New Year and it’s just in time for what?

In few hours lights will light up the sky and we will know 2015 has arrived. As you can see in all the social media sites, people started to talk about their New Year resolutions.  These last few days of every year always reminded me of coming back to school, I always had this dream of being an A student, so in the first week I will sit right there in front of the teacher taking notes, highlighting everything that matter. IT IS ON school, teachers, supervisors, I have arrived. Then I notice this cool girl to my right who is throwing chalk at the fan just to see it fly across the classroom, and think this is fun.  Another girl to my left was taking her morning nap. The distraction was tempting, I wanted to take a nap, throw chalks and jump on the table. Regardless to say, the good me has left the building.

All of you are now wondering; where is she going with this? I will gladly tell you in this coming sentence. There are a large number of us around the globe, who set unrealistic expectations for ourselves and say ‘will do this in the next year’. Just like dieting and working out, we say ‘we will start tomorrow’. It usually never starts tomorrow or at times it starts tomorrow and ends there.

We lack the will, so instead of facing our limits we look around and say I will be this and that. I have tried to be the size zero girl, tried to be the smartest or the prettiest. I failed in all; I failed because I can’t be all and also because this is what my generation wanted. I never sat long enough to write down in a piece of paper what I am good at and what I wanted to accomplish and see if they have any chance of crossing paths.

New Year resolution never last, they are wishful thinking and unrealistic at times. I don’t mean for all of you to start the New Year with this morbid thought. Instead I want you all to realize every day is a new day and every minute is a new minute. If you really want the change and it’s your calling start this second.

Sara H.

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Wired kids

Nick Bilton is a prominent author and a journalist, in a recent New York Times article Mr. Bilton reveals that he once asked Steve Jobs “your kids must love the iPad?”, and to my astonishment Mr. Jobs replies “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

At some point in our lives we all uttered these words: “Kids nowadays are different than us when we were at their age.” I wonder at times when should we take these differences seriously. Could this reliability on gadgets actually cripple them in the future? Technology is so accessible and cheap nowadays that everyone can get their hands on it, and have their minds and eyes fixed on it. But in the long run, will it affect their scope of creativity? Will it increase health problems whether it was physical or mental? Questions that trigger my concern.

A new language was introduced to us in the recent years called texting language, majority of kids and teenagers use abbreviations (e.i. lol, omg) or what some view as cool and edgy saying da instead of the. I watched firsthand how this new language made me a lazy writer, so I am not here pointing fingers at everyone. I live in this wired world as the rest of you so I am not conservative technologically. However, keeping at it or not noticing at an early age could have a strong impact on children’s literacy growth.

Text language is not the only reason why most kids writing skills are either weak or deteriorating. Most kids rather watch movies, anything that has a visual effect and is fast paced. This consequently effects the children’s imagination. Reading helped me build my imagination, I used to image how the characters looked like, their expression, how their houses looked like, the weather, etc.

Kids in this day and age won’t be bother using their hands to create arts and crafts. You can ask kids to draw something most would ask you what and in my case kids at times ask me to google an image so they can copy it. In this previous example we are facing two problems, first they require us to find a game for them to play, second problem is they can’t think of something to draw without an a assistance. Pre-internet kids didn’t face this difficulty; they used their imagination not only in drawing but in other fields of creativity.

Another noticeable changes are in children’s and adolescents health and personality. Studies have mentioned in the last decade how technology could cause obesity. However, in the recent years parents, psychologists have observed and talked about the psychological effect of technology on kids. Children’s mentality in the resent years is all ready set and go, they don’t break things down and build them one step at a time. I noticed frustration and impatience when things take time, you might notice how easily they give up the task. In the short or long run if not restricted can cause anger issues.

According to GuardChild Kids are exposed to “29% of unwanted exposure to sexual materials.”( http://www.guardchild.com/statistics/#sthash.CNSwtBEt.dpuf) To my knowledge Parental guideless can only do so much, nowadays children are more technology savvy than their parents. This puts them at risk of making them vulnerable to inappropriate sites or topics. Take youtube for example a child could innocently watch a funny animal video but find on the sidebar other options that are supposedly related to animals, when in fact they are x-rated.

It’s hard to find a household that doesn’t own some form of technology. Therefore, educating children in how to use one is a positive move since the future demands more time facing the screen whether it was for academic reasons or work related.

Sara H.

Here i go

Writing has always been a source of comfort to me, it all started when I was 10 years old. I struggled growing up in getting my thoughts out verbally, but somehow holding a pen in one hand and a page on another felt safe. I’ve much improved since then, communication wise; however, writing is still my number one form of therapy.

If you are reading this you would expect me to major or work in media or in a creative field. But what I did was major in accounting, I never thought then it was a mistake. When I started my job as an accountant the fear settled in. I felt like it’s the end of the world, I can’t start all over again. Friends  who sat next to me in class are steps ahead of me now. So I convinced myself I needed time to settle in, maybe once I adjust to the work environment I will like it. Almost one year later, those feelings festered I had to leave but I didn’t want to feel like a failure. I then took some time off for personal reasons and never went back.

The anxiety of working as an accountant left and ‘what’s next?’ came to replace it. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, I felt very lost for a year. Until last week, the revelation came to me while showering as to be expected. What I finally realized is that not only did I have a journal growing up. I used to enjoy writing essays and projects; I even wrote and co-wrote some of my friends writing papers. It gave me great pleasure, I might not be a fluent writer, you could read this and find mistakes or ways you would articulate this better, and that feeling of pleasure and satisfaction won’t leave me.  I enjoy it.

I am truly fortunate to finally at the age of 28 find what brings me joy. I used to look at the years that past filled with regret and shame, I never dared to choose what I wanted. But now it all makes sense, I’ve stumbled along the way and now I arrived and it doesn’t matter if I’m late.

I’m here and ready to start this journey.

Love and peace to all.

Sara H.