Sunday, August 28, 2005

Echo Boomers: Making a difference

In Psychology, we have been talking about the Echo Boomer generation and what scientists have found our distiguishing traits to be. Our generation has already been noted as one of the most over achieving generations ever. Here is what studies have reported:

"They have been heavily programmed. The kids who have had soccer Monday, Kung Fu Tuesday, religious classes Wednesday, clarinet lessons Thursday. Whose whole lives have really been based on what some adult tells them to do," says Levine. "This is a generation that has long aimed to please. They've wanted to please their parents, their friends, their teachers, their college admissions officers." It's a generation in which rules seem to have replaced rebellion, convention is winning out over individualism, and values are very traditional. They are also the most diverse generation ever: 35 percent are non-white, and the most tolerant, believing everyone should be part of the community"

The rest of the article is here, and I honestly thought it was very accurate.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/01/60minutes/main646890.shtml


For example, think of all the songs out there about pleasing our parents. Simple Plans song, "Perfect" is a perfect example. (no pun intended). The songs starts off with:

"Hey dad look at me, Think back and talk to me, Did I grow up according to plan?, And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do? But it hurts when you disapprove all along, And now I try hard to make it, I just want to make you proud."

"It's all these people talking about how great technology is, and how it saves all this time. But, what good is saved time, if nobody uses it? If it just turns into more busy work. I mean, you never hear somebody say, "Well, you know, with, uh, the time I've saved by using my word processor, I'm gonna go to a Zen monastery and hang out." I mean, you never hear that."

That is a quote from the movie "Before Sunrise" - which was made in 1995 - and I think it hit exactly what our generation has become. Looking back at the article, it says that our generation is over achieving, multi tasking, technology driven nuts! And that is precisely what the quote above is referring to. And where does it get us? Nowhere.

And furthermore, that is why were called the "NOW" generation - because everything has to be fast for us. Seriously, if I'm at a grocery store and the check-out person is ringing my items up too slow, I get really frusterated. I just want to scream at them to hurry up!

But, there is another quote from "Before Sunrise" that I feel it is necessary to quote because it leads me right into my next rant.

"I hate, I hate that 300 kms from here there's a war going on, y'know, people are dying, and nobody knows what to do about it, or they don't give a crap, I don't know. I hate that the medias, you know, they are trying to control our minds.You know its very subtle, but you know, its a new form of fascism."

And that is what's going on in Uganda right now. There is basically a war going on and nobody knows or they dont care! So, for anyone reading this who doesn't know the situation, this is it in a nutshell.. There are a group of people called the LRA [Lords Resistence Army] who want to overthrow the Ugandan government. And I can't fill in all the between details because I dont know them, but I know that for the last 20-or-so years they have been kidnapping innocent children between the ages of 8-16 [I think] from the town of Gulu to train them to be Geurillas. The kids [also known as 'Night Commuters'] have been commuting two miles every night to a safe town. In the morning they have to commute back to make it to school. They live in constant fear for their lives. Like I said before, I dont know all the details but this is a serious situation going on right now and almost nobody knows about it! It was rated number ONE in the top 10 least talked about stories last year! The lead actor of Hotel Rwanda, Don Cheadle, has become an activist for Afica because after filming the movie, he has taken notice to how bad things are getting over there. Well, make of this what you will but I strongly encourage people to find out what's going on and try to help, in whatever way possible. Dont forget to pray, and maybe donate to some organizations helping the cause if its an option. Search "Invisible Children" and your sure to find some stuff about the situation. Dont ignore this any longer. This is our generation, let's DO something to make a difference....

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Tonight was a night of revelations
I recently heard that Deja Vu is just when your brain is a second ahead of what is about to happen. So that feeling of having already done or been somewhere is because your brain is a second ahead of you; your brain HAS already done it, but you havent.

Tonight, something clicked in my brain. If that is true, if deja vu is just that our brain is a second ahead of what is about to happen, then creastionism is almost irrefutable! BECAUSE how can our brain be a second ahead of something that hasnt happened, UNLESS there is a plan! God has a plan for us, and knows what is going to happen. I dont know if anyone is following this, but it makes total sense to me...

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

First day of Junior Year
So, today was my first day of school... I woke up at 5:30 (after having gone to bed at about 12:30) and got ready then left. Nothing exciting happened before school. First block was Partners PE where I work with the Special Ed students at Hoffman. Um, that was cool - intimidating though. Half of the girls already knew most of the partners because they had taken the class last year so it was weird not knowing who any of them were. Um, then one of the partners kinda hit on me and I didn't really know what to do so that was weird... I still dont know how Im supposed to react to that. Second block was drivers Ed. That was alright - nothing special. Just that I was supposed to have my permit by the first day so now I HAVE to have it by the 29th of august or I may get dropped so I have to study the rules of the road book (which I got today) and take the test before Monday. No pressure... >_> Third block was Psychology. That was probably my favorite class of the day just because my friend Sancha is in that class with me and it wasnt so uptight and it was more layed back. Then seminar, which was blah. Overall, it was a fine first day, but not great, and not bad. People looked different, which was no doubt a surprise because who actually changes over the summer?! But they did, so that was weird. And the hallways are a lot more crowded. Besides those few minor details, nothing exciting. Maybe it felt blah because I was tired, but who really knows. I think tomorrow I will be going for a Monster. AND, if anyone is wondering, I was up until 12:30 watching "Dead Poets Society" because I thought Crystal had seen it and said it was amazing, but it turned out she hadnt. All the same though, it was amazing and anyone who is reading this should see it! Oh, and I just thought of something else. God answered prayer today- and I saw it! In the morning I was praying that God would give me confidence, boldness, comfort, patience, etc... Right when I walked into school, one of my former teachers told me I looked "soo good. your eyes look great!" and yadda yadda. As awkward as it was to occur in the middle of the hallway, it was a slight confidence booster so AMEN to that. I was bold in first block in talking to the partners, and felt comforted all day, like who cares what they think of me? Patience was eh, going as how crowded it was but I can work on that. SO YEAH, Eccelsiastes is a great book [I read some before first block] and it totally got me through the day. Praise God, but pray for the rest of my year.. For though Im not starting college or anything, it is still a new school year for me and another year for God to do a major work. Most of the bold christians in the former years were seniors last year, so that leaves me (as far as I know) and a few others to start up christian club and get things going again. And wow, I just typed way more than I intended so Im done. Out.

Monday, August 22, 2005

LAST day of summer 2005

Tomorrow is my first day of school. I thought this demanded some sort of update on my blog, so here goes: I went for my first driving lesson on Friday and it was a lot less scary than I built it up to be. It was actually rather fun, I liked it. Saturday I missed Ro0ts because Crystal had to work so I did not have a ride - not cool. So, instead of Ro0ts I watched "The Terminal" on HBO. [Love that movie!] On Sunday I went to church, which was good. I really liked Romans 14 [which was reccomended for the congregation to read] It put my thoughts about judgement into words. After church, I spent an hour thinking about some things and that was really good for me I think. I jotted down some of those thoughts and they're nice and organized now for me to present to a youth leader - and from there DISCUSS. lol. After church, I want on my second driving lesson. This time I did more of turning than before but still, not scary - just fun. That leaves me with Monday, today. I went to get my hair cut kinda like Ashlee Simpsons and it looks alright I guess. Thankfully, not much was taken off the length so the biggest difference is just that I have bangs. So, tomorrow is my first day of school. Crystal will be driving me and my Ma' will pick me up. Uhm, yeah... Im not excited nor nervous; it just is what it is. So, that's all folks!

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Mat. 7:12-14  Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

My Junior Year Schedule

Semester One
1A Partners - RAK - Gym
1B Algebra 2 (314)– JAH - 230
2A DR-ED – M5L - 108
2B DR-ED – M5L - 108
3A Psychology – TAB – 064
Lunch: D
3B Psychology – TAB – 064
Lunch: D
4A Seminar – DLY - Cafe
4B Seminar – DLY - Cafe

Semester Two
1A Partners - RAK - Gym
1B Algebra 2 (314) – JAH - 230
2A Health Ed – KLA - 106
2B Health Ed – KLA - 106
3A Psychology – TAB – 064
Lunch: B
3B Psychology – TAB – 064
Lunch: B
4A Creative Comp – RBB - 046
4B Creative Comp – RBB - 046

Semester Three
1A Partners - RAK - Gym
1B Algebra 2 (314) – JAH - 230
2A English 308 – A1T - 269
2B English 308 – A1T - 269
3A US History – D2M – 063
Lunch: B
3B US History – D2M – 063
Lunch: B
4A Seminar – DLY – Café
4B Seminar – DLY – Café

Semester Four
1A Partners - RAK - Gym
1B Algebra 2 (314) – JAH - 230
2A English 308 – A1T - 269
2B English 308 – A1T - 269
3A US History – D2M – 063
Lunch: B
3B US History – D2M – 063
Lunch: B
4A Adv. Reading – A1T - 269
4B Adv. Reading – A1T - 269

Monday, August 15, 2005

Texas Trip 2005 Posted by Picasa
Goodbye Texas

August 14, 2005
So we’re back from Texas now. Overall, I could say the trip was good but if I were to get into detail I would say the trip was really challenging for me to get through. On the way home, I sat in back with JooRoo and Lindsey. Again, there is a lot I can say about the ride home, but so much is better left unsaid so all I will say is that it was good while it lasted but I’m glad to be home. At one point, in St. Louis, we got stuck in a bad storm [potential tornado] and I was freaking out. Lol, my fear of natural disasters got the better of me yet again but on the plus side, it entertained me for a good hour of the drive home. My theme song for the trip is “Crossing the Line” by Trust Company but my soundtrack to the trip is The Dark Forest CD. My books for the trip were Hebrews, Amos, and Obadiah. My verse for the trip was Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
Last Day in Texas

August 12, 2005
Today the two teams got together and shared some experiences we had in the Summer of Love. We found that the Chicago team had to learn consistency and commitment. After that, we split into two groups: JooRoo, Lindsey, David, Dan, Mrs. Hester, and myself went to the mall while Reese, Erik, Crystal, Paul, and Charity went to the JFK thing. Tonight, we went to Trail Dust for dinner. I got a HUGE salad which was really good. I danced for 2.5 seconds with Crystal but that was it. Afterwards, we went to the Rodeo. It was cool to go to once but I don’t think it’s my thing. During it, my mood was low and I think I was pretty rude to people, so I actually prayed in my head for a bit of the rodeo because I wanted my last day in Texas to be good. When we went back to the Judys to drop the guys off, I waited in the car and did my own thing. I was the first to go to sleep because I had a lot to pray about. Goodbye Texas.
Eriks B-Day

August 11, 2005
Today was a calm day. Daniel led a study for us first, then everyone finished Pirates of the Caribbean while I went to Starbucks with Heidi, Mrs. Hester and Lindsey. Me and JooRoo were all about journaling and writing today, or at least at the same time today. Then Michelle showed us a video called “Invisible Children” and talked to us about the organization a bit. That was a powerful video and I still don’t know what to do with the information I attained from it. At night we went to the Judy’s for dinner, Thanksgiving Dinner, and then the Seniors went on their night out. While they were gone I just read Harry Potter. When they got back, we played Capture the Flag for a while but I quit after the first round because my mind was too preoccupied with other things. I talked with Lindsey after that and then we went back home. I think tonight was the one night that I wished Jill was with us the most because I had to talk to her! lol. Happy Birthday Hadj! [On a side note, my thought of the day was "Why do I depend on others moods to determine mine?"]
Scavenger Hunt

August 10, 2005
Today we went on a Scavenger Hunt and did debriefing for the two teams. During debriefing we had to go around and encourage one another. I went first, so everyone in the circle had to say something encouraging to me. I was, rather embarrassed but it was encouraging and I was glad to be able to tell people why I appreciated them. A few months ago I wrote down why I was thankful for the people in Ro0ts so it was kinda’ cool to actually tell them face to face; but at the same time it was hard for me, personally, because I’m not good at talking and I felt weird telling them. The problem that arose with doing that was that soon after telling them, sometimes they would do something contradictory to what we said [I’m sure I did too.] The Scavenger Hunt was fun: but I think my experience was tainted by some comments people were making. I think my favorite part was when Daniel screamed up at the building requesting to be on some team. That was hilarious. Tonight, as everyone was watching Pirates of the Caribbean, I read Amos and Obadiah, per request of David when he found out I was going to read my bible. The two books turned out to be really good and I enjoyed reading them much. Man, that kid is so wise!
The Lake

August 9, 2005
Today we went to the lake. Everyone went tubing and jet skiing and Julia went wake boarding. It looked like fun but I don’t like to get wet. I can made up a hundred and one excuses as to why but when it comes down to it, the real reason is too personal and I wasn’t willing to explain it to anyone so yeah. It was fun though, watching everyone on the tubes. I got a little sun burned, but its not that bad because compared to everyone else – who have really sore muscles AND sun burn – I got nothing to complain about. I stayed dry the majority of the day, until Mr. Judy dunked the front of the boat into the water and got my entire left leg soaked. Then, when he got on the Jet Ski and splashed a lot of water where I was sitting – twice and I was wet the rest of the day. Haha. I spent most of the day with JooRoo.
Quiet Time

August 8, 2005
In the morning, the Judes had us all separate for an hour and a half to spend some quiet time with God. I went out into the field and, though at first it was hard to concentrate, I did it and it was great. For awhile I just talked to God, but as the red ants bit my ankles, I found I was too distracted so I sang to god for awhile. I remember I sand “Here I am to Worship”, Steve’s song, and “All in All.” Then I sat for a bit thinking about Lord of the Rings (which probably wasn’t the most productive of things to do but it helped me relax a lot.) I tried to journal next, but my pens died so I read a bit of Hebrews. I ended with just praying that God would help us all to be broken this week and for the unity of Ro0ts to be strengthened more than I can imagine. Eventually the Judes rode out to tell me I could go back. They gave me a bottle of water and I was just so thankful for the Judes - they are so great. When I got back, Julia took me out on the ATV’s. I was thankful she did because I wouldn’t have done it without her. Finally, we drove back home and showered and did our own thing. We also went to a “haunted house” on the corner of the Hesters street.
Middle Earth. "The Land"

August 7, 2005
This morning we went to UBC and worshipped with David Crowder. It was really cool, I thought, because they left the lights off –for the most part- and it took away a bit of the self conscious attitude while worshipping. I loved the music, I loved the atmosphere, and the message was good but it felt a lot more like a youth group than a church to me. I think it was an awesome experience but I don’t think I could go there every week and feel satisfied. There has been some talk about that church today: “Did you like it?” “What do you think about them playing secular music in the background?” We talked a bit about this stuff at a coffee house called Common Ground. On a tangent, I will say that Common Ground is an awesome place and it is the typical coffee house – very artsy, very calm, very cool, laid back. I loved that place. But back to the day. After Common Ground, we drove out to “The Land” – or what is better known as “Middle Earth.” There was a house that we crowned “Sheelabs lair” and a field that I crowned the Shire. We basically gave everything a name. While there, the Judy’s brought over their ATV’s and allowed everyone to go four-wheeling (I chose not to). Then they gave everyone a chance to shoot off a gun (I chose not to again.) Later in the night we had a campfire and sang worship songs around it. That was probably my favorite part of the day. After that, Dan, Erik, Daniel, Jason, David, Paul, Charisse, Julia, Lindsey, Charity, and myself went out to a former graveyard on the Land and tried to dig up a grave. I actually didn’t dig but it was cool all the same. We only got about three feet down when we realized it was going to take way too long and we gave up.
So it begins
August 6, 2005
So I’m on my way to Texas right now. Yes, I decided to go. It has been a long, arduous journey in determining for me to stay or go. In the end, I assumed the regret of not going would outweigh the guilt of going [and there in leaving Dad to fend for himself for the week.] I still feel a little guilty and I am still questioning whether or not I made the right choice but I am so looking forward to spending time with the youth group and –hopefully- gaining out unity again that I think it will be okay. Not to mention that I am confident this trip will strengthen me in the faith department. I also know I need this trip before school starts – as school will be a challenge in itself this year. I need this trip to gain the unity in Ro0ts back, to give me confidence in my friendships again before entering the rocky friendships I have at school.
As for right now though, I am just looking out the window at the clouds and trying to entertain myself as everyone else sleeps.
The Dark Forest: Number 5
Come quickly, my daughter, let’s hurry, now cease your chores
My daughter, grab the saddle, mount the horse
Oh father, my father what is going on
Oh father my father, wont you tell me what is wrong

Come quickly, my daughter, lets hurry, he’s gaining fast
My daughter, into the woods and don’t look back
Oh father, my fathers something gaining fast
Oh father my father a shadow reaches out and grab
Come with me, I have come for your blood
You can not resist me, you now belong to me
Come quickly, my daughter, lets hurry and don’t give up
His power grows stronger with the saddie
Father my father, He reaches for me
Father my father he has grabbed me
Come with me, I have come for your blood
You can not resist me, you now belong to me
You now belong to me

Father my father, he has pulled me off my horse
I am on my way to save, you
You are not match for me, I am stronger than you
Stronger is a father’s love, than any strength in your veins
Father my father, he is ready to work tough
Nananananana. I wouldn’t let you take my daughter
Prepare yourself to fight, you shall not feel my wrath
For my daughters life I am not afraid to fight
Father get up, Father, he has captured me
Come with me, [captured me] I have come for your blood
[captured me]
You cannot resist me, you now belong to me
You now belong to me, you now belong to…

Sunday, August 14, 2005

My Trip in a Nutshell Posted by Picasa

"Crossing The Line"
Somewhere tonight.
Inside of me.
A smile so distant... memory.
Covering up my face.
Landed on my knees.
So you can never see
The darkest part of me
[CHORUS:]Shutting my eyes,
I'm dying inside...
I've lost myself
A thousand times.
But i can remain
In spite of the pain.
I'll cross this line
Just one last time.
They are part of me;
These words that never heal.
They still remind me
That all of this is real.
Hiding from the world,
Lost in my disease.
So you can never see
The darkest side of me.
[CHORUS]
I can feel it...I can feel it......
Just for a second I want you to see
I hide myself from you
I hide myself from you
I feel so infected from these memories.
I hide myself from you.
I hide myself from you.
(from you, from you...)
[CHORUS]
Just one last time.
I'll cross this line
Just one last time.
Just one last time.
I'll cross this line
Just one last...Just one last time.
Texas Trip

There is a lot I can say about the Texas trip, but I’ve thought about how much I really want to let people know about my experiences, and I decided some things are better left unsaid. So sometime in the next few days, I will post about The Land [Middle Earth], and the Lake, and the Rodeo, and Trail Dust, and the Scavenger Hunt, and all that good stuff.