A New Year, A New Promise December 31, 2008

Today is December 31st. That means that right around the corner, we’re going to be entering into 2009. On New Years Eve, it’s a tradition to set a ‘New Years Resolution’ for yourself. Some people say “Well, I’m going to lose weight!” Others attempt to help their families.

However, whatever that goal may be, we seem to lose track of it at some point or another. It’s there, somewhere, but we seem to forget. Maybe we don’t want to remember. Maybe we can’t be bothered. Maybe we just don’t have the time. The other day, I talked about how our goals and judgement seem to slip through our fingers. ” As hard as we may try, the arrows that have guided us fade, and we go off course.” I’m sure that you can bring up some memory of a promise to yourself not being fulfilled.

Well, this year my resolution is going to be to follow through with my old ones. I can think of 2 or 3 that haven’t been accomplished.  Maybe you want to do this too. Instead of repeating the same thing over and over each year, promise that you’ll try to complete old resolutions.

Have a Very Happy New Year!
~Michael

In Addition December 31, 2008

In addition to that last entry about obsessions…

Pekka if you are reading this, get off that god damn game and come back to MSN and your internet friends. D<

Moderation. We need it. December 30, 2008

Have you ever loved something so much that you can’t get enough of it? You become consumed by the wanting of that love. It takes you over, and you can’t get rid of it. You want more and more. It’s like a drug. You get addicted to it.

There’s that saying “Too much of a good thing can be bad for you.” Ever heard that one? Yes? Great. Think about it for a second. No? Too bad. Think about it anyway.

Analyzed it? Great. Too much of a good thing CAN be bad for you. Take ice cream. Now, I’m ALL for ice cream. Ice cream is great. Love ice cream. But if I have too much, it makes me sick. For some people, you can eat ice cream all day long and not have a care in the world. But eventually you WILL become sick.

Lets look at another example. Habits. Say..collecting. You collect everything you come across. You can’t stop yourself. It doesn’t literally make you sick, but it will consume you. You become so consumed that you can’t see anything anymore. You can’t see that this is bad for you. You can’t notice that you should stop. All you care about is collecting.

Moderation. Rations. Words that basically mean limit. To limit the amount of something. It’s a word that you need to look at. Look around. There can be loves out there, but too much is not good. You can still have them, just limit. Think about that.

Broken Rules, Broken Judgement December 29, 2008

In the light of day, we set goals for ourselves. Let them be rules, advice, reminders, or motivation. We say to ourselves “I will keep this goal, a promise to myself, and I will not break it.”  We go on with life, remembering our goals, our morals, our judgement. We find comfort knowing that these definitions of right and wrong are keeping us on track. Then, when the day ends and the moon begins to arise, something changes. Those goals, those arrows that have been keeping us in a line seem to fade. We lose our way. As hard as we may try, the arrows that have guided us fade, and we go off course. Some of us will continue on, not caring if they go back on their goals. Others can’t find hope, and they too wander, looking for a path. There are a spare few of us that will stop. Stop and wait. They will wait until day comes again, and the arrows appear once more. They continue on their path.

We lose our way. We do not know where to go. There is no light.  But we must see where there is no place to see. We must learn. Learn that, sometimes there isn’t anything you can do. If we cannot do anything, then we should not try to do anything. We should wait. We should have patience. We shouldn’t stray from the path. We have trouble doing this. We want to move, to keep going. However, once we learn to wait, to see the way again, all becomes clear.

To those who have lost their way at one point or another. I know I have.
~Michael

MOVING LOCATION! December 26, 2008

Hello all. Just so you know, I’m moving from Michaelmnb.wordpress.com to michael.neostuff.info.   That means this blag will NO LONGER BE UPDATED. http://michael.neostuff.info

Thanks!

Christmas Eve December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve. The arrival of Christmas Eve means different things for each person. Some people think of all the presents that they will receive the next morning. Others pray to the Lord to celebrate the anniversary of Jesus’s birthday. What do I think about? Well, this year more than ever, I’ve thought about family. This year, I’ve lost many family members and friends to death. It’s a sad thing to think about, especially around a joyful holiday, but I can’t help myself. Seeing them in my head, I can picture my family and family friends over the last 8 or so years. I can remember the good times, the bad times, and the sometimes very embarrassing times. I see the ones who are no longer with us, and the ones that have survived despite the odds against them.

Every year, my family hosts a Christmas Eve party. There are usually around 25 guests each year, from both my dad’s family and my mom’s family. We all get together well, and I get to see cousins who can’t visit us often. Eating food and talking merrily, it’s a festive time, if only for a couple of hours. However, this year 2 people who always come will not be joining us. I wish them well, wherever they are, and a very merry Christmas.

Secret Santa Continued December 11, 2008

Yesterday, after having posted about my friends’ Secret Santa tradition, I made a little…switch. My friend Jenn knew who I had, and vice-versa. After talking, we both decided that we wanted each other’s person. So…we traded. Of course, that’s strictly against the rules, but we’ll keep it out little secret. I now get total sadistic pleasure at the end of this, when all of the people I asked to help me realize I was lying and really I had someone else. Fwee!

Holistic Writings on Computers December 10, 2008

Do you know those Holistic Writings you have to take in your English or Language Arts classes? You’re given a prompt, and you have 45 minutes to state your opinion on the subject. It could be anything from using animals in drug tests to having the school issue uniforms. They’re usually persuasive essays or speculative writings. If you do, I have something to share/question. This year, my school has decided to switch these holistic writings from paper onto computers using a site called MyAccess.

On one side, I’m really happy with this change. I HATE writing, and typing is so much faster, plus it’s way easier to edit. However, not all aspects of this are great. For one thing, many of the students in my school are affected by this change because they can’t type very fast. I remember last year in my English class our teacher gave us 2-3 entire periods devoted to typing up our handwritten story. I finished mine in about 15 minutes, then went on to type for 5-6 other kids who were obnoxiously slow. I know one of my friends hates this change, and her score was affected because of it.

The scoring rubric is also an issue. The program that grades the writings very interesting. Thousands and thousands of writings by students were submitted into the program with scores already given by living, breathing people. The program then picks out everything that had similar qualities in a score 6 paper, or a score 3 paper (Rubric goes from 1-6) and uses that information to grade your own paper. For my first essay, I got a 6/6, which is near impossible when getting graded by people. Of course, the subject matter was easy (lobbying for a laptop), but it still raises the question “Are these grades inaccurate?” On my second essay, I found that that was not the case. This time, we had to do something on Animal Testing, and if it should be banned. I got a 5.1/6, which is good, but not great. However, I also found that the computer will take off points for some things that it deems incorrect. For example, some words that are not recognized words, but perhaps proper nouns, are deemed spelling mistakes. Since it deems them mistakes, I find myself editing my writing style to fit the program’s needs. I know that on my first essay, I had to change the word “online” to “on-line.”

This change is interesting, but I’m not sure about ‘ideal.’ It’d be perfect if we were allowed the ability to type OR write the essays, then have actual people grade them. Not completely fair, seeing as the typing version gives the option to spellcheck, etc. So, does your school let you type essays, or is it just mine? Or have you had the ability for a long time? Let me know.

As a side note, the security on MyAccess isn’t what you call…secure…at all. If I knew my friend’s ID number, which is public knowledge, I could log in as him/her, and delete their writing, making it impossible for them to revise later on.

Secret Santa December 10, 2008

Secret santa has always been a family tradition for me.  Every year, my dad’s side of the family would put names in a hat during our annual summer vacation (yet another tradition), and then we’d pick a name out. Kids picked kids, couples picked other couples. This year was no different; I got my name, and found an interesting game in ThinkGeek for my cousin. However, this year I not only did Secret Santa with family, but I did it with friends.

Somehow, this group of girls that I hang out with pressured my friend and I into doing their traditional Secret Santa. Although we both hesitated at first, we eventually gave in. I have to say, participating it has been more fun than I ever could have thought. It’s given me some interest and excitement in these few weeks before winter break. The person I got was not exactly who I was hoping for, but it makes life more interesting. She’s someone that’s a bit harder to get a gift for, so I’ve been struggling with gift ideas, and some of the other girls have had to help me. xD This weekend, Peter and I are going to the mall to pick something out. Partly to hang out, and partly to not bear the embarrassment of walking into Victoria’s Secret or Hot Topic alone to buy lip gloss.