Valentine's day is finally over. I have so many mixed feelings about this day, that I don't even know where to begin.
Firstly, I can't stand the fact that it's not a real holiday. I mean, it's not really a celebration of anything, it's just a commercial, made up holiday for the shops to sell all the heart shaped crap they couldn't sell throughout the rest of the year. The media makes you feel like you HAVE to buy something expensive to impress your loved ones and makes you feel like you're worthless if you didn't get anything.
The worst part is not that you might not get anything, but that the people who did get something only complain about it. I hate listening to people complaining that they got bad gifts when they should be thankful they got something in the first place. A friend of mine complained how she only got a necklace. ONLY? I mean come on, you got a necklace! (and it wasn't cheap, mind you).
On the other side of the picture are those that spend all their savings trying to impress their loved ones, only to hear "I only got a necklace" as thanks. I know a person who hates this month because his girlfriend's birthday, Valentine's day and their anniversary happen to come up only a few days apart. She isn't happy with just one gift. No. She wants three gifts. I know too many people who are that materialistic. I've heard too many people say "He only got me a little teddy bear" when the teddy was not little at all and was worth about a month's salary. Some people are never happy.
On the other hand, if you're not among those that hate the holiday, you might be one who can't wait till February 14th to show how much you love someone. If you have a reason to celebrate the holiday, why shouldn't you? I mean, I like the notion of having a day where you get to celebrate that you're in love... but shouldn't you celebrate that everyday? I admit, I used to hate Valentine's day in the past, but not because of the afore mentioned reasons. It was because I couldn't stand being abandoned by everyone else cause they were off to celebrate with their partners. I was always the third wheel, therefore I would spend my Valentine's day alone, wondering why nobody thought of me. But now that I do have someone to celebrate with, I feel somewhat guilty that I might be doing to someone what was done to me in the past. This tends to make me not want to celebrate.
It's really all just BS, and I wish I could just ignore the day. It's no different than any other day anyway. But the media makes it impossible to ignore, and if you do somehow manage to ignore the media, you're bombarded by comments from people who keep reminding you that they hate Valentine's day. If they hate it, they should just ignore it, or possibly throw eggs at people who are in love, for the fun of it ;)
I have to admit though, that it is somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. I have every reason to celebrate Valentine's day, even though I hate spending a lot of money for a commercial holiday. But I don't feel guilty at all that I celebrated Valentine's weekend with the one I love. It was so worth it.
All in all... I like what the day stands for... I just wish that there wasn't such fuss over it. It's not the end of the world if you're single, and it's not the only day of the year to show the person you love how you feel. Don't you wish you were cupid sometimes? It would be awesome to have his aim and a crossbow at times, wouldn't it? ;)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Ah, School
For those of you who are students, you know what I mean when I say school can be a bit harsh and frankly cruel. If you've graduated already, you're probably wishing you're still in your school years, but lets admit it... it's not because of the school itself. You're just nostalgic for times were you were younger and more energetic, right?
It's not the same for everyone. I've been a student for the most part of my life. I'm at an age where I'm sick of everything school related. I have to keep this up for another couple of years, and I honestly can't wait for it to be over. I know that I'll probably miss the busy lifestyle when it's all over, and of course I'll miss my crazy friends. But times change, and so do people, and once you start working, you're going to make more crazy friends (hopefully).
Although I hate the stress related to deadlines and impossible assignments, I have to say that I really appreciate being given the chance to experience it in the first place. I know a lot of people who weren't so lucky.
In this country, we don't have any natural resources, so the only thing our country has to offer is human resources. That's why our country invests in education and school benefits. However, despite having free higher education and even being given stipend, a lot of people still didn't have the opportunity to continue their studies. This worries me, since I believe everyone should have the chance to continue with their studies if they wish, but the system isn't very forgiving. We've come to a point where if you don't continue your studies, you're not going to be able to go on in life at all. It's almost like a barrier, where all those who had to stop their studies are destined to having a very hard life in the shadows of all those who were able to move on academically. There used to be a time where the people who couldn't continue their studies were still able to find good jobs albeit hard and strenuous. But now, even the minimum wage jobs are being given to people who are over qualified and are just looking to make money. I'm not saying it's a bad thing that qualified people are being given the chance to work low paying jobs for money, but it leaves those who cannot find better work in a lousy position.
When we take a look at other countries, we should be very thankful for our education system despite all it's flaws. Countries like England and Italy are having very big problems with their education system and people are protesting. It's almost impossible for one to continue their studies abroad unless they come from wealthy families. We should be very thankful that our system gives students the liberty of academic success with a monthly stipend, student benefits and various courses to choose from. We also have a school that allows people to continue their studies even if they have no qualifications at all. This is why it worries me to see people in miserable conditions because they can't even find even a minimum wage job. I know unemployment is a problem for everyone, but these people can't find a job not because there aren't any, but because they're under qualified in comparison to others who apply. Why should anyone be under qualified in this day and age when our system allows for so many paths to improvement?
If willing people are still not given the opportunity to study in this country then something is definitely wrong, and I don't mean in the education department.
It's not the same for everyone. I've been a student for the most part of my life. I'm at an age where I'm sick of everything school related. I have to keep this up for another couple of years, and I honestly can't wait for it to be over. I know that I'll probably miss the busy lifestyle when it's all over, and of course I'll miss my crazy friends. But times change, and so do people, and once you start working, you're going to make more crazy friends (hopefully).
Although I hate the stress related to deadlines and impossible assignments, I have to say that I really appreciate being given the chance to experience it in the first place. I know a lot of people who weren't so lucky.
In this country, we don't have any natural resources, so the only thing our country has to offer is human resources. That's why our country invests in education and school benefits. However, despite having free higher education and even being given stipend, a lot of people still didn't have the opportunity to continue their studies. This worries me, since I believe everyone should have the chance to continue with their studies if they wish, but the system isn't very forgiving. We've come to a point where if you don't continue your studies, you're not going to be able to go on in life at all. It's almost like a barrier, where all those who had to stop their studies are destined to having a very hard life in the shadows of all those who were able to move on academically. There used to be a time where the people who couldn't continue their studies were still able to find good jobs albeit hard and strenuous. But now, even the minimum wage jobs are being given to people who are over qualified and are just looking to make money. I'm not saying it's a bad thing that qualified people are being given the chance to work low paying jobs for money, but it leaves those who cannot find better work in a lousy position.
When we take a look at other countries, we should be very thankful for our education system despite all it's flaws. Countries like England and Italy are having very big problems with their education system and people are protesting. It's almost impossible for one to continue their studies abroad unless they come from wealthy families. We should be very thankful that our system gives students the liberty of academic success with a monthly stipend, student benefits and various courses to choose from. We also have a school that allows people to continue their studies even if they have no qualifications at all. This is why it worries me to see people in miserable conditions because they can't even find even a minimum wage job. I know unemployment is a problem for everyone, but these people can't find a job not because there aren't any, but because they're under qualified in comparison to others who apply. Why should anyone be under qualified in this day and age when our system allows for so many paths to improvement?
If willing people are still not given the opportunity to study in this country then something is definitely wrong, and I don't mean in the education department.
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