New Years Eve/ Day

December 31st is an international day of celebration. It’s when the world, no matter the time zone, gathers to bid farewell to one year and welcome in another. A day of reflection of things done well, dreams realized, babies born, people leaving this earth, disappointments, mistakes, broken dreams, disasters – natural or otherwise, tragedies, highs and lows, financial windfalls, marriages, lost jobs, new jobs, weight gain/loss, new homes, broken homes, etc. This day is celebrated with friends, family, strangers, at home, at clubs, outdoors, expensively or on a budget, but make no mistake, even those who are even stuck working, the whole world pauses for the last countdown of the year. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, you get it – you’ve heard it, you’ve most likely done it a few times, too. However, despite the anticipation of saying “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new, this day can be as depressing as any major holiday if you’re not with anyone, if the year has been difficult, if dreams have become nightmares or if you’ve lost someone unexpectedly – or even expectedly. A new year is almost like a new baby; it brings ‘hope’. Hope of another chance, new experiences, wisdom (that you bring from the former year) better options, a fresh start and new opportunities. Basically, it comes with the promise of a better life. That’s quite a heavy burden for January 1 to carry. I think I’d rather be December 31st. Which would you choose and why? What have your experiences been? Have the years been good to you or are you, like many others, always hoping that “next year” will be better? Let me know by posting your comments below. Happy New Year!

Boxing Day

I don’t know the original meaning of Boxing Day or why December 26th is called that but I am starting to notice that society’s holy day is this day after Christmas. It appears this way because of its super sales and deals on everything that you were probably ripped off on December 24th. It all seems so greedy. Imagine spending the day before opening presents after someone spent days or weeks looking for only to suggest that it wasn’t enough by racing to the mall to buy more the very next day. When will people learn that “sale does not mean buy?” In other words, we’ve been convinced, somehow, that we “need” these items. What people are forgetting is that advertisers and retailers don’t care about you or your needs. What they care about is getting your Christmas money. That is probably the only reason retailers go out of their way to acknowledge the holidays. It’s not that they care about the birth of God’s son (in the case of Christmas) or His resurrection (in the case of Easter), but that these holidays mean big business for most companies. Boxing Day has no real modern significance. What should be a day to relax and enjoy what you just got the day before, has become a day to become more obsessed with “things” and the mindless activity that is shopping. I’ve probably ruffled a couple of feathers by suggesting that Boxing Day has no other significance other than to ‘shop ‘till you drop’ and ‘spend like there’s no end’ but I’m open to hearing your views if you can convince me that this day hasn’t become about paying homage to the mall gods. Please post your comments below.

Christmas

December 25th is one of the most important days to Christians all over the world as it is the day we believe Jesus, the son of God, was born on earth. For me, Christmas is important as I am Christian and it’s the one time of year where I get to see most of my family -- the ones you don’t really see throughout the year and have a good time, laughing and taking pictures. But best of all is opening each others’ presents. For someone with a loving family Christmas is great but there are many people out there that find this time of year emotionally difficult because they realize how important a family is. If you don’t have anyone to call you or wish you a Merry Christmas you can become quite sad and feel rejected. It’s funny that Christmas can either be a wonderful experience or a depressing one. As I witnessed from two individuals who do not have a loving family, they couldn’t wait for Christmas to end because while everyone else was receiving gifts, taking pictures, going out to eat for dinner, they stayed home all alone and were lucky to receive a Merry Christmas phone call from their own mother. My Christmas experiences have been mostly positive thanks to God. Something else I am starting to notice is that this day is becoming more about the day off (work, school) and the gifts than the true meaning or significance of what this day should represent. As I shop, people do not say Merry Christmas but choose to say “Happy Holidays” instead. I also tend to see less people at the Christmas Eve service at church as the years go by and religion loses its place in a consumer-oriented society. Even at my Catholic school many of the people there don’t even recognize the true meaning or spirit of this holy occasion but think mostly of getting gifts and are far more excited about the Boxing Day sales after Christmas. I think that’s pretty sad. If you do (or, sadly, don’t) let me know what you’re thoughts are. Please post your comments respectfully below.

Small acts of Kindness

Many people believe that we live in a world where good is overshadowed by darkness and this is true. The little things we do for people are overshadowed by the little bits on sin we do to others, when it should be reversed. Some of the ways in which young people, like myself, can show these small acts of kindness or as Desmond Tutu says, “light a candle to dispel a bit of darkness,” is by simply performing random acts of kindness towards others. For instance, opening the door for the elderly, helping a stranger with their groceries, volunteering or by simply using the words “please” and “thank you”. These small acts of kindness can make a big difference in other people’s lives. Other ways that a young person can be kind is by inviting those who are isolated into their social groups or buying lunch for someone or by just treating someone with physical or mental differences equally. Often these simple acts of kindness are not appreciated because people usually only hear or see the bad things that our happening in our society and tend to stop appreciating these little acts of kindness; thereby long for something really big. As a teen, I believe teenagers need to start showing random acts of kindness and less acts of rudeness or violence in our community. I believe others should appreciate it and recognize it more by simply smiling and saying “thank- you.” This is a world where good is over shadowed by evil and we need to start recognizing the good because when we don’t people get discouraged and forget about trying to be good, if no one recognizes them.

Cell Phones are WASTE

Cell phones are the epitome of convenience. They allow us to talk to our loves ones anywhere in the world from almost anywhere in the world. Without cell phones, most teenagers would struggle to get by, kind of like music. Owning a cell phone is like second nature today. Everyone has one. Even when I visit an elementary school, I see kids in Grade 6 with them, texting! When I was that age I was trading cards and playing tag. But the cell phone population has really exploded. It is great tool that we can use to talk or text but it is also great for using in emergencies. All that said, sometimes it can even be a waste of money. We spend roughly $30 to about $80 (or even more) a month depending on our plans, to talk to other people, when we can just use a house phone (or, God forbid, a payphone for real emergencies). I don’t think people realize that most of the time we are on our cell phones we are at home and now with the cell phone banned in cars we can’t even talk on the go. We are spending over a thousand dollars a year just to talk to people we see every day at school or work or in the surrounding area. I have a cell phone and I admit that I use it, but I when I realized that it was a waste of money it was already too late. I am stuck with a three-year contract with Rogers, paying about $50 a month. I won’t lie though, cell phones are great and with the expansion of technology they are handy and fun; but when I put things in perspective, it’s a waste unless you are a business person and need a cell phone to operate and run your business effectively or do your job effectively. But hey, who am I? I’m just one voice. Please leave a comment – or text it from your cell.

My second passion MUSIC

Music is also the most amazing thing in life. Without music I don’t think I could survive a day in life. When people say music is life, I totally agree with them now! With the variety of music and different types of things you can listen to it on, one should never have to go a day without listening to their favourite song or artist -- at least I don’t with my handy-dandy iPod (a great invention). As I grow older and older I can really see the importance of music and I realize how much it relates to my life. Music has also helped me through the good times and the bad and even changes my moods. I’m in LOVE with music and I just wanted people to know how strongly I feel about it. Do any of you out there know what I’m talking about? I want to hear your vibe. Post your comments below.

Love

Love is the most amazing thing in life. Love makes people do a bundle of things that you wouldn’t normally do. Sometimes these things can be good or bad. There is also a variety of different types of love, such as love from and for your parents, love towards friends and love with another person of the opposite sex. When in you’re in love with someone of the opposite sex it feels as if there could be nothing better in life that you could ask for. God gave us the ability to love one another and to experience this feeling, so I believe we should take advantage and fall in love more often. It’s far better than the alternative of hating each other and creating enemies. Love can also be very stressful -- especially when the relationship doesn’t go as planned or expected. I have only been in love once in my life, and the amount of things I did was so ridiculous; I used to walk in the snow (I hate snow), skip to school and many other things to silly to even mention. It was reciprocated by her though. The good times I had with her I would never ever give up in a million years or for any amount of money. Love is the most precious gift and I believe everyone deserves to be loved from the moment they are born. We also went through many down, not-so-in-love times but the good times made it worth it. If you’re in love or have ever been in love, I want to know what you think. What was it (or is it) like for you? Please post your comments below.