Blackberry Addiction

The latest and most ongoing craze all over the world is definitely Blackberrys; all thanks to the Blackberry Messenger (BBM). The Blackberry messenger is an absolute madness. Everywhere you go you find people stuck to their Blackberry, BBM-ing people; in school, in malls, in metros and even in cinemas. People have become so anti-social. They are all just stuck on to their Blackberrys. You can have a decent conversation, without being interrupted by their phones going “Ping!”

It has become a nuisance, especially if you yourself don’t own a Blackberry. You end up just sitting there looking at everyone on their Blackberrys. Instead of talking to you, they ignore you and they’re glued to their phones. They are so addicted, that they can’t put it off. It is constantly on, going “Ping! Ping” every three seconds, and they find this need to reply; they can’t just ignore it. And this addiction spreads, when you hang around with Blackberry users you hooked on to it too. You see everyone with a Blackberry, so you want one too. Then, when you get one, you do the exact, same thing, and the chain just goes on and on.

But, after all the hatred, I do admit the Blackberry is quite an amazing phone (it doesn’t beat the iPhone though). And the Blackberry Messenger allows you to communicate with Blackberry users all around the world, for free!

Wall-E

The most inspiring, interesting and reflective movie I have ever seen has to be Wall-E. I salute Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter who have written the story. The movie is about the future, based on a waste-collecting robot. He is pulled away from his daily routine by another, different kind of robot and ends up on an adventure to space.

This movie shows us what will happen if we humans continue like this, wasting our resources, being so dependent on technology and being ignorant to the damage we are causing to the natural habitat around us. In the movie we have destroyed our beloved planet Earth and our now living in a gigantic spaceship. It also gives us a view on our current diets, and what it will lead to. The movie portrays us humans as fat, obese creatures, who are absolutely technologically dependent. We do nothing at all, we are attached to machines, we survive on liquidized foods as we have become to lazy to chew, we move in chairs because we can’t walk. We have become so technologically dependent that we don’t even communicate the old fashion way, we talk into screens to communicate with each other. We have become immobile, fat, lazy, dependent people!

This is definitely, without a doubt a must see movie. It is a total eye-opener. It makes you realize what you are doing to this earth and to yourself. It was a wake up call to me personally, and I have realized the importance of the tiny bad things we do that make a difference and how the little good things that we can, but don’t do, make a difference in a big way.

Keeping Secrets

Everyone has secrets, some are big and some are small. Its fun to know a secret, it gives you this feeling of pride, “I know something you don’t!” But sometimes it goes out of hand. Sometimes a secret is not yours to tell, and things go terribly wrong.

Have you ever felt that the more you get to know about a person, the more your opinion about them changes? Secrets do the same thing in a different way. As you tell someone and it keeps spreading, slowly so does the secret and then it becomes a lie, a rumor. And this may cause the person, who the secret is about, a lot of embarrassment or emotional pain. This could give them a bad name, without them actually doing anything wrong. Your big mouth could cause a lot of trouble. And you may not have meant for it to spread, but just as thought “I’ll only tell one person and no one else,” that person may have thought the same way.

So, think before you talk, what you say might affect someone around you. And if someone has trusted you with a secret, no matter whom they are, whether you like them or not, learn to respect the trust that they have put in to you. Keep your lips sealed!

Never too Old!

Tom and Jerry, Ice Age, Wall-E, Flintstones, are all timeless and well, ageless. You’re never too old to enjoy great animations like these. I see my dad, laughing hysterically ever time he watches Tom and Jerry, and I realize that we all still have that little kid in us somewhere. But, we are so busy in our everyday lives, with work and school, that we don’t have time for ourselves; time to let that child loose. Don’t you miss being silly and carefree? So why not take out some time to let that inner child out? Watch a cartoon and laugh whole-heartedly, go sit on a swing for a while, do something you loved doing as a child. Be free!

I feel, giving yourself some time and space should be the most important part of your day. It gives you time to relax, gives you time just to think. And you will realize that you get less irritated and frustrated with everything. Life isn’t a race; it’s an experience that ends, just like every other. So cherish it and don’t live it being serious and grim. Take a chance, and do what you love, even if you look silly doing it, be the child you were!

Should teachers be allowed to interfere in students lives outside school?

In our school we’ve been having quite a few problems with students who smoke, and students being in a relationship. Now, the question is, should teachers be allowed to interfere if the students are behaving well in school, but smoke outside of school or are with there boyfriends/girlfriends outside of school? And should the teachers, instead of talking to the child directly, go and alert their parents?

I personally, as a student, fell that firstly, my life outside of school, is my problem. I should be allowed to make my own mistakes and learn from them too. So, the teachers shouldn’t have the right to go to my parents if I am doing nothing wrong in school. I agree that if I was smoking in school or making out in the corridors, teachers have the right to call my parents, as I am breaking school rules. But, the worst part of all is when the teachers assume things. For example, she/he is good friends with this group of people who smoke, so she must be smoking too. Or she/he is around this one person too much, they must be dating. It’s so annoying, especially, when they put things like that in your parents head, and then your parents give you a hard time too. And as a student, if I did see a teacher outside of school and I was smoking or doing something “unacceptable”, I wouldn’t just continue on, I would try to hide myself or put out my cigarette, just out of common courtesy and respect. 

In conclusion, we might be doing something that isn’t exactly right, but I would say that it’s a part of life, and everyone goes through it. So, we should all be given the right to take the chance and make the mistake. As long as we behave well inside school premises, as normal teenagers we should be allowed to portray our 'rebellious streak' once in a while. Besides, if we did anything wrong outside of school it is our parents who are held responsible for us; not the people teaching us how to solve quadratics. There is a certain line that we shouldn’t cross, but even then, there are other authorities that will deal with it. The consequences might be worse, but we as individuals have to learn to draw the line ourselves.

Here is another opinion from my classmate Leah who originally thought of the idea:

http://www.leahsimon.blogspot.com/

“The Five People You Meet In Heaven” by “Mitch Albom”

A well-written, light and very interesting book that makes you think twice about the world and how you live your life. The book is based on the afterlife of Eddie, an old, maintenance man, who had lived most of his life working at an amusement park, Ruby Pier.

The book starts of at an end, the end of Eddie’s life, because “all endings are beginning we just don’t know it at the time.” Eddie is now dead, and meets 5 different people, who show him parts of his life and how their lives were connected to his. It shows you how we might be affecting others’- who we don’t even know of - lives without even realizing it, and vice versa. He also discovers some significant things that he had been oblivious to, and learns to let go of his anger, grief and sadness, and realizes that everything happens for a reason.

The book talks about heaven as a place where we review our life and make sense of the things that happened. We learn to let go of the grudges we held on to. And when we are at peace with everyone and most importantly ourselves, we move on to our final destination, heaven – the place we loved, the place most important to us, the place we want to spend the rest of our lives, well afterlives, in.

After reading this book, I learnt to think of what I’m doing before doing it, as my actions might not affect me but someone else might suffer its consequences. Also, that life is too short to waste on being grim and depressed. Written beautifully by Mitch Albom, I would say it is a must read book!
   

The Social Network - Facebook

“The Social Network” is the movie based on the story of the invention of Facebook. Facebook is like a drug - once you get on to it, you’re hooked!’ This one, brilliant idea turned this one boy from a nobody to a billionaire. Mark Zuckerberg, is one of the youngest people to become a billionaire. His idea has become a social necessity. If you’re not on facebook you are stereotyped as a social outcast. People have taken facebook so seriously that even the tiniest thing matters. For instance, in the movie they depict how not changing your relationship status when dating someone can cause the relationship itself to end. People have become extremely self-involved because of facebook and spend hour’s together waiting for “likes” and “comments” on their profiles. Also, they are highly dependent on facebook that it is now a platform to socialize, hence eliminating the traditional way of interacting face to face.