Excuses, Cliches, Tests...all that jazz

First, I must apologize, dear reader, for not writing in over a month. What is my excuse? I was busy…with school. Is this cliché? Yes. Very. And I apologize once again. However, during this month of mayhem, I have discovered something that drives me crazy, so I am therefore going to commence whining about it:

Low-question tests.

Those ones where there are like 40 questions, meaning that there are over 2 points per question. Especially when the entire quiz is true and false or multiple choice. Yeeaahh…I don’t like those. I mean, who thought those were a good idea? They don’t even make sense! Yes, I know my opponents will say “but longer tests are hard!” Yes, they may be hard, but you’re going to appreciate missing 11 questions and getting an 89% than you will appreciate missing 11 and getting something around a 75%. The issue comes down to points per question…it doesn’t (in my whiny, stressed, college opinion) reflect the knowledge that a student has possibly gathered to test a wide body of material in anything under 50 questions. Because, even if the student knows that there are only, say, 35 questions on the test, they are probably going to study all 87 pages of notes anyways, just to be prepared because they don’t know what’s going to be included in the test. So really, it’s not like longer tests are going to take more time to prepare for anyways—the student will study the same amount because they don’t know what will be on the test, and will be penalized less for missing a “reasonable” (what that entails is up for grabs) number of questions.

Does this irritate anybody else? Be warned, I’m tired, dealing with finals this week, and am going home for Christmas break in a week—motivation is low. But these are my thoughts…maybe finals wouldn’t be so bad if I knew that missing a few questions wouldn’t bomb my grade…a little “room to fail” would be nice.

Do I feel a scathing article about the crass commercialization of Christmas coming on sometime soon? I think so. Get excited.

Halloween Seems More like Christmas..?

It was weird. I thought that Halloween was all about the dressing up and running around and scaring people or doing weird things to freak out random passers-by...but maybe not. In Guatemala we really didn't celebrate Halloween, ya know? I guess I have some steretypical view of the holiday. From a college student's perspective, here's what I saw:

Most people weren't dressed up. Even a bunch of kids I saw had lazily thrown on a Buzz Lightyear t-shirt or something of the sort as a [lame] costume. When I heard stories about people going about trick-or-treating, it was basically a tale about how they went out, got a few handfuls of candy, and then found no other houses open or anything. I thought that was funny...Halloween only lasts until 8PM? I guess crime has really scared the American citizens into closing their doors early on the holiday. Makes me think of a movie...

Ah! Movies. I watched The Sixth Sense and Disturbia. They weren't really scary movies. More suspenseful, and nothing is wrong with that. I was just wondering what people's interpretations of 'scary' really were. Probably more along the lines of sneaking up behind people in the middle of a quiet scene and screaming in their ears, seeing as to how that happened only about fifty times during the two movies.

Then it truly struck: I went to The Haunt in Grand Rapids, MI, a haunted house set up inside this large warehouse. Was that amazing! Some friends from my dorm and I headed over and walked through, and every room had some kind of surprise awaiting. I had no idea what to expect, since it was $14 and all...murmur murmur...

Well I got quite a show. The guy in front was never the one scared; rather the three girls hiding behind each other in the middle were the ones picked on. I could feel the contentment of the actors in that haunted house rise when those girls screamed their lungs out as they scurried along helplessly. I never got scared, since everything jumped out before I even got there. I just beheld the sight of the girls yelping and jumping. Now THAT'S entertainment. XD

Happy Belated Halloween!

I found the wild things...

Yesterday (October 16th), I saw Where the Wild Things Are on opening day. Was it interesting? Yes. Was it complicated? Yes. Was it good? Eh, I’m not entirely sure. Between the screaming children soundtrack that could easily be spliced into a slasher flick and the not-exactly-chipper ending, I can’t decide if I actually enjoyed it. I do believe that the solution to that particular conundrum is to watch the movie again…with a remote, and on a smaller screen.

The remote would help with the fact that there’s probably some hidden symbolism that I didn’t catch in the theater…like the owls, Bob and Terry. I don’t understand them. But I have theories….

The smaller screen would help with the fact that I got carsick…yes, carsick…while watching. Hand filming is cool, and arty, and definitely creates a mood. Buuuuuut, it (in this particular situation) also induces carsickness. Yeah, all that shaky, arty, goodness was just a bit too much…

Yes, this is a pathetic excuse for complaining. It was a good movie, but it bugged me.

So, this is what I have to say: go see it. You’ll like it…I think.

~Abby

What Is the Point of College?

Let's see, I made a bet with our floor Barnabas (sort of a Bible study leader, nothing really more) that I could get straight A's this first semester. He was convinced that almost all straight A students in high school come to college and then turn into C students, or B students. Maybe lower.

I thought it preposterous, as all in all there may be more work but at the same time there is more free time and freedom to choose when to do this work.

Then it occurred to me some time later: what if these students who got all A's before aren't motivated? What drives people to get good grades? For the sake of bragging rights? To look smart? Maybe some people (heaven forbid) try.

I think many people do not follow the third reason, and that is what my Barnabas saw: unmotivated people simply seeking to please their social desires and find their place and be content with it in society. Looking brainy isn't cool, after all. It makes some people think you're a snooty know-it-all. But guess what? Those people who assume said things about you for being smart are probably just jealous they're not motivated themselves.

I encourage all, no matter the academic background, to not throw away your education. It's infuriating to see people blow off college and treat it more like a time to meet cute girls or guys and attend 'cool' parties. When you're forty, are you really going to look back and remember all of the pointless parties you went to, all of the shallow people you met, all the stupid things you did, or are you going to be nice and occupied recalling that which you studied for and are applying in your successful life thanks to taking college seriously?

Since I'm in a rush in writing this, pardon any small mistakes I might have made. I have to attend this session with our Resident Director about study habits. Do I really need to go to this..? Oh well. Might as well. Maybe it'll further motivate me to continue in my habits of not procrastinating. Who else wants to jump in the boat, not to just 'be' smart, but to actually get something out of college?

this makes me happy inside..

Sooo, I’ve just returned from a meeting with my college writing professor, and will now be getting to most ridiculous college credit known to man:

Ok, so my prof had talked to me about perhaps submitting some of my college writing material to be published in the school newspaper, and changing what I do in class so that I write class papers with the intention of them being in the paper…that basically means that while everybody else is writing descriptive essays about knitting or saying hi to puppies in the park, I get to write about the late night worship at our new student retreat…ya know, school stuff.

When I went in for my meeting, I thought that my college writing stuff would be all that I would get published in the paper, and that I’d be on staff in some way or another. Well, I’m officially the page editor for the MBI-Spokane Mosaic…not entirely sure what that means, but I’m thinking (hoping!) that it’s a pretty good thing to be. However, it turns out that if I’m a staffer on the newspaper, I can get college credit…the catch being that I have to write something original, e.g.- I have to “double write” because my college writing stuff won’t work to get credit for the newspaper.

I was a little concerned because I have (obviously) college stuff going on, and didn’t know if I’ve have time to write an extra article each month, along with fulfilling all of my page editor duties. Consequently, I mentioned that I like cooking, because something was said about a recipe column they needed an editor for. Well, here’s how it all ended: I’m now not only the page editor…I’m also the recipe lady. Yes, I will be getting college credit for writing a recipe each month because that apparently meets the “original contribution” requirements. This makes me happy…

-Abby

What? Something Negative About Christian College Teachers?

Yeah. Go figure.

As I attend a nice, small Christian school (Calvin College of over 4,200), I felt that the attention of my professors would be an overall positive aspect. Unfortunately, yesterday this did not seem to be the case. Already I have been put in a very uncomfortable and unnerving position.

Here's the story:

Here at Calvin College, we have to undergo a six-week long program called Prelude. Basically, it's a one-credit course where, for two hours once a week, a group of incoming Freshmen are introduced to Calvin's mission statement and all that jazz. It doesn't sound too bad, right?

Wrong.

Guess what comes in between these nice two-hour sessions of listening to your leader (mine is the associate chaplain of our college, just my luck) drone on and on? Lots and lots and lots...and lots of homework. We have to write a nice autobiography of our lives up until the day we write it. There is a 5-page writing due on how we saw certain themes incorporated into the sessions we had in Prelude. One time we have to present a place where justice is being dealt and how it is so. Even worse is that fact that we have to read 90+ pages of random pieces of writing about philosophy, theology, worldviews, adaptation techniques, and (unfortunately) so much more.

What has become the worst thing of all has been these papers we have to write once every couple of weeks. First, we have to attend a special event (called a Part II). Then, we write all about how it relates to Calvin College, how it is important to us personally, and what exactly happened at the event.

Sounds easy to cheat, right? Well, that's what my Prelude teacher thought, and when I made a typo on who the speaker was for a service I attended, the associate chaplain got on my case. Being accused was pretty hurtful, but it was excusable as he is not aware of my academic background (and the typo was concerning the speaker, which can be a big part of the Part II writing). Oops.

Anyhow, the associate chaplain asked me for more proof that I attended the service (called LOFT, a Sunday evening chapel service). Unable to think of anything, I returned to my dorm and realized I would not have time that night as I recently became a school newspaper copy editor and would be working all night. Thus, I wrote an e-mail expressing my inability to not come up with anything other than everything that happened that night.

What was the reply I got? Lucky for the both of us, he said he finally believed me. Why lucky for the BOTH of us? Well, I hate getting a failing grade. As for him, the story would have been in the Chimes and my oh my our chaplain, Mary Hulst, would have been all over him for being such a doubting Thomas.

"So what's the big deal?" you might be asking. "Why are you whining?" To be honest, I'm just a bit dumbfounded by such assumptions, especially from an associate chaplain. I would be a bit suspicious, but if I asked the writer about a typo and they explained immediately what they meant, I think it would be pretty legitimate. To think my teacher and I are off to a bad start because I somehow implied Person A spoke instead of Person X at Event K...well, it's an issue I shall continue to observe: just how many inconveniences come with your professor knowing you more personally?

~Taylor

Thank you A.R. Rahman....

Since when did Bollywood become so cool?

I mean, seriously, I just watched Slumdog Millionare for the first time tonight, and yes, it was an incredible display of storytelling and cinematography, but let’s get honest people: the best part of that movie was the dance they do during the credits in the train station...that’s right, the Bollywood one.

I will not disclose the company that I was in when I first saw said dance sequence, but let’s just say they weren’t exactly fans…leaving me- the last holdout- to be the only person on the verge of jumping off the couch just so I could start dancing. I don’t know what it was exactly, but something inside of me wanted to jump for joy as soon as the fog machine had cleared away to reveal an entire ensemble of nice-looking people conveniently dressed in dance clothes and neatly aligned in a train station…in these situations, it can only mean one thing is coming: an epic song and dance sequence.

I’m getting the feeling that the reason Bollywood is so cool is because it’s everything American cinema isn’t: bright, epic, and unashamedly tacky. That’s not to say American cinema isn’t tacky- quite a bit of it is- it’s just made better by the fact that Bollywood isn’t afraid to advertise that point if it means box office success.

Ok, not going to lie: I’ve seen one “official” Bollywood film in my life- Bride and Prejudice. Does Slumdog count? What are other Bollywoods I should watch? Oh dear, I think that seeing this movie tonight has opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities…

-Abby