This is more of a rant than anything…

Sadly as a society we’ve become very inconsiderate, self-absorbed, overly critical of others and that’s just the beginning. Now, don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying everyone is that way because I know plenty of people who aren’t like that.  I just find it amazing how many people have a sense of entitlement and believe that their way is the one and only. Honestly? When was there only one way to do anything?

 

The other thing that I find astonishing is how many people are hypocritical and don’t even realize it. Now almost everyone is to some extent if you’re truly honest with yourself.  See, the thing people don’t understand is that usually we develop these beliefs out of the goodness of our hearts. Usually, we don’t want someone making the same mistakes we have we rather they avoid the pain and heartache and heed our advice. Unfortunately, people don’t always see it that way and see it as a way of controlling or restricting one’s behaviour because it’s something our parents do from a young age.

 

The thing that irks me the most?  Lying. I absolutely love when people claim to be honest and upfront but yet you catch them lying or ” withholding information” which in all reality is just like lying  you’re omitting the critical details. I find it amazing how these people can sit there and claim to be honest when they’ve lied to the person with no good reason. I understand little white lies are told to smooth things over or prevent an issue where there’s no need but to outright lie?  Or to lie to try and see if someone’s being honest with you?  That’s a little low especially claiming to be that honest.

Publication Ban Breach?

Okay, so coming from a Journalistic background, I know all about Publication Bans. These usually seem to be placed while a trial is ongoing or the case involves a child under the age of 18.

I happened upon this article: http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/650463
this morning in the Spectator about the paper breaching a publication ban regarding the Johnson- Aziga HIV- murder trial. I was shocked for two reasons: one being that the Spectator is covering their own story and two that they would breach a ban placed by a Superior Court judge.

It makes me wonder about the integrity of journalism since it’s rather odd to hear of bans being breached. The ban was put in place for a reason, to protect the identities of the victims. The women died of AIDS and having their names and faces out there would only had to the trauma cause by this situation to their families.

The Spectator has been charged for breaching the ban connected with a published photo in April.

According to the editor-in chief, David Estok, they would never intentionally publish something that was banned. They felt at the time that, the photo met the requirements and didn’t reveal any identities.

This should be interesting to see how it plays out and how it affects the media as a whole. It could affect publication banning and make the law even more strict when coming to trials and the media.

Cozy Graffiti?

Yarn Bombing? Yes, I said Yarn bombing. I read this article today and I found it to be very intriguing. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/712784–graffiti-gangs-chant-knit-one-purl-two

Yarn bombing is a new type of graffiti. People from all over the world are tagging all sorts of objects with coloured knits such as a part of the Great Wall of China, telephone poles, buses and anything else they can tie knits onto.

We’re against graffiti but the Yarn Bombers say that it’s just meant to beautify their neighbourhoods or to promote the art form since it’s not that well known. Others think it’s going against “consumerism” and because it doesn’t damage property it’s just seen as an interesting version of art.

I find this to be interesting since no one can really say anything against this form of expression because it isn’t damaging and they’re taking an interest in their community and that is a good thing.

If all they want to do is express their art and beautify their communities than let them continue their work and it will better the community too.

David Letterman

Okay, so by now everyone knows about David Letterman’s latest incident. I honestly don’t feel that it matter whether or not he was forced into admitting to his affairs. Regardless, he came clean and he apologized to both his wife and the women he worked with.

Now, I’m not condoning cheating on anyone because I don’t believe it’s fair or morally right but when you’re in the type of industry it’s kind of understandable  why it might happen. Look at it this way, if you’re never home always on the road- your relationship is bound to suffer whether you’re married or just dating. The lack of communication and attention being paid to your significant other is bound to take a toll and eventually affect the intimacy you share. In saying that, it’s only human nature to seek comfort where you can find it.

Many people in prominent positions have done this- so why is so much attention being paid to this particular incident? Well, obviously the blackmail aspect definitely adds to the appeal. No matter what, Letterman admitted to being in the wrong- came clean and apologized, I think it’s time to move on and let it go.

Media of the future

Over the last several years, a constant topic is being brought up in media discussions. Where do we see the media in the future, 20 or 30 years from now? I’ve heard this in several classes, panel discussions and everyone has opposing view points.  We can see that technology appears to be the way of the future, almost everything is available in digital copies.

Print has newspapers available online with some stories left out and others enhanced with video and podcasts to help add to the experience. Television and radio have even moved to the digital side with video and audio podcasting for the audience’s convenience.

So that brings me back to my original question: Where do I see media in 20 –even 30 years from now?

 I see it definitely being available online but I can’t see radio or newspapers becoming obselete due to  convenience and the audience’s preference. Newspapers are portable whereas it’s more difficult to take  a lap top on a bus in order to read the news. The radio is convenient for those that like to listen to the news while driving, reading and watching the t.v aren’t exactly safe practices on the road.

Not everyone has access to the technology to place everything online, plus some people particularly the older generations prefer to read the paper in it’s original form and listen to the radio for news rather than having to go online to access convenient up to the minute material.

So, I don’t see the media going away any time soon but I do see it growing technology wise. I certainly hope these forms of media aren’t obselete at least not in my lifetime.

My Journey into the Gaming world

So I’ve recently decided to look into taking on an internship regarding the Gaming industry so I decided to write what I know, and I don’t have a whole lot of knowledge in this  area at all.  I’ve been playing RockBand  for a while, it’s an awesome game however I don’t have the hand-eye co-ordination required to play an instrument. I find it kind of frustrating considering all my friend play the guitar and drums with ease. They don’t even make it look like work even if they’re playing an insane song with a wild rhythm.

I tried to learn the guitar and no matter how I tried my left and right hands just don’t co-ordinate at the right times in order to hit that note. It looks like I have a while to go before I can even try to claim I’m a Gamer.

University update

So as you all know, I decided to apply to university and I had to go and back  and upgrade  my high school credits in order for the university to even consider me.

So I went and tried to take on a few correspondence courses, it just so happens I need 5 university level courses. I knew it would be a lot of work but more than I expected. In order to be able to go to uni in the fall I’d need to  finish 5 courses by June. Well, I pushed myself and realized it’s more than a semester’s worth of work since there’s  five units to a course and each takes about a month. It was a little too ridiculous. So I decided I’d go back to college in the fall instead and then try to go to Ryerson in 2011.

Now, it’s still not going to be that easy since the government puts  up too much red tape for people to get a post-secondary education. In order to get into university without these five courses I’d need to be a mature student. They classify a mature student someone who is  21 by  December 31st of the year they’re applying and have beeen out of school for at least two years.

That doesn’t make sense to me. They’re basically saying  go work at a  minimum wage job for two years( which means most people get used to the money and have a hard time going back) and then come back and see us. It’s a double-edged sword, I don’t understand why you have to be out of school two-years , I’ve been out for a year but I don’t want to wait two years and be out of the learning mode.

So basically, if you’re still in high school do your victory lap it’ll pay off in the long run.

Girls and Guys can be friends

Okay, so here comes the age old question: Can girls and guys be just friends?

I believe they can be, actually I know it’s possible. My best friend happens to be  a  guy and this has been the case for most of my life so far.

I’ve never really found it easy to be friends with girls since there’s all the catty backstabbing drama( You know, the she’s your friend one minute and the next day she’s spreading some ridiculous rumour to try and ruin your reputation) and with guys it’s not like that.

With guys, if you get into a fight you deal with it and it’s done it’s not dragged out for days. And I honestly believe, that if a guy and a girl really want to be friends they are just that. Now, I’ve heard the whole ” guys and girls can’t be friends because dating gets in the way,” but that’s not necessarily true.  There are times when things can get awkward because of one-sided romances but if you guys truly want to be friends you work it out.

Not every girl who has been seen with a guy, means she’s dating him or wants to.  Just because she’s around him doesn’t mean she’s “with” him.

When it comes down to it,  don’t judge people because they hang out– they could just be good friends.

The Journey of trying to get into University…

So I recently applied for university in the hopes to further my education. But once again I immediately found a road block. Even though I graduated from Mohawk they still will be evaluating my application on the basis of my grade 12 grades.

Now, maybe I was wrong to think that my post-secondary education would give me an advantage but the level of education is very different than that of  high school. The worst part of the whole thing is that the program I took at Mohawk  relates to the program I now want to take.

It’s very frustrating because I now have to take five correspondence courses in order to even be considered for my program. So,  here’s hoping I can get it all done in time.

I just wish I had of known before I applied… considering I could have done this all before Christmas.

Step one to freedom…

It’s that day, the day where a whole bunch of 16- year-old teens stand in line for an hour for the test. The test that will determine if they can start on the journey to freedom; getting their G1 license. Today I went through that exact test. It was a lot easier than I expected, I think a lot of the reason teens get so nervous for this test is because they hear the countless number of “horror stories” of people having tro rewrite ther test 3- 4 times before they pass.

Fortunately for me.. I passed. And now begins the fun of learning to drive.