In which stuff changes rather dramatically

It's all quite random, really. How things can change so quickly and oh so dramatically.

One day it was this, the next it was the other thing.

One day I wanted one thing, the next day I don't.

One day Calculus was interesting, the next... okay, bad example. Calculus is always interesting.

But you get the point. Things can change so very fast, and it doesn't always sake mense.

We know that already. Now, what's your point?

My point? Calculus is my point. I do love that subject.

How exactly can Calculus be your point? You may ask.

Well if you keep quiet and listen, then maybe I'll be able to tell you! Don't be hasty.

You see, a year ago I had no idea what the heck I was going to do with myself after high school. I had many different options, but never knew quite what it was I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It's no easy choice.

Then I decided on Software Engineering. And that was that.

Now I think I may become a teacher.

Say what? Come again?

Yup, you heard me right. A teacher. Not just any teacher, however. Oh, no. Not a primary teacher. And not an intermediate teacher either, heck no.

Where exactly did this come from?

I have no idea, to be completely honest. I was just sitting Calculus a few days ago, minding my own business when WHAM! it hit my like a brick. Completely unexpected. It would be quite fun to teach Calculus, I thought. Year 12 Mathematics wouldn't be bad, either. Then again, Secondary Mathematics in general could be pretty fun. I do like maths. I would have to be able to teach at least two subjects, though... Accounting isn't a bad subject, either.

What more can I say? The idea grew from there.

It's still growing on me. The more I think about it, the more my mind shifts from software engineering to maths teacher. Absurd, many may say. Why the heck would you take teaching over software engineering? That's just crazy!

Well, crazy as it may be, I'm liking it more every day. It seems like a good idea to me.

Apple's Chance to Win Me Over

I know, I know. This blog is long since due. I know what you're thinking. If I was going to post a blog about this particular subject it should have been done several weeks ago, in the few days following it's release. Oh well. You'll get over it. So what if I'm posting my opinions two weeks after the initial hype is over? Sue me.

The subject I want to discuss is Apple's new iPad. I have several things to say about it, but I started this post almost three weeks ago, and as such they aren't as fresh in my memory as they once were. Bear with me.

You've no doubt heard about the iPad already. If you haven't, you most likely either live in a hole, are completely out of the loop or just do not care about technology in any way, shape or form. Or maybe you've heard of it but still don't really know what it is, exactly, or don't know how it differs from the iPod. If you're in any of these categories, here's a good video clip with the answer to all the questions of life. (Well, not quite. But it explains the iPad.)

Hmm... Let's rephrase that. I had a video clip to show you, but it has disappeared from YouTube due to copyright claims from Apple Inc, or something along those lines. However, do not fear, for I have found it on Apple's website. Head over to the following link to watch it, then be sure to come back here!

http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video (note that you will need Quick Time to watch it)

Anyway, onwards this blog must go! To be different, I'll start with my conclusion.

The Apple iPad failed to live up to it's claims, particularly the much repeated claim of being "the best way to browse the web". I agree that it could potentially be the best way, but as of yet it's not. No way.

Why? You may ask. What did they do wrong?

It's not so much what they did. It's more what they didn't do.

Problem #1: No flash support. How the heck can you not have support for flash? A large portion of websites today use flash of some sort, either just for navigation, or for the entire site. Games, too. Many, many, games are designed using flash. Yet there is no support for this in the iPad? That make no sense whatsoever. How can it be "the best way to browse the web" if it cannot browse a huge selection of websites?

Problem #2: No camera. Say what? No webcam in the iPad? No video chat, obviously. Already you need your PC to use Skype or Mac to use iChat. That's another reason you'll still need to keep your laptop nearby so that you can use the web to it's full potential. Need I again question the claim of "the best way to browse the web"?

Problem #3: No multi-tasking. HUH? Come again? If you're replying to an email and need to check something on a webpage, you'll need to first save that email, close out of the email application, open up the browser, look up what you needed. Then close the browser, open email, retrieve the email you were writing from the drafts and continue writing. What an effort! If you're one of those people who do a lot of things at once, such as emailing and browsing and sorting photos all at the same time... the iPad will drive you insane. Because you can't. One at a time, sorry. You've got all the time in the world to dispose of by doing things one. at. a. time. on the iPad. Slowly does it! I mean, seriously?! What's with that?

Those are the main issues I have with the iPad so far. And I haven't even seen or touched one. If there are such big issues as these without actually using an iPad, what unseen problems are there?

Of course, there are a lot of really cool features on there that I would love to try out. Such as the eBook software and shop. The photo albums. The tablet functions in general. I have to admit, it looks good. But they failed in my eyes. Once again, Apple just doesn't live up to expectations. Some are saying they left out these features on purpose.

Why would they do that?

It's simple. Money. Release the iPad, everyone buys it. Add in the features purposefully left out in the first version, release the iPad 2.0, everyone buys that one, too, to replace the first one (as it has better features). Apple make double the money. They're certainly not stupid, I have to admit.

Though that is the one thing that I like very much about this brand new release. For once, Apple aren't outrageously overpricing this state-of-the-art technology like they usually do. An iPad can be initially bought off-the-shelf at just US$499 (approx. NZ$716), which sounds expensive, but for brand new Apple technology that does all that and more, it's cheap. Trust me.

But they aren't getting double the money out of me. There's no way I'm spending any money on the first version of the iPad when it falls far short. If version 2.0 incorporates all the above -mentioned features and more, then maybe, just maybe, Apple might have a decent shot at winning me over. And that's no small feat, for those who know me. (I'm a hard-out anti-Apple fanatic.)

Of course, I've also caught wind of rumours about Google's project in-the-making. The Chrome OS tablet...

The Vitality and Necessity to Extirpate Impediments

That's a lot of big words. My favourite being the latter two. They're pretty cool, don't you think? Of course, a lot of people may not know what they mean. That's what Dictionary.com is for. I'm not doing all the work for you, this time.

Okay... so maybe I will. I'm not good at making people work to figure out what my blog is about--it'll probably make them abandon the blog altogether.

Extirpate (verb) - to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.
Impediment (noun) - obstruction; hindrance; obstacle.

So, what impediment are we extirpating? You may ask. Well, if you stop asking questions and read, then you'll find out soon enough, won't you?

The exam results for 2009 finally came out just over a week ago. I got pretty good marks. I'm happy with them. However, to be able to get into the course I want to do at Uni from next year onwards, I need them to be just a little bit higher.

That can't be too hard, can it?

Technically, no, all I would need is one or two standards to be just a tiny bit better, at the next level of achievement. But of course, I'm doing Year 13 this year. That means everything becomes harder again. I struggled with a couple of subjects in Year 12, so to get the same and higher marks for year 13 is going to be pretty freakin' hard. Next to impossible if I carry on like I did last year, and the year before, and the year before that...

You see, I'm an avid procrastinator. In the extreme. I've managed to get by so far, but I don't just need good, or even great marks this year. I need excellent. The best I can possibly get. The higher they are, the more likely I am to get accepted into the course. That will require a lot of hard work and studying. And it will also require me to apply myself throughout the year, in every part of every subject, without procrastination.

That's easier said than done.

As noted in a previous blog post, procrastination is a stupid idea. A very stupid idea indeed. There is no way on earth I will ever get results at a high enough level in the coming year if I don't do away with it.

I know, I know, you've heard all this before. I've said that it will end a million times. I've tried a million and one. But I have to, this year. It is of utmost importance. This year is the most vital year of my education by far, and I need to achieve beyond my best.

I have a deadly impediment. It's commonly referred to as procrastination. It must be extirpated, destroyed, at all costs, if I want to get into my chosen course. Which I do, I might add. Very much.

School starts back next week. I'm going to work harder than I've ever worked before. I'll keep you updated right here, at the contradoxymoron.

'till next time.

2010: Let's try it again.

Friday the 1st of January 2010, 12:01AM.

2009 has come and gone.

Welcome to the year 2010.

I know for many of us this is a very big year. More than enough change to go around. For me it is probably the most vital year of my life so far: My future depends on it. This is the deciding year for University and everything else that follows.

With a big year and big change must come with something else. I'm sure you can guess what's coming next.

Big resolutions.

That's right, I'm trying it again. Last year failed miserably, so I think I'm going to make some minor changes to my clever plan.

Firstly, I'm going to make them slightly more realistic. Let's face it: Last year's ones weren't so achievable. Some of them were, but not all of them together. So this year they'll be more realistic, more reasonable. And if they turn out to be too easy, we can always re-evaluate later in the year.

Also, there's going to be less of them. I mean, 9? Come on. That's crazy. How's a guy supposed to be able to make that much change in but 365.25 days? Unless they're stupidly simple, it's very improbable. Let's make it five. Just five. Three general, one writing, one random. (Yes, it is very necessary to have a random one. I can't live without randomness!)

Two of the resolutions from '09 that...didn't happen...I'm going to bring forward to this year. The others will either be adapted or brand new.

Without further ado, here they are.

2010 New Year Resolutions

General
-Get a job
-Get my restricted license
-Be more adventurous, by doing something out of my comfort zone at least once a month

Writing
-Write at least 25,000 words on one of my WIPs

Random
-Complete a Wasgij


Now, I must be off! So much to do, so little time in which to do it!

Resolute or Ir-so?

I don't actually think that title sakes any mense. It was supposed to be clever and catching.

Didn't work. Failed miserably.

Just like my new year resolutions for 2009.


Out of the eight resolutions I made, about one and a half, or possible three-quarters, succeeded.

Let's review them, shall we?

Those that I followed through with:
-Solve a Rubiks Cube: I did a pretty good job on this one, I reckon. Got myself a $3 Rubik's cube from the 2 dollar shop, solved it. I can do it in less than 5 minutes easily.

Those that I semi-followed through with:
-Spend less time on the computer everyday: Kinda. I go through stages. Overall, though, I can spend less time on the computer if need be. It all depends on how much there is to do on Facebook.
-Vary the genres of my short stories, so as to stretch and improve my writing skills: The few short stories I have managed to write this year have been of quite different genres/styles. I didn't write many, though.

Those that failed miserably:
-Get a job: Tried...Kinda. I left the trying till near the end of the year, though...didn't particularly help anything. But I did try. A lot. I'm still trying, even. It's just that nothing has come up yet. I got another rejection letter just a couple of hours ago.
-Start playing a sport again and keep fit during the off-season: Yeah nah. Didn't happen.
-Plan, write, edit, rewrite, edit & edit one short story per month: About 2 or 3... Almost 12, right?
-Complete the first draft of at least one WIP: Far from.
-Complete a wasgij puzzle: Never got around to acquiring one let alone starting or finishing it.

So there you have it. Fail with a capital F.

One resolution remains. The "ultimate" one.

Become a better person than I am now, by being more of a friend and being "there" for my friends when they need me, changing my attitude towards others and life in general, being more patient with people, friends and most of all family, and reaching out to those who need a hand, friend, shoulder, or whatever it is they need, or finding someone who can give that. Also spend more time with God, and have a deeper relationship with him.

I guess I can't really answer for that one, can I? It's really up to everyone else. My friends. Have I, or have I not?

And there we have it. 2009 is almost over. Time has run out.

Therefore the answer to the question, I'm sure you've already guessed, is Ir-so. Very much Irresolute.

I confess, though, I didn't try very hard. Maybe next year.

Truthful Lies

I was thinking earlier about what I should blog about today, and I remembered something my pastor mentioned in a sermon a couple of weeks ago. It's been bothering me since.

One of the comments he made was something along the lines of "...everything the devil says is a lie. So really when he says something you know the complete opposite is the truth." Those are not his words exactly, but it's the general idea.

Most people would just agree with that, as it seems true, and is in fact true in most cases, which is why I think it passed unnoticed. It wasn't a planned comment, just something he said in passing.

I don't think I agree with that entirely, however. Recently having memorised stuff for my exams, the quotes for English are still well and truly stuck in my mind. One of these quotes, from the director's commentary for Breach, came to mind not long after my pastor said this.

"The most convincing lies are always rooted in some kind of truth."

This was applied to a particular piece of dialogue from the movie. I reckon that it is very true. In fact, I believe the same can be applied to the devil and his lies. The most convincing, most believable lies spoken by the devil will have just enough truth in them so that you don't realise that it's anything but true until it's almost too late. He's had thousands of years of experience--more than enough to be able to fool us humans any day. We're quite a gullible species, really.

So instead of just saying that everything is a straight lie (even the devil recognises some truths), we need to be discerning and able to separate the truth from the lies. Not just in this case, either. In everyday life it is the same.

How many times have you been fooled by a truthful veneer over a big fat lie? I know I have countless times.

Write then, let's get to it!

Must. Write.

Write. Write. WRITE!

Yes, that's write. I need to get in to some heavy writing my friends. My mind is just itching to get going and get some serious words out on to paper. It's time for some storytelling.

But I need your help. I want to kick it off with some Flash Fiction to get my brain into gear.

WAIT! They scream. What the heck is Flash Fiction?

Flash Fiction is a very vague term, but in general it is a short piece of fiction written in less than 1000 words, able to be easily written and read in one go.

Ah. Say the people. Go on then.

I don't just want to write any old story, however. I want to write something for you. For everyone. How will I do this? It's easy. You tell me what to write and I'll write it.

Comment on this blog post, each and every one of you, with some basic details listed below. (If you don't know how to comment, simply click on the link directly below this post that says [# Comments], where # is the number of comments.)

I need at least the first 5 main details, then if you want you can also specify a couple of other optional details that follow.

Here they are:


Main details:

1) The full name of the main character (and if it is a male or female, just to be safe).

2) The time period the story is set in. Choose either Past, Present or Future. If past or future, give a relative time for me to go by (ie. 1479/2305 or 1600s/2300s).

3) The location. Give either [City, Country] or just [Country]. Feel free to make up one or both of these, but if it is a made up place then be sure to specify this.

4) The first word of the story. Be random, be creative!

5) A one sentence summary of the plot (what the story is about). It doesn't matter how detailed or vague it is, I don't care. Anything from "A man rides a bike." or "A man builds a house." to "A middle aged white male trains for one of the biggest bike races in the country, then goes on to do this race and come third, thus proving that anything is possible if you put your mind to it." will do, so long as it isn't any of those ideas I just said. There are no limits or restrictions, be as boring or creative or imaginative as you like.


Optional details:

6) The tense the story is written in. Choose either Past or Present.

7) The POV (point of view) of the story. Choose either First or Third person.


Originally I was going to pick just one of the ideas and write it, but I've decided that in fact I'll write all of them. Whether it be 7, 77 or even 777 ideas, I will not rest until the last story is finished. So throw as many ideas as possible at me. If you've got more than one idea, give me both or all of them. There is no limit. Give me all you've got. Push me as hard as you can until the bones in my hands are about to crumble.

Now that I have signed my life away (or so it would seem), I shall go and enjoy the last of my freedom.

The Silent Conflict

A couple of nights ago I was watching 60 Minutes whilst doing the dishes. The first section was on a topic I bet you weren't expecting to read about in this here blog of mine.

Male infertility.

Woah. I bet you're thinking.

Why the heck is going to talk about that? You're probably wondering.

I've actually probably put you off my blog entirely. But hey, it's on my mind. This is my mind. If you knew everything that went on in my mind you'd be more than a little freaked out.

First let me summarise the point of the feature.

Apparently New Zealand males have the lowest fertility rate in the world (meaning that it's hard to have kids, in case you don't know what that means). And it's only getting worse. Without going into details, largely cos I'm really not entirely sure of what the heck it all means, basically a heck of a lot of young couples who are trying to and want to have kids just don't seem to be able to--some even after several years of trying! Why this is, we have yet to discover.

Although I'm sure you're content with what I've given you so far, that actually is not the reason for this blog. At least, not all of it.

What really gets to me is that there are so many couples out there who are trying desperately to get pregnant, and just can't. It totally and completely sucks for them. They'd give practically anything to have a kid or two of their own.

Yet on the other side of things, thousands of babies a legally killed every year in New Zealand. I believe the amount lies somewhere around 18,000. I could sugar-coat it and call it the common name, abortion, but it's murder. It's wrong.

Whether you agree with me on this point or not, surely you can all see the slight dilemma we have here. Why is it that those who don't want to get pregnant do, and those would want to so badly just can't? Especially for those trying, it must be incredibly painful to not be able to have the gift of children, when so many are just being killed off every day, unwanted. It's not fair. At all. It makes me mad.

Who gave us the right to decide who gets to live and who must die before they are even born? Everyone argues left, right and centre about this issue all the time, yet the only people who never get a say are the little children who's lives are in the balance. It's not right.

There are many things about society that I don't agree with, but most of all right now, there is one huge issue that just won't stop nagging me.

It's the silent conflict that no one seems to be speaking up about.

How come there are so many miserable couples, unable to get kids of their own in any way, yet there are so many thousands of unborn children killed every year?

The Return from the Future

Greetings to all!

Life has come back to The Contradictory Paradoxical Oxymoron at last. It has been a quiet few weeks, I know. I failed to keep to my "at least one blog a week" policy. Oh, the shame...

There's a good explanation, though.

You see, about a month ago, the government approached me with a top secret mission, the details of which I cannot expose to you. The gist of it, however, was for me to be sent to the future using their discreetly developed time machine (located in a hidden dungeon several stories below the Beehive) so that I could use my advanced skills and knowledge to save our beloved country from a terrorist attack so extreme that the country [would have] disappeared without a trace, to the depths of the ocean.

Uh...oops. I just told you everything. Oh well, too late now. I'll just get my contacts to change my identity after I've finished with this.

Anyway, as I was saying... All went well, the world was saved, and it was time to come home. However, one of the technically inept morons hired by the government as a Time Technician stuffed up during the initial programming and I was sent back here, about three weeks ahead of when I left. As a result, you unlucky people have had to miss out on these life changing blogs of mine. (Blame the government.)

But never fear, for this post marks the resurrection of the weekly blog. You may all stop panicking now. I have also been told that I must make up for those missed blogs. In the week ahead, I shall do just that.

Watch this space.

And the point is...

I was going to write about something completely different, and way more deep, than what I am about to say, but this random thought popped into my mind today, so I have delayed the deeper blog until next week.

What is the point?

It's October 31st. People are coming to our door every so often. All over the world kids are walking along the streets, all dressed up, asking for lollies and other such stuff. Most people just hand it over.

The question remains: What is the point?

I just don't get it. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for kids to be going around asking for lollies and junk food once every year. They expect it. People give it.

Why?

It's beyond me. Why do people just willingly go out and buy heaps of junk food year after year, to just hand out to random kids they've never met and probably won't ever meet again, just for the heck of it?

I don't quite understand it. I don't get it at all, actually.

Please, someone, enlighten me.