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After you're done reading, you could scroll down below and do my poll (and rate my blog)...Just saying. :)

Friday, August 31, 2012

Evolution Vs. Creationism: Bill Nye

WARNING: What I'm about to write has to do with a pretty controversial issue.
(It makes me wonder how Bill Nye got himself into it). Either way, if you are a strong believer in the bible, religion, and the traditional beliefs associated with many religions, just don't read this.

I will tell you outright that I do not believe in Creationism. Frankly, with how far that science has developed in today's world, "Creationism" cannot be explained by science, and there are just too many signs that point to evolution.

I don't believe that humans were created from dirt, mud, clay, whatever. Scientifically, would that even make sense? In most cases, I think the first part of the bible, Genesis, is often taken too literally. Who's to say that the meanings were not to be taken literally, but to be thought of rhetorically, as an example, or metaphorically?

So when this Bill Nye video came out, I'll admit: I whole-heartedly believed what Bill Nye said.

Let me briefly explain what he spoke of. The title of the video is Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children.  Nye spoke about how generally Creationism could not make sense, evolution was most scientifically accurate, and how society needs to evolve along with science. What this meant, was that if an adult believed in Creationism--it shouldn't be preached and engrained into a younger generation's mindset. The people who believe in Creationism can (I'm not saying will) see their world distorted, perhaps. The message was, children are the future of science, among other things. Having them believe in things such as Creationism will only set back scientific discoveries.

Now, while I believed in what Bill Nye was saying, one look at the comments proved to me that not everyone did. Skim through the comments section of the video, and what you'll find are various arguments, various lies, various spamming, and more opinionated people typing their own input.

I'll admit, some of those comments did irk me. Especially the things that were blatantly insulting, stereotypical, and lies. If someone is an Atheist, does that mean that they are any less than someone who is a Christian? If someone is a Hindu, does that mean their beliefs are void? If someone is Jewish or Catholic, and they believe in Creationism, does that mean that they are any less informed?

Well, no. Everyone has their own beliefs. No one knows what exactly happened billions of years ago. We can find stark evidence, but no one can rightly disprove that there's no god, just the same as they can't prove it.

I am not a religious person, but at the same time I am not Atheist. For this reason, I do not condone the belief of Creationism. Every person has a right to believe what she/he will. But that doesn't mean I will believe in it.

I'm with Bill Nye on this one. If we want to grow in the development of science, we have to put aside our religious beliefs. Science is based of off facts; no bias or opinions can cloud it. People close to me, in my family, who have gone on to become scientists, while remaining highly religious, believe in Evolution. While some people think that makes them less of a Christian, does it truly?

Evolution and Creationism are topics that I think will probably always be argued about. Because, honestly, there is no way to zip backwards and see for ourselves what truly happened.

To put it in the words of a Tootsie Pop: The world will never know.

~Banana Win

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Teen Angst? Not Exactly.

Sometimes, I think the entire "teenage rebellion" phase is just a hoax. I think too many parents expect teenagers to go through this phase as well--and sometimes, that can just push a teenager to doing just that.

I don't know what it is about those merger years, when we go from that slightly pudgy twelve year old, to the slightly less pudgy thirteen-year old, to the acne-riddled fourteen year old.

But I noticed something very interesting about it. Sometimes, it's not about change. It's about the fact that in that transition from awkward preteen, to even more awkward teenager--sometimes, kids don't change, at least not that much. And it's the fact that they don't change that causes things to happen.

And this is where the parents come in. I think there are parents out there, who just seem to think that a year added to your age consequents extreme growth in maturity. My mother is one of those people.

And the truth? Maturity isn't counted in numbers.

I don't have the best relationship with my parents, either of them. Not going into specifics, my dad isn't really that great of a person, and my mom...well, my mom is just another story. Sure I admire her single-mom efforts. But our personalities differ so much, it doesn't exactly make for joyful family times.

Something must have happened on my fourteenth birthday, because one day my mom went from, "person I can trust with anything," to, "person to avoid talking to at all."

Yes, there used to be a time where I'd have long talks about my days at school, my friends, my friends' friends. Those days are long gone, and might as well be forgotten. They're worth forgetting, anyway. It just seems, like the moment I truly entered teenage-hood, my mom suddenly became critical of everything. Whether it be the sports I played, the instruments I practiced, or the schoolwork I did, everything was soon micro-analyzed. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised--she is a scientist after all.

I'll admit, in that time frame, there was a lot of stress. We were moving for the umpteenth time, my mom was annoyed, and she took it out on me. Did I say anything? Well, no. For once, I kept my mouth shut, and let the woman blame me for all sorts of stupid things; whether it be how the house smelled, to why we got lost on the road.

And I think that was the time I reached a kind of breaking point. Soon everything about me was being analyzed. My performance in school, how often I practiced violin, how I used my time. Every simple conversation turned into an argument, no matter how hard I tried to be civil.

When it came to dinner, and she called me down. I would respond, but she wouldn't hear. What would happen? My mom would start raving about how I need to keep my bedroom door open, stop putting in earphones/ listening to music. And you know what's the killer about that? When that argument took place, guess what? My door was open. And I was quietly writing. Yeah, mom, it's all my fault.

Next came sports; tennis to be exact. And practicing. I love to play, and I would always ask to go practice. Of course, my mom would get irritated with my constant nagging, and let me practice. Then comes the one day when I don't ask. Was there a particular reason I didn't ask? No. I just had forgotten about it. I am only human. And she managed to start another argument. She began to rant about how I need to practice, because she "spends so much money on tennis," and I needed to practice, or else it's a waste. After one day of me forgetting to ask to go practice. Hm.

I had another common argument that ended up always exploding. Driving with a GPS. I was always in charge of it, and though it seems mean, my mom is a complete control freak when it comes to directions. Every few seconds, she'll ask how much longer we need to drive on a road, route-by-route directions, when exactly the next turn will be, what exactly the next turn is, and how many miles/feet it will take to get there. There isn't two minutes when she doesn't ask for a time/ amount of miles. She'd probably be perfect for the movie, "Are We There Yet?". But here's the issue when it comes to this. Picture me, trying to look at the GPS, then trying to relate it to the road in front of us; and trying to see which roads match up. Sometimes, roads can be pretty misleading. So if I don't mention a road, the minute it's coming up at 200 feet, I'm in trouble. Especially because my mom doesn't particularly listen to Ms. GPS Lady.

That's how most of our trips are ruined. Our last trip to the beach, ended up something like this (just to get there).

"I should never let you be in charge of the GPS, you don't pay attention at all. You're supposed to tell me when a road comes up. " Yes, mother, I'm supposed to tell you at exactly what point to turn, reciting when we've come closer a couple feet. Yes, mother, it was all my fault, because obviously talking GPS' aren't helpful at all, especially when they tell you to  turn here. Yes, mother, I'll take all the blame for a turn you didn't take.

No. But see, my mom isn't one to end there, and quite frankly, I'm always one to defend myself. And so I did. But she said some more bullsh*t excuses, which started to grate on my nerves. If she could call me terrible at "giving directions," then hell, I will call her a control freak. She even agreed. She said:

"Exactly, I'm a control freak, so I need someone with patience to handle the GPS, not someone as impatient as you!" Keep in mind the fact, that she is the one who impatiently asks how many miles are left every minute. But my mom is always a hypocrite, so there's no use pointing this out to her.

I'll give my last example, now. And it has to do with math. I had placed into advanced classes for math when I was in the eighth grade, and then was forced to take those advanced classes. While I'm not amazing at math, I'm not bad either, and I never give up. But, when eight grade was over, and summer began, my mom decided that since I "needed help" with math, she would get some math books. (She didn't have the patience to teach me). Of course, I think everyone knows that math books, aren't really that helpful. Or, they aren't as helpful as a true teacher.

I did a couple pages, occasionally. But what drive did I have? Everything was completely out of order in the books. And here's where the momster comes out.

Randomly, and when I mean randomly, I mean randomly, my mom would say something about math, and how I needed to practice. And then she would start with the criticizing again, on how I needed to practice math, and do those math books. Yeah, because it's just so simple to do math with no direction whatsoever. I think it's time to mention that my mom is close to genius at math, while I'm...not so genius. She expects me to understand things immediately. But I don't. And then she'd get mad.

So what to do? Well, I ended up holing myself in my room, trying to avoid her as much as possible. The plan kind of backfired, because she started yelling at me for that, too.

But that's my relationship with my mother. If there's anyone to blame as to why I was depressed while growing into my teenage years, it's her. Will our relationship ever be fixed? Doubtful. I know that as soon as I truly grow into a full-blown adult, she can expect that I won't be calling her that often. Or at all. But, you know, discrepancies.

I've tried time and time again to fix issues with her; time and time again to be civil with her. I've tried to make conversation, tried to tell jokes, tried to talk about my feelings--and learned that that's just a big no-no. It's best to just avoid my mom when it comes to those things. When my mother pushed me away, I changed. I became more sarcastic, more skeptical, and stopped believing in a lot of things.

So maybe I'll never understand anything about that time in my life.  But I do understand this.

Sometimes, a teen is pushed into doing things they don't want to do.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

This Is For All You Writers...

So today's post is a bit narrowed down in terms of demographic, I guess.

It's really only for writers, and maybe some readers who want to go to one of these websites to read.

So I think every writer knows just how hard it is to write a novel, edit a story, or figure out just how to go about proofreading.

And then comes along the internet.

There are tons of writing websites, and I've experimented with a bunch of them.With some, I ended up leaving, with others, I am still a member.

But this is a list of websites that you should/shouldn't go to if you're a writer. So you don't have to the whole experimenting business like me!

www.wattpad.com {☆ ☆ ☆ .5 stars}

Okay, this website isn't the BEST out there, but it's decent. I started out on it, as my first writing website. It's definitely a good place to start. If you're just beginning to write, and maybe you're not the best (yet), I'd say to start here. It's rare to get a really harsh "review" or "critique," unless you specifically ask for it. One good thing, is that you have all copyrights--so no copy and pasting will happen. There are lots of features, too, including fans and reading lists.
Some cons include the "popularity" factor, and voting system. Sometimes the books that are at the top, with one million reads, aren't that good. So if you're an excellent writer, if you're storyline is not popular, or romantic, chances are this isn't the site for you. But, if you're just writing for fun, I'd say to give it a visit. Great starter website.
www.authonomy.com {★ 1 star}
This website is a big no-no. If you're familiar with the former website "Inkpop," then you might have heard of this one. While the website is owned by Harper Collins, the best way to describe it, would be a massive slush pile. See, they have a "bookshelf" system. If you can manage to get your book on many others' shelves, you'll go up the "charts." If you make it to the top five, you get your story reviewed by a Harper Collins editor. However, many of the books that make it to the top five...got there because they spammed other people, forums, etc. and made their way to the top. It doesn't have copy and paste, but the system in which you get stories up is a bit annoying.
There aren't many genuine people on that website. Most people might give a half-hearted review, just so that you'd return the favor and put their book on your shelf. Everyone there just wants to get to the top, and there are some serious spam issues. This is definitely not a website I would ever recommend.
www.figment.com {☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 4 stars}
Ever wondered what happened to inkpop? It merged with Figment. I think this website is actually one of the most helpful writing websites. It also doesn't have copy and paste. While it has flaws, it definitely tops most writing websites. The "Heart-ing" system isn't that great, but the reviews can be really awesome. If you're a serious writer, looking for feedback, chances are, you'll find it here. While you may have to "swap" your story, and review another person's story in return, a lot of times you'll get a really helpful review.
It's not perfect though. The contests (whose winners actually end up being evaluated by real authors) are flawed. You have to earn hearts to get a chance to win. And there is a lot of "heart-swapping" that goes on. A person may just heart a story to get their's hearted in return, which means that they didn't really read/review it. It still needs some work with bookshelves and such, but it's definitely getting there. The forums can be really helpful, whether you're looking for encouragement, critiques, or how to create queries.
www.fictionpress.com {☆ ☆ 2 stars}
Now, I won't deny that there are a lot of good stories on fictionpress. It's almost a little sad that all the good writer's flock to this website. There are serious problems with this website though. Plagiarism. Copy and paste happens a lot, and it is very easy to get your story stolen, if you put it up there. So, I wouldn't recommend joining the site. I also think that the reviews don't really help that much. More often than not, it is just people praising your story; not much feedback involved. It's a very simple website right now, as well. The one plus, is that there is no popularity system; at least not much (a reason why they got 2 stars). They do have a kind of reading list, however. Not bad, but not good at the same time.


Okay, so I don't have a lot of websites, but I do have the most helpful, and worst ones up here.
Hope it helped you hopeful writers!


~Banana Win

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Promises, Promises


There are a lot of things that I don't like about society, but if there's one thing which gets me every time;  it's breaking promises.

"Oh, I PROMISE I'll call tonight!" And then no call is received.

"I promise we'll meet up this week!" And then no meet up is planned.

"I promise to come over Saturday for the project!" And then you're stuck alone finishing the project.

I think that gives you an idea. There are different kinds of promises, but I think overall, unless you were blackmailed, or too young/ inebriated/ high to make sense of a promise, promises should be fulfilled. And yes, I said inebriated instead of "drunk."

You don't just say one thing and do another. It's not right.

Remember those pinky promises that we'd all make when we were six? What happened to the sincerity in that?





You can see unfulfilled promises everywhere. From gimmicks on advertisements, to lies from people. When does it stop?

I particularly hate it when there are two sides to a promise.

Example:

Amy and Beth are doing a partner project due in a week. Amy promises to write everything onto the poster and Beth promises to research everything. Wednesday comes around and Amy asks Beth if she finished the research. Beth says she didn't. Come Thursday, Amy asks again, and Beth apologizes and says that she's still not done. Beth then promises to go over to Amy's house to finish the project. Amy waits till eight, calls Beth a couple times, but receives no answer. In the end, Amy is forced to research everything and write everything onto the poster by herself. 

In stories like these, people like Beth get the grade without doing the work. I've been in situations like these, but one time it was taken too far. (This was also the last time I let someone take the advantage.)

I was doing a project with a girl. It was a creative project, in which we had to create a comic strip. We decided that I would draw and she would color and trace. We planned a little bit together, but I thought up most of the comic strip. Then came the day it was due, and my partner hasn't colored anything. I had spent some of my own time coloring, and expected her to at least do so much. But no. In a free period, I saw her and told her to come help me color. She never showed, and I ended up finishing it. And rushing it. In the end, as I ran to my class to hand it in before the day was over, the teacher reminded me to put my name on it.

I did. But I only put my name on it.

When my partner for the project was confronted, I said nothing. And when she asked me about it, I simply said she didn't help me. Which was completely and utterly true. Why should she get any credit if she didn't do any work? She didn't get the grade, either.

Revenge is a dish best served cold...really, really cold.'

But as you can see, I have strong feelings when it comes to promises, or keeping ends of deals.

So the next time you decide to ignore a project, or your partner decides to ignore a project; just remember: you never know how much it'll cost you.

Cue the evil laughter.

~Banana Win


Sunday, August 12, 2012

A Case of Overplayed Songs

[A Short Rant]

If you haven't heard of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," you are probably a bit too antisocial. Or maybe you're just an old lady with a million cats living in a spooky house, getting your groceries delivered to you, that surfs the internet.

But what do I know?

Anyway, it's not like I have anything against the song. Definitely not my favorite, but I'm not going to mean for the heck of it and pound on the lyrics or the tune. It's just a song. Albeit, a very teen-girl focused song.

The only reason I'm posting about it, is because I'm sick of it. Remember that one song that was played on every radio station, and played five (million) times in a week. No? Well, this song is probably the number one most overplayed song. It's ridiculous.

Example:

Me in the car going to Wal-Mart: *turns the radio on*

"Hey I just met you...and this is crazy!...But here's my number! So call me maybe!"
*reaches Wal-Mart*

Five minutes (and a bag of assorted items) later...

*turns the radio on*

"Hey I just met you...and this is crazy!...But here's my number--"
Me: ARGH!

*changes radio station*

"It's hard to look right...at you baby! But here's my number...So call me--"
Me: *mutters under breath*

*turns radio off*

I then proceed to go home in silence.

See? Isn't this just annoying? I just want to listen to the radio in peace.

And if it's not Carly Rae begging us to call her, then it's Maroon 5 cursing about love--no matter how much I like that song, I don't want to hear it every time I get in the car. Or then again, it could be One Direction calling girls insecure--and out comes the feminist side... Or maybe it'll be Gotye crooning about some person in his past.

But come on, really? Really? Variety is not a crime!

It just seems that whenever a catchy tune is discovered...it will be played...over...and over...and over.

And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one suffering from a case of overplayed songs... Looks like I'll just have to resort to Pandora. Unless they too have succumbed to this incurable disease.

#rantover

~Banana Win

 

Friday, August 10, 2012

The Grammar Monster

If there is anything that I have a pet peeve for, it's grammar. I must have forgotten about it when I wrote my post on pet peeves, but it's one thing that never fails to annoy me.

And not in the way that you think.

I am a serious stickler for grammar. Yes, I'll let grammar slide by a couple times, and I almost always let it slide in casual emails. But when a person blatantly ignores all rules of punctuation, I get annoyed.

See, I know emails aren't meant to be edited and written all prim and proper. Hell, even I use the most atrocious spellings known to man. But at least I use proper punctuation!

I have a friend who emailed me recently, and I could not understand a word she wrote, because she just couldn't take the two seconds to put a question mark. Is it so hard to take the time to inform your reader whether you wrote a sentence or a question? Yeah, yeah, everyone makes mistakes, but this friend of mine had been on her bad grammar roll for most of the entire email. So I had to say something about it. In the end, it sounded more like a rant in which I asked her not to mock the English language and to use question marks when appropriate.

But oh no. The response was even worse. Up came another "question" that was even more confusing, because a "sentence" was added after it.

It looked like this:

"What do u mean don't mock the English lingo cuz I don't remember doin so????????"


Yup, after I confronted her about her bad grammar, she had to go on and continue using bad grammar. And then add a million unneeded question marks.

I'm pretty sure she meant something like: "What do u mean "don't mock the English language?" [She couldn't even use the right word!] Cuz I don't remember doin so.

See? I wasn't harsh. I didn't change her spelling (aside from lingo to language). Because it wasn't the spelling that bothered me. It was the punctuation. All I wanted her to do, was separate her sentences with a period or two, and put a stupid question mark at the end of a question.

When I got the response to that email, I was just about ready to scream at the world.
The response to my whole explanation on how she didn't use her english properly, and that she just needed to add punctuation marks was this:

"?"

This was me when I saw it: ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? AFTER I SPEND TWO 
EMAILS EXPLAINING HOW TO USE THE FREAKING SHIFT KEY AND QUESTION MARK KEY, YOU SIMPLY GO "?" WHAT THE FREAKING HELL IS CONFUSING ABOUT PUTTING A SQUIGGLY LINE AND A DOT NEXT TO A QUESTION?
Accompanied by this:






Yeah. Of course I didn't write that to her. I mean, I virtually yelled just a little bit. But how many times can a person take repeated offenses?

I told her once, I told her twice, if I needed to tell her a third time, I wasn't going to play nice.

So I went ape on her. If she doesn't understand why I was annoyed I will explode. 

But getting back to my whole grammar pet peeve, I am lenient. I'm not some crazy psychopath who goes insane whenever he/she sees a sentence with bad grammar. I have bad grammar sometimes, too.
But when it comes to punctuation...I can (and will) go crazy.

So there you have it. One of the things in this world that can make me yell/scream/curse at the sky.

#rantover.

~Banana Win
















Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Ultimate Questionnaire

The Ultimate Questionnaire:

(All questions asked are completely random. Some sites that helped to provide questions were Bzoink and gettoknowu.)

1. What was the last lie you said?
Instead of telling someone I had completely forgotten I had to meet her, I lied and said that the person who was driving me was "running late." In reality, the driver had also completely forgotten.
2. Have you ever cried during a movie?
Yes.
3. Have you ever been in a car accident?
I have been, but I wasn't the driver.
4. Have you ever made a prank phone call?
Twice actually. Both times were when I was ten and with some others. We called Domino's and my mom, but both times we were laughing too much to really stay on the line too long.
5. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No...but I do think that first impressions can influence a person in terms of emotion.
6. Would you ever get a tattoo?
Maybe. But it would be a small one, preferably on my arm somewhere. Oh, and it would have to mean something.
7. If you could see 24 hours into the future, what would you do with this ability?
Um...I would see 24 hours into the future.
8. What technology do you think you will never adopt?
E-book readers. I like books in hand.
9. What is your idea of heaven?
Sleeping on clouds, and eating the best free food ever.
10. What do you believe will last forever?
Time.
11. What would be your personal hell?
Having to go back to the eight grade and reliving every bad day I've had in that grade over and over again, for eternity. 
12. If you had to act your own age, what behavior would you change?
Every single behavior of mine. I act like a ten year old.
13. Have you ever seen a dead body?
Yup. Open-casket funerals suck.
14. Do you have a celebrity crush?
No. I probably never will, either.
15. How many piercings do you have?
Two. One on each ear.
16. Do you make wishes on shooting stars?
I've never seen a shooting star...but if I did, I would.
17. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night person. The latest I've gone to sleep (ever) was 7:30 A.M. And no, I didn't have jet lag.
18. What is the worst song to get stuck in your head?
Friday, Rebecca Black.
19. What would you want your last words to be?
"Before I die, I just want to tell you--" And then I would die.
20. Have you ever been to the hospital? (Not including birth).
Yeah, once. I was in Italy and had gotten a million (okay, not a million...) mosquito bites. Got a shot right in my behind. Ouch.
21. Have you ever been in a fistfight?
Yup. You won't believe it if I tell you who it was with.
22. Have you ever gotten detention?
Yeah, but they were all for stupid, non-rebel things.
23. Have you ever liked an enemy?
Unfortunately. But that's one story I'll never tell.
24.  Are you a different person now than you were ten years ago?
Yeah. Changed from an introvert to an extrovert. Lots of reasons for that one.
25. Would you ever lie to someone to make them feel good about themselves?
Yeah. Only friends get that kind of treatment, and even that is very rare.
26. If you could have a drink with someone from history, who would it be?
Albert Einstein. Though I probably wouldn't have anything intelligent to say...
27. What is the last thing you lost and then later found?
A sweatshirt. I love my sweatshirts, though. So, yay me!
28. What makes a house a home?
If you love where you are, you'd always want to come back, and you'd cry if you learned that you have to leave: it's a home.
29. Is there such thing as too much chocolate?
NO.
30. What makes you lose hope for humanity?
All the political problems, wars, economical problems, and environmental problems. Basically, everything of importance.

~*~

There you have it! The Ultimate Questionnaire! I hope you could see a bit more as to what kind of person I am, and I hope that some of my answers amused you. I certainly enjoyed answering the questions.

Signing off,

~Banana Win

Monday, August 6, 2012

Facebook, Twitter, Google, & the Internet

[DISCLAIMER: I have nothing against social media sites, social networking, Facebook, Twitter, and anything related to social media.]

I have a cousin who's obsessed with Facebook. When I say obsessed, I mean he is on his laptop for more than half the day, and is on Facebook at least every five minutes, responding to whatever the hell goes on with his friends. That's a serious obsession.

But I think it's fairly typical of every teenager or college student nowadays. It's just the way things are.

Hard to believe that fifteen years ago, "internet" wasn't even in a dictionary. But I suppose now we don't really use paperback dictionaries do we? Google is the first thing that comes to mind.

It's actually quite interesting to see how common phrases such as:
"Why don't you check the dictionary?"
Have changed to:
"Just Google it!"
When society changed to the digital era, it changed for good. Now if you want to learn something, you don't need to get off your butt and haul yourself over to the library. Just type in a few words, click a couple times, and the information is, quite literally at your finger tips.

Simple.

Social networking has changed the way our society works as well. Before, when people would meet up outside, maybe exchange phone numbers, addresses, and maybe send some heartfelt, old-fashioned letters, that was just the way things were. That was normal.

Ask for a hand-written letter now, and you'll get a blank look, a chuckle, a pat on the head and the words, "It's called email."

I'm sure the postal service isn't too happy about that.

But even email is being overridden by social media. Facebook and Twitter have taken over the mainstream. Most people, famous or not, have crossed over to the dark side, and been sucked into the websites.

Of course, for celebrities, social networking provides a way to communicate with fans on a scale and level that could never have been matched years ago. As for the awkward fourteen year old who excitedly gets an account, it usually just leads to a series of things that will be listed and sorted into an easy and manageable way:

1. Internet Drama
We've all heard of this one. The case in which some stupid person tells another stupid person some stupid rumor, starting stupid fights, and causing a storm of crap to rain all over your facebook page. Sounds fun, doesn't it?
2. The Superficial "Friends"
On Twitter and Facebook, it's just how it is. People always want to try and up the number of followers they have, or the number of friends they are. For teenagers, this is often the deciding factor for popularity. Never mind the fact that half the people that "friended" or "followed" you, probably aren't even your friends.
And last, but not least:

3. Cyber Bullying
I refer to this as the "new" way to bully others. The Internet gives pathetic bullies a new way to say mean things without having to say things to people's face. They can troll as much as they want, and hurt people as much as they want. After all, on the Internet, you can be a totally different person.
It's really no wonder that I have avoided social media for so long. Having gone through all the troubles of finding who I really am, and avoiding fakeness as much as possible, I just know that going to one of those troublesome websites will probably only get me into a personal identity crisis.

I know that not everyone who goes on those sites are like that, obviously. Of course I have friends who are all on those sites. Even I have involved myself on small scale social gatherings with my close friends; over the internet. But those are people that I've met. And anyone can be sucked into the superficiality that certain sites offer.

Of course Blogger is considered a type of social networking site. But it's nothing like Facebook or Twitter with the insanity and the crazy. I just don't feel the hype.

But that's just me.

#rantover.

(See what I did there? Typical Twitter move!)

~Banana Win


Bananas! How punny...


My blog is called "The World of Bananas," but I don't talk about bananas. So I must be bananas!

*crickets*

If you haven't guessed what this post is about...

It's about puns! Specifically, bad puns.

I think everyone has encountered a situation in which bad puns just seem utterly hilarious. I make it my goal to make those situations. The art of the pun is, that because it is so terrible, it is irrevocable funny. That's what makes  pun funny. Oftentimes, reactions to puns make them more funny than they actually are.

I've had my fair share of encounters with puns. I remember the days in which my friends and I were extremely cheesy, and spouting the worst puns known to man.

"I had a math teacher who liked to sunbathe. He often got distracted and veered off topic. He was a tan gent."
Or,
"Why do people become bakers? They kneed the dough!"
I don't know what it is about a pun that can make a person want to throw up, or roll over laughing. I usually find amusement in the most rudimentary of things. So I choose option B (rolling over laughing).

Usually, I don't like it when I come across someone who gives what I call "The Snooty Look." What does this look mean?

Definition of The Snooty Look: the look a person gives you, signifying that you are either way below their level of intelligence, or just dirt under their shoes.

I don't think anyone really needs to be given that look, but oftentimes, it is given anyway. If I say a pun, and someone gives me The Snooty Look, I can immediately be warned that: this is a person who does not take kindly to jokes.

Well I don't take kindly to people who don't take kindly to jokes! Phew, that was a mouthful. I honestly think that people do need some sort of sense of humor. I don't think I would be able to go through a day without laughing, and there have been days when things have been pretty downhill.

Yes, puns are the crudest and probably worst of all jokes, but I think that's what gives it the edge of humor. It's already blacklisted. What worse can happen?

You know that overused (understatement) phrase: YOLO. You only live once. Why don't you spend fifty percent of your time laughing? Have some fun? Tell terrible jokes about horses and bars, when you know that horses can't even fit into a bar.

Remember, laughing can't kill you. Okay, maybe it can. If you have heart issues. You know what, I'll talk about that later. *cough*

But remember, puns aren't as bad as society says. (That's a lie.)

But they're still amusing!

So I think that's where I'll end it. Don't be afraid to laugh at puns, YOLO, never give The Snooty Look, and always have a sense of humor. Oh, and don't tell jokes about horses.

~Banana Win


The Dream of My Subconscious

Have you ever just had one of those dreams that you remember so vividly in your head, but you just can't--for the life of you--understand what it means?

A few weeks ago I had probably the oddest dream I've ever had. In it, I was a maid (go figure; stupid subconscious), and I was in a huge, huge palace. The palace was pretty odd, and the kinds of workers in the palace were pretty odd, too. One portion of the palace had long wide tubes, similar to a gate at an airport, except instead of leading to an airplane, it lead to this large dock in which items were shipped (like export/import). It wasn't clear if all the tubes led there or not, however, because some tubes were more winding and curving.

Then to top it off, all the maids had these different codes that they had to follow. Surprisingly, in the dream, the codes pretty much stayed the same, with some occasionally being added. The codes were difficult to understand. I remember the most common one made no sense in real life (though I forget what words they were now).

Anyway, aside from the whole infrastructure of the palace, I was a newbie maid. So, a palace aide had me and a group of newbie maids led to a large, dormitory-like room. There were beds against one side of the wall, but on the other side of the wall, there were these portal-like holes. Each hole looked onto a different place.

So, the palace aide then explained to us that we would have to choose which portal hole we wanted to go into, and that would be the place where we would work. For a dream, this was pretty complex stuff for me. Each of the other girls go into these different portals (some lead to kitchens, etc.). When it came to my turn though, the palace aide just shoved me into a portal that basically lead into a field of tall prairie grass. After this, things got a bit blurry, but when my dream self (is that what it's called?) came out of her (I'm still lost on what exactly a dream self is...) daze, my dream self was elsewhere. I was instead in the castle, in a room with the "prince" of the place I was in.

The prince seemed pretty snotty, and he had the face of someone I pretty much dislike in real life. He used his codes to basically order me around some more. But while he had sent me out on some order, I was intercepted by some other high end, upper person. This person turned out to be the King. He sent even more orders, with even more codes. I returned to the King first, following his orders and codes. By the time I returned to the prince, with his orders, he was sitting there bored.

Oh, and it turns out that I forgot something. Just as he was yelling at me for forgetting something, the King walks in and scolds me. (Yay, more scolding! Sarcasm.) Anyway, I was already confused to begin with, so when the King started yelling, I was even more confused.

And here's the moment where I got more lost than ever. The "prince," funny, I never got his name, ended up offering to tutor me. The King was satisfied with this, and left. And then the prince proceeded to tell me what the orders meant, and actually encouraged me.

Now the way I viewed this dream was kind of weird. I knew what was going on, as I was "the main character" so to speak, but I was also viewing this a bit birds-eye too. So while I was experiencing all these things, I was also not understanding all these things. That makes for a very confusing dream.

Anyway, the next day when I reported for duty, the prince was being nice, and happy and all that junk. And the King wasn't too happy. He had just expected "me" to learn and not for his oh-so-beloved son to be nice to the oh-so-lost maid. Yeah. That resulted in the prince grabbing my arm and running to those aforementioned tubes. It was a full on chase. Why were we running? I'm not exactly sure. Maybe to escape the devil King that was on our tails? Because that makes sense. When we reached the tubes of course, I had no idea what the "prince" wanted me to do.

Turns out, he wanted to slide down the tubes and to wherever the hell either one ended up. And so we jumped in a diagonal tube, shaped much like a large slide, and zipped down. I remember we passed some utterly confused woman carrying some boxes too. And it was on this mini-joyride that I woke up.

I'll admit, that this could make for a pretty interesting story-line, but I just thought I'd share that with you. The most odd things in the dream, was the fact that the prince looked exactly like someone I hate in real life. But then again, the entire dream was odd from start to finish. [I'm still surprised I remember the dream, even though I had it weeks ago.]

I hope I amused you in some way.

But as you can see, subconsciouses can be so odd. Although I have no idea what my subconscious was thinking, it's clear that it was a result of an overactive imagination.

Well, anyway. Enough rambling.

Maybe tonight, you'll have as awkward of dreams as I did.




~Banana Win

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Not So Famous Songs

Sometimes, I just can't agree with the Billboard charts. Some of the songs that are at the top seem so generic. So, I decided to post my top five songs, that aren't so famous. I consider "famous" to mean they've cracked the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. These songs are a mix of genres, ranging from pop to rap, to a more indie style. But I think all of them deserve their placement. (Placement is in order).

#5. Chasing the Sun by The Wanted
I usually abhor the songs that boy-bands make, because to be honest, most boy-bands only specialize in pop. But, I feel like this song is not just pop, but dance as well. Remember that awkward prom, you went to as teenagers, where you needed a song to get the bravery to dance? This is that song. Of course, it helps that this song is featured in Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, and "Glad You Came" is still stuck in the minds of many. Either way, though it may not be a tear-evoking, deep, meaningful crescendo of music, I'll give it props for getting me to sing along.
#4. Settle Down by No Doubt
No Doubt just has a style that no other band will ever be able to pull off. The whole song is just laid back and smooth, similar to reggae, but different at the same time. And it still has that catchy tune stuck in the middle of it. Like a true band, there aren't only vocals, but you can hear all the instruments. The beat just makes you want to bop along, even if you do look like a lunatic when you do. And of course, the vocals just sound too cool, courtesy of Gwen Stefani. Definitely a top pick. 

#3. One More Night by Maroon 5
A lot of fans don't like the new direction in music that Maroon 5 is going in, but I understand: ten years of the same thing can get tiring. "One More Night" just reminds me of the kind of light reggae and spot on vocals that you just have to sing along too. What first caught my attention was the unique "ooh"-ing that Adam Levine pulls off in the beginning (and through out the song). Though it may sound weird at first, it grows on you--and not in a bad way. It's different from most pop songs because of this. 


#2. Both of Us By B.o.B. featuring Taylor Swift
This song did make a decent hit on the Billboard Hot 100--but I have never heard it, not once on the radio. Unfortunately, no one I know has either. But this song is probably one of those rare gems you find in pop music--where you can find a deeper meaning to a song. And it actually is obvious. B.o.B. uses his usual rap magic here. This time, you can hear the personal lyrics. It delves a bit into society too, which is always a plus to me. Taylor Swift's portion just makes for the icing on the cake. But in total, this is the song you listen to when you need that hope.


#1. The A Team by Ed Sheeran
This song is just absolutely beautiful. I don't understand how Ed Sheeran was able to write something that just makes utter sense, while managing to sound poetic. And the guitar alone is a song in itself. But on the Billboard Hot 100, the song has been hanging out in the "top" nineties. Either way, this song is one of the few that proves to us that music other than pop music is still alive, running, and going strong. It takes real talent to get a song like this, one that you can listen to over and over again without getting tired.

Well there you have it! My Top Five! (Click on links to see videos in new tab; the links are the names of the songs). A bit diverse, considering I had some slow songs, some pop songs, some rap songs, and some dance songs, mixed with pop/reggae. But I tried not to be biased, and picked songs that I thought didn't have so much recognition (because that just takes the fun out of it all). Regardless, those songs were some of the coolest.

Hate it, love it, or care less!

~Banana Win

A Collection of Pet Peeves and Real Time Happenings

There are just certain things about people that can make me want to wring their necks.
Well, not literally.

You see, you know those small things that just get on your nerves? Pet peeves? I have a few.

Okay, maybe not a few.

But I'll just name a few.

#1. Say it, Don't Spray it!

I absolutely hate it when people blab on and on (oftentimes about something I could care less about) and to top it off, what do they do? They spray their spittle all over my face. That isn't enjoyable. You know what makes it worse? When they don't even realize they're like a sprinkler over there with their mouth.
#2. I'd rather not smell you.
I think everyone has encountered someone, at least once in their life, who needs deodorant--and doesn't use it. I have met some of these people. One of them went as far as to say that she doesn't need deodorant, because her "sweat smells nice." In what demented world does sweat have a sweet aroma? No, to me, sweat is sweat, and it is stinky. And say that someone did have odorless sweat? I would love to meet that person. It's a rule teenagers learn from the time they hit puberty: if you want to keep everyone happy, put the deo on.
#3. Drinking from other people's cups.
Okay, now this one might sound a little prissy. It's not like I haven't drank from other people's cups or bottles before. But those were desperate times. And desperate times call for desperate measures. But sometimes there are those people who just slobber all over the top of a bottle, so much that you can see their spit. And then all I can imagine is "oh my good lord, I am just ingesting more and more saliva." Ew. It goes the same with cups. I am a clean freak, and I repeatedly drown cups in water till they smell clean. Let's just pin it on a minor, minor case of OCD.
#4. Having the toilet seat up/down.
So this pet peeve goes two ways. When a guy just leaves the seat up, I get irritated. Is it so much to ask to put the seat back into its proper position? Same with those seat slammers. When you're in a rush, and you need to go, it can get annoying to do all that shifting. Lesson learned.
 #5. People who chew with their mouth open.
This one I am pretty lenient on. I mean, certain things just don't fit right in your mouth. But when it gets to a point where it's beyond disgusting, I put my fork down. (Never use that pun. It's terrible). We're all glad that you're enjoying your food, but we don't need to see tht process.
#6. The Fake Friends
Don't know who I'm talking about? I'm talking about those people who are always "nice" to you. "Nice" in quotations because they act nice, and then say things that have double-bladed meanings. Example: "Aw, you got an A minus on the math test? That's too bad." And that's after that "A minus" was your best grade in the class. Cue the death glares. Or maybe "That dress is really pretty, but did it shrink in the dryer? That's why you have to air-dry those kinds." Now that's a double whammy. Insulting someone's weight and laundry skills! But I think you get my point. I've come across my share of fake friends. Unfortunately, if you're mean to them, you get the same treatment, so I'd best say to keep calm and go with it.
Interlude

The rain just had to interrupt my lovely reminiscing. I would say it were raining cats and dogs, but that would be a lie. All I see are leaves falling everywhere, wind whipping everything, and random attacks at my window, courtesy of the wonderful rain. Not. My window is a blurred mess right now. Anyway, enough rambling about the annoying sprays of water (maybe that could be another pet peeve of mine? random water attacks?) Let's go!

Alright, I have one last pet peeve for all you random readers who can probably care less about what some even more random person has to say.

#7. When someone thinks it's just fine to take your things.
Okay, you may be a little confused here. But I've had family and friends who think that because they are just so close to me (and that doesn't necessarily mean personally--I don't think the term blood is thicker than water applies to me), they can randomly come in and use something of mine. Usually it is something electronic, say a tablet or something. And no, I'm not some uptight rich, snooty patootie person. It was a gift. Moving on. I just hate it when people waltz into my room, take said item, and proceed to use it. Or ask oh so innocently if they can use something of mine. It would just cause some stupid argument if I said no. I guess what my point is, is that I don't like when people touch/ use things of mine, and think it's perfectly fine. Because it's not.
Well there you have it, a few of pet peeves that makes this girl tic. Okay, that was probably my worst pun yet. Oh well. If you didn't notice, I posted a short "article" of sorts about paradoxes, so if you're interested, scroll below. I wouldn't mind a comment or two about what you think of my blog, but it doesn't matter to me either way.

Have fun, drink lots of water, and eat junk!

~Banana Win

Schrödinger's Cat?

I'm going to be posting twice today! And here comes the infinite silence in place of cheers and whooping.
...
But yes! This first post is going to be something a little special. This past week, I created a newsletter, creatively (not) titled "OPINION." It's about what it says. Opinions on various things. But I did throw some fun things in there, such as this next piece that I will share with you.

SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT? Paradoxes have been pondered over for centuries.  From physics to logic, there are some things we just can’t wrap our head around.


Schrödinger’s Cat is just one example of the many paradoxes that plague today’s world.

The situation describes a cat in a steel box. The cat is put inside either with some poisonous gas. In one minute, the poison will either be leaked, or nothing will happen. There is a fifty percent chance of either situation happening. However, we don’t know which outcome will occur.

In the end though, once we open the box, only then will we learn of the cat’s fate.

Here is where the paradox lies. While the cat is in the box, there are two outcomes. Once the box is opened there is only one. So, while the cat is in the box, it will either see the poison being leaked, or it will see nothing. Regardless, however, until the box is opened, we cannot be sure.

Quantum physics wise, it is said that the cat is a sort of equilibrium, in which it is neither dead nor alive. Only when the box is opened does one disposition have to be chosen. Confusing, right?

Of course, there have been many theories about this cat. Some say, there could be a parallel universe, one in which the cat is dead, one in which the cat is alive. Others stick with the previous theory: a state is chosen when the box is opened.

In the end, though, this is one of the biggest paradoxes that still elude us.

THE GRANDFATHER PARADOX

The Grandfather Paradox is a bit easier to understand (as it is not physics); but still is a brain twister nonetheless.

In this paradox, we have to use our imagination a little bit.

A young man travels back in time (of course, we have to imagine that this were possible). When he reaches “the past,” he murders his grandfather. How is it then, he is born in the future to go back and murder his grandfather?

This paradox is all about time. If the young man did manage to kill his grandfather, then how is it his father, and eventually he himself was born? If he were never born, that would mean he would have never travelled back in time, which would mean he would never murder his grandfather. This circles back around to the logic that if his grandfather never died, he still has the young man’s father, who still has the young man who started this mess.

THE TWIN PARADOX

Albert Einstein was the one who thought of this paradox. His idea started out with two identical twins. One of the twins travelled into space (in a spaceship travelling near the speed of light). The other stayed on Earth. The twin that went into space continued travelling at the same speed for a while, and then decided to turn back home. However, when he arrived back, he discovered that his twin had aged significantly more than him.

Here is where the mind twister comes in. Because the twin in space is travelling so fast, time is dilated. Meaning, that for him, time goes slower than for his other twin. Therefore, when he comes home, more time has passed than he has recorded.

So much for being identical.

~*~

So that was my little bit. I hope I interested you (though I seriously doubt that, considering I was talking about quantum mechanics at one point), and even if I didn't, I just proved that I am more of a geek/nerd than anyone first thought.

~ Banana Win