Because Grammar Isn't the Deciding Factor, Facebook Is!

So they're these flyers for a meeting thing about facebook... there is apparently an increasing concern that facebook may influence college admissions decisions? You know, like with myspace, and xanga, and other forms of stalker-friendly websites. Anyways, the main issue is whether these sites affect college admissions.

So I'm walking around school and these flyers are like "Can Facebook Effect College Admissions?" I first looked at it, and then instantaneously took a double-take. And then I started laughing. And somehow I think to myself "I don't think facebook is the main issue here, I believe its the degradation of student's grammatical abilities." Seriously, if one can't differentiate between effect and affect.... colleges will probably not like that, facebook or not.

It's like, so many kids are worried about how facebook will affect this or myspace will affect that. You have to remember, though, that there probably is some relationship to kids that spend their entire lives on facebook and lack of studying. I mean, if you lack the motivation to study and want to be on facebook, be my guest. But its the fact that you post revealing pictures of yourself on your site with you either doing illegal stuff or disgusting stuff that may hurt you. To some, facebook would never hurt them. Because those kids don't get into situations that could be potentially dangerous for them. Facebook in itself is not actually a bad idea, its just that the information kids choose to reveal about themselves via facebook that actually hurts. And obviously, if you have the guts to show that world that's who you really are, then why shouldn't college admissions look into that to? Are they the select few that shouldn't see that you like to drink underage at house parties on the weekend? Why not? They are, evaluating you as a person and should be entitled the information about you, especially infomation that YOU took the libertly to post about yourself! If you have absolutely nothing to hide from colleges, then you would have nothing to be afraid of. Colleges are supposed to accept you for who you are right? So why do you care if colleges take the intiative to find a little bit more about you? It's not their fault that they want to know more about the people that they accept. What you do reflects who you are, and colleges or not, I don't think you would change who you are because of it.

To a certain point, however, I'm sure that are other extraneous factors in addtion to these websites. I mean, the expectations of Great Neck North parents are that "my kid is going to Harvard/Princeton/Yale and no one is going to tell me otherwise." Seriously, some parents just need to understand- a kid witha 1800 SAT score and a 85 gpa is probably not going to get into IVY league schools. I don't know. Just a hunch.... I mean my point is that parents have unrealistic expectations for their kids. Don't they want their kids to simply be happy a college where they'd be able to academically challenge themselves and enjoy the next four years of life? The reason the top schools ARE, in fact, the top schools, is because the kids that go there are simply brilliant. It happens that the college admissions recognizes talent and intelligence when they see it - so sue them. Getting into Harvard doesn't guarantee you a $70,000 job offer after college. If you kid is a lazy bum, he will always be a lazy bum. It doens't matter what college that person goes to - they might as well go to a more reasonable college that fits them, rather than go to an unreasonably difficult college that they cannot handle. I mean, people really have to recognize their limitations. I'm sure that going to a good college and being successful is somewhat related, but honestly, when it comes down to it, its the individual's work ethic and attitude that ultimately determines his or her success.

So, in order to sum this up without an excessively redundant PTSA meeting, I'm here to affirm that there are some more vital factors that are considered that are (*gasp*) more important than facebook.

Beauty and the Geek: Sexist, much?

So there's this show on MTV (I think it was actually moved recently to CW) called "Beauty and the Geek," which is a tv show that tries to performed the "ultimate social experiment." Now, normally I don't pay attention to menial shows that do ridiculous things so that people can win money and curse at each other on tv. But something told me that there was something different about this show, something very unique that I could not put my tongue on.

After pondering a few days, I realized that the reason this show was different was because it was one of the few shows that actually incorporated the idea of 'intelligence' as a market product. Pairing up 10 nerdy intelligent but marginally-sociopathic geeks with 10 'so-called beautiful' idiotic beauties is possibly one of the most brilliant things MTV has every done. I mean not only do you get the same audience that watches OC, Laguna Beach, Real World, and etc, but you ALSO get something different from those 'hot guy hot girl' shows. Here, in Beauty and the Geek, beauties are forced to deal with insecure social wrecks, while geeks are forced to shave their unibrows.

I mean, it's not a bad thing to help a guy who researches monkeys with red lasers or to help a girl who doesn't know who the president of the united states is. But sometimes I feel that the characters in their personal interviews seem superficial- they talk about how great and valuable of an experience they had, but how is that possible within only like one week? And besides, I've also noticed that its something that the guys only said - it was probably only 'amazing' because they spent time with a beautiful woman, someone that they would never really be able to achieve on their owns.

but on another note, Beauty and the Geek doesn't really 'teach' anything, it actually only reinforces that stereotypes that we have against women and men. Women are dumb and beautiful, while men are smart but shy. But it's okay for a guy to be ugly while an ugly women is shunned not only from the female society, but also everyone else as well. Is it necessarily fair that beauty and the geek actually encourages these stereotypes? They specifically chose ignorant women and strange eccentric men to fulfill this job, and for whose sake? Ours! for money! for entertainment! because we, as human beings, love to see people suffer. whether it be dumb blondes or hairy nerds or anything or anyone out of the norm. and I personally think that this aspect of beauty and the geek is truly abhorring.

However, it is not a lost cause. To remedy this, I propose the the next season of beauty and the geek reverses roles: we find the female geeks out there and the male beauties. I mean that we find those female lab nerds who have low self-esteem, and the hot abercrombie male models who couldn't spell connecticut to save their lives. It would be nice if television supported a message that both males and females can be beauties, that both males and females can be geeks. I mean, why do geeks always have to be males? In fact, I believe that I am a female geek. I am a female geek obsessed with science, who has only kissed one boy, and who loves to spend her summers working at a lab running fuel cells. I am the geek who wants to graduate from a tech school, who is afraid of admitting her feelings, and etc etc. What makes me different from any geek on that show? Because I am a woman, and therefore I cannot be stereotyped as a geek. What bogus is that? I'm sure there are guys equally out there who think that they're beautful and think they have an IQ of 1,000,000. Why dont you try that, MTV? Why don't you ever try anything different? And if this doesn't convince you, I'm sure that the diversity in the program would at least make money on this endeavor.

A Double Fudge Chocolate Chip Sundae with a Huge Cherry on Top

Today is just an amazingly good today. Like, today I just feel good about myself. First, we had our last advisory session, and we did a really awesome activity that consisted of writing nice things about each other. To be more specific, I typed out the names of everyone in the group, and got everyone else to write nice things about the person named on top of the paper, and you're not allowed to look at it until everyone is done signing. Granted, it's not the most exciting thing to do, but I know that deep inside some people are really touched by the insightful comments that others make. I know for a fact that it boosted my confidence to see that my peerlings thought highly of me. that they thought I was intelligent, organized, and very outgoing. I mean, telling yourselves these things may sometimes help, but all it really does is boost your ego and it might do so in a false manner. I like this activity because you are somehow appreciated for the small things that you do, no matter how insignificant they may seem. The best part is that other people recognize what you recognize as well, and it just feels good that they can think of it without you having to brag about it. I guess it's really mostly for the modest people. I was actually thinking of writing a little rant called "ode to the modestly," and complain about how the modest people always get looked over by the idiots because they don't brag about their grades or they don't inflate their egos. I mean, if you're going to act 'above' someone, you don't say to them 'I'm going to act above you and ignore that comment.' That defeats the whole purpose of acting above someone - if you were seriously more mature, you would have simply just ignored the person's comment without a word. Honestly, there are so few kids who actually are mature, and there are so many spoiled kids who believe that they deserve honors and respect... Pfft. If people cant learn to respect those that are mature and act above people... then they are conniving maniupulative spoiled brats.

Anyways, on a brighter note, I recieved news that I was awarded Intel Semi-Finalist today! It was a great feeling. In fact, when I found out, I had left my flute and piccolo out on the stand and I was just in a state of awe for the entire day. Well, I took a psych test after I found out - but then I was in awe. It was a great feeling, and I felt totally accomplished. And well, some more egotistical people... Let's put it this way. I'm just glad that I got what I got. Before i say anything too bashingly negative. You know, just because I feel proud of my accomplishments.

Anyways, going to play around with this blog layout a little more. yay for blogs.

First Trial

Okay so maybe perhaps this is my...3rd or so attempt at using ebloggy, since ebloggy literally changes its format periodically. I kind of wish I had my last one though - it had a cool bamboo template. Oh well, I realy can't complain. Worse comes to worse I'll actually play around with the html and do something about it. until then, I'm going to try to get some sleep and have some fun with this blog.