie and what it’s about.
- Day 24 – A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
- Day 25 – Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
- Day 26 – You're favourite books.
- Day 27 – What kind of person attracts you.
- Day 28 – Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
- Day 29 – Your highs and lows of this month.
- Day 30 – Goals for the next 30 days.
Resolve To Do Less
Welcome to a brand new year ladies and gentlemen! I hope that your holidays were filled with much merriment and joy and all the other things that come with the death of the old year and the dawning of a new one. Usually around this time, people stop for a little introspection to analyse the things in their lives which could use some improvement and make resolutions to address those personal shortcomings. A perennial item on my list is time management, my lack of which being a general detractor to things such as school achievement and side-projects (the Jiyu-Shin website is still coming, I promise!).
I know that I am not alone in making a resolution to manage my time better, nor am I the only one who has this on their list year after year. Well this year I say forget it! And in honour of my incredibly misguided rebellion I would like to unveil my list of Top Five Time Wasters!
Wikipedia
Like many students these days, the first place I reach to when trying to get a rough idea of what anything is about is Wikipedia. I really like to learn and there is just so much there. Regular, old-school encyclopaedias usually were pretty big and came in 20-ish volumes. Wikipedia? Printed, it would probably be 2100+ volumes (based on a little math and some statistics) just for the English version. So yeah, you can waste some time there; though not as much time as at...
Tv Tropes:
For those not in the know, Tv Tropes is a wiki which documents and details tropes in our culture. From music and film to webcomics and animé, Tv Tropes covers just about everything a fiction lover needs to know to never look at media the same way ever again. Tv Tropes is a must-have resource for any media student. Given that it is a wiki, it suffers from the same problem as Wikipedia: finding yourself with a tonne of tabs open and two hours gone. Heck, Tv Tropes even has a trope to describe the phenomena. It is, however, worse than Wikipedia for wiki-walking because the each trope is defined by the way it interacts with other tropes, often leaving you with 7+ tabs open after visiting a single page. Represent that exponentially as you explore each tab you have just opened... well lets just say that it took me over two hours just to write this section.
Know Your Meme
There is a lot of crazy stuff out there on the internetz. And sometimes you miss a lot of it. KYM has a nice index of memes (basically inside jokes online or viral video. Encyclopedia Dramatica has a pretty good definition, but be warned - here there be monsters) and often have videos to go with them and give a nice summary or further detail.
Webcomics:
They're like what you find in the paper, only online. And instead of having just a few strips to work with each day, you have MASSIVE ARCHIVES to deal with instead! I love webcomics. They are a fascinating take on the old comic format and provide a really neat platform to tell stories and have some rather complex narratives. Or, if you prefer something a little less involved, there are strips for that too. In fact, there are webcomics that touch on just about every topic imaginable, so there should be something out there that appeals to everyone. If you're looking to start into a comic with a little (or a lot) of history,the devil Tv Tropes has a round-up of webcomics with a minimum of 1000 posts in their archives. Schlock Mercenary ftw.
Books:
Last but certainly not least, reading is a great way to lose some time. Whether it be curling up with your favourite novel, working your way through your TBR list, or grabbing an anthology of short stories and picking a quick read at random, books provide a great escape from the daily grind.
I know that I am not alone in making a resolution to manage my time better, nor am I the only one who has this on their list year after year. Well this year I say forget it! And in honour of my incredibly misguided rebellion I would like to unveil my list of Top Five Time Wasters!
Wikipedia
 |
| via xkcd |
Tv Tropes:
 |
| via xkcd |
For those not in the know, Tv Tropes is a wiki which documents and details tropes in our culture. From music and film to webcomics and animé, Tv Tropes covers just about everything a fiction lover needs to know to never look at media the same way ever again. Tv Tropes is a must-have resource for any media student. Given that it is a wiki, it suffers from the same problem as Wikipedia: finding yourself with a tonne of tabs open and two hours gone. Heck, Tv Tropes even has a trope to describe the phenomena. It is, however, worse than Wikipedia for wiki-walking because the each trope is defined by the way it interacts with other tropes, often leaving you with 7+ tabs open after visiting a single page. Represent that exponentially as you explore each tab you have just opened... well lets just say that it took me over two hours just to write this section.
Know Your Meme
There is a lot of crazy stuff out there on the internetz. And sometimes you miss a lot of it. KYM has a nice index of memes (basically inside jokes online or viral video. Encyclopedia Dramatica has a pretty good definition, but be warned - here there be monsters) and often have videos to go with them and give a nice summary or further detail.
Webcomics:
They're like what you find in the paper, only online. And instead of having just a few strips to work with each day, you have MASSIVE ARCHIVES to deal with instead! I love webcomics. They are a fascinating take on the old comic format and provide a really neat platform to tell stories and have some rather complex narratives. Or, if you prefer something a little less involved, there are strips for that too. In fact, there are webcomics that touch on just about every topic imaginable, so there should be something out there that appeals to everyone. If you're looking to start into a comic with a little (or a lot) of history,
Books:
Last but certainly not least, reading is a great way to lose some time. Whether it be curling up with your favourite novel, working your way through your TBR list, or grabbing an anthology of short stories and picking a quick read at random, books provide a great escape from the daily grind.
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