Geometry and up; useful, or useless?

     I've never really enjoyed math. It's never a profession I considered going in to, and for the most part, I think most of the math teachings in our educational system is useless. I'm not just saying this because I don't enjoy math.
     Think about it. Aside from your studies or schoolwork, how often do you use algebra, geometry, calculus, etc.? Unless you're in a math-centered profession, personally, I don't think most of the math we learn in our school-lives is useful.
     Sure fractions and percentages are useful, but when, in your daily life, are you going to need to know point-slope intercept or the circumference of a circle? Hardly ever.
     I don't want to bash math or the educational system, but maybe school's time and money could be spent better.

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.

Forever21

 

  We've probably all heard of this popular, now teen-targeting store. Founded in 1984, Forever21 has changed its name and "branches" of its company quite a bit. Once "Fashion 21" as well as "Faith 21," the now "Forever21" also known as "XXI Forever" has gained popularity in today's market. With other "branches" of this company, Heritage 1981, For Love21, Love21, 21+, and more, plus this store being around for over 30 years, one would expect them to be doing rather well in the market. But its array of stores and the company's life span is not the only reason its sales are so high.
     Once you spend a cent at Forever21, you'll never get it back. Ever. This is due to its horribly genius return policy. Directly from the recipe I received yesterday from my purchase, the policy reads,

"Exchange or store credit is allowed within 21 days of purchase with original recipe and tags attached. Merchandise must be unwashed, unworn, and undamaged for exchange or store credit.
     Sale merchandise and jewelry are all FINAL sale items and cannot be returned for exchange or store credit.

     Store credit and gift cards are not redeemable for cash or transferable and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.
     There are NO cash refunds or credit back to credit/debit cards.

Thank you for shopping at Forever 21."

     This policy, in some ways, is quite understandable, but in other ways, absolutely ridiculous. The return time is only 21 days! Not even an entire month. That's only 3 weeks. My prediction for the reason is because it goes well with their store name. 21 days for exchange at Forever 21. Otherwise, it's illogical.
     The fact that you can't return jewelry  or sale items for store credit is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. And the store credit is ridiculous alone. If you end up not wearing something you paid a good $30 for and the most you can get is $30 to spend at the store, that's ridiculous. So, no matter what you do, Forever21 keeps your money. The most you can do is get store credit. You never get your money back.

     Then they proceed  to thank you for shopping there after stating ridiculous policies. No. Next time I got to this store, my eyes will be peeled and I'll be on red alert. I'll make sure I love what I plan to purchase before I make the mistake of doing so and getting stupid store credit.

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.

 

Designer

     Everywhere we go there are brands. Some more well-known that others. Some more expensive that others. Some more desirable than others. Some better than others. Most, the same as any other "normal" brand.

     Coach. A brand I know all too well. Everywhere I go, I'm exposed to this hierarchy of this, for me, undesirable brand. It starts out small, with a 22 dollar roller ball containing a microscopic amount of perfume. Then, a 48 dollar bracelet that is wooden, ugly pink rhinestones glued on, or maybe a card holder that holds 1 card. Next, a 68 dollar wristlet with purple sequence vomitted onto it. Or maybe, 75 dollars for a 1.7-ounce-bottle of perfume. And for some pocket change you could buy a scarf plastered with the signature "C" for a mere $128. And if you want to spend a bit more, you could get something such as a wallet for the low low price of just $598!

     This is one of many name brands that people blow their money on every day. From cars and clothes to coffee maker and milk. In a few brands, there really are differences in quality of the product verses another less-expensive brand. But when faced with the choice of purchasing a $20 bag from target or a $100 bag from Coach, I think my choice is obvious.

     Yet, I'm meant to believe this spending a large sum of money on an everyday product is desirable. No thanks. Burning money is cheaper.

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.

Politics

    Oh, goody. Another post about politics and all the crap that comes with it. Republicans this and Democrats that and all the other parties in between. Liberal, conservative, independent. Blah blah blah blah blah...
     Yes, it's about voting who runs the country. And some may call it a lifestyle. But do we really need another label to section people off into their little groups, never to escape? No. We have enough of those as is. Rich, poor, gay, straight, girl, guy, young, old. And here we are with more. At one point, when new government in America was starting to take place, these parties meant something. Now, they're not really that important. Whether you call yourself a part of one party or another, it doesn't change your thoughts or who you're going to vote for.
    Another unnecessary label to divide a nation once called the Melting Pot. Another reason to separate ourselves from others not of our kind. Another reason to spark arguments with someone of that party. Really, who cares?

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.

THIS is family?

     I'm sure we're all familiar with the channel, "ABC Family." If you aren't aware of this, it's just a channel branched off from the plain 'ol ABC. It's flooded with new shows constantly. Some popular shows from this channel are Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and The Lying Game.
     Now, if you noticed, this channel is called ABC Family. If you're familiar with the plot of these shows mentioned above, you might come to the conclusion that these are not family appropriate. Pretty Little Liars is about a girl's murder and a group of friends who knew that girl are getting threatening text messages. The Secret Life of the American Teenager is about a teenager that gets pregnant and has a child. The Lying Game is about twins who switch places to find their birth mother, but there is violence and many mature scenes in the show.
     I've wondered for a while why they call this channel "ABC Family" especially since they broadcast and advertise some of their shows that aren't so family friendly. You'd think the channel was harmless and true to its name until you actually watch the shows that air. I think the title is misleading, and it's quite odd that they've stuck with it since many shows on that channel are rated TV-14. Is this okay? I think not.

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.

Professions

     I think I've always known I want to go into a profession involving art. My main interests currently are writing, photography, and film directing, editing, and production. But, not until today did I realize that what I thought I wanted my job to be, isn't right.
     I thought graphic design would be the job for me. I took a graphics class a few years back and loved it, so I decide to take one this year as well. Turns out, it's not really my thing. As I looked around my class to see what my peers were creating, I saw one piece that was just amazing. A boy who I'd never heard speak before, was creating a masterful piece of work. The craftsmanship was impeccable. I was memorized by his work. A girl sitting next to him is a true designer. She was working using a grid on the screen, carefully planning out where she would place shapes.
     I looked back at my work. Nothing special. Nothing new. Nothing designed. Nothing created. Boring. I felt an emptiness inside me, not sad, not angry, just as though I lost something. But now that I've thought about it, I've actually gained a lot. Now I know that this isn't what I want to do in life. I want something more, something I've always loved to do. Maybe film, maybe photography.
     But, recently, I was told I am a natural teacher. I've always enjoyed being around little kids, and writing is a passion of mine. Who knows? Maybe I'll be an English teacher.
     This post is a little out of the blue. But it got me thinking. Today showed me what I truly enjoy doing and that I've been wrong for about a year now as to what I wanted to do in life. And that is perfectly okay.

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.

World Ending=Kindness?

I have a friend. She's extremely intellectual and she always brings up amazing points and we discuss them. Yesterday, she brought up one of her many amazing points. It was regarding 2012 and the idea of the world ending. She told me she'd been thinking that, "why do we need the world coming to an end to make us nice people?" This thought stuck with me. She had an amazing point.
     Because of this idea that the world is ending, people are changing their mindset. Some more than others, but I could say I think a vast majority of us have thought about the fact that if the world did come to an end in the near future, what is it that we would want to accomplish. We might think that we need to resolve conflicts with a peer, or that the mending of a broken relationship is necessary, or that it's time to get started on your bucket list. This leads me to say, there is truly no time like the present.
     After thinking about the words of my friend, I realize how absolute pathetic it is that it takes things like this, things like the end of the world, to make people show their kindness and sympathy towards one another. Although I'm not a believer in this "end of the world in 2012" idea, it definitely makes me think about how I treat other people and what I do in life. After all, life is short, it could end at any moment, shouldn't we be making the best of it? Live every day like it's your last, or live every day as if the worlds ending tomorrow because the Mayan calender said it would.

Just some thoughts from behind the lenses.