silver lining?

my philosophy course, which is 50% assignments and 50% exams, might be dropping the two exams... which will take a significant amount of pressure off of the course and potentially increase my final mark. the course will then be made up of 12 assignments.

homework for this week:

summarize Deuteronomy

read a sociology book and write a paper on it

lead a class discussion on cosmology

precis an article on the Pentateuch

critical thinking exam [maybe]

hell month is almost over...

homework&hyperventilation

seven classes and two committees have indeed caught up to me.

let feb '10 forever be known as hell month for kel sherman. between all my readings assignments, quizzes, and presentations, i've also had to help bring 'missio dei 2010' together [last week] and run the floor for 'the diary of anne frank' [which will take hours and hours of this week away].

you know, if i didn't switch majors, i coulda been in five classes. but no, i had to decide a TESOL degree wouldn't be worth it, and that Social Science would be. definitely will be in the long run, but if i want to be done by the end of this year, seven classes it is...

anyway, i just finished summarizing Leviticus and Numbers, now I have to go mull over Romans, precis an article, and prepare my discussion for monday... but not before watching Anne Frank sit in an annex seven times this week, and rearranging chairs to accommodate as many people as possible for watching it with me.

hope you're having fun with whatever you're doing. whoever you are.

kel

from bangladesh, with love

i really meant to write about this sooner, but it's been a fairly busy month so far.

last week was this two day event here called Missio Dei, and it was actually quite life changing for me.

i sat in on some lectures on labour in third world countries and how giants like American Eagle and Wal-Mart exploit workers, children in particular, to maximize their companies profits. now, i've heard of sweat shops before, but i haven't really given it a lot of thought. like okay, i knew some kid in vietnam might have sewn my shoes together or something, but it was really quite surprising what sort of conditions they are forced to work in. 12+ hour work days without washroom breaks, for example.

so i get back to my dorm room and look over my clothes and i see that tshirt made in the dominican republic, jogging pants made in vietnam, underwear made in macau, a sweater made in pakistan, and another tshirt made in Mexico with a US component [whatever that means], everything else is seems to be made in china. NOTHING assembled in Canada.

the only company i can think of that produces clothes in canada is ROOTS. and i don't like any of their clothes. [edit: not true, thank you Lynele]

so, the point of all this is, i'm going to look into buying clothes from retailers that don't promote cheap labour. and no, that doesn't mean i'm burning all the clothes i have already bought. no, that doesn't mean i'm going to be raiding thrift stores from here on out [buying second hand clothes made in the same countries doesn't change the principle behind it]. and no, i won't hate people who continue to buy at these places [but i will inform them].

sidenote: i believe the chinese do have better working conditions than other countries, but that's not factual. yet. i'll get back to you with my findings.

anyway, hope i gave you some things to think about.

so just a final thought: think about where you buy your clothes.

K

ultimate christian trivia fail

okay, so here i am, doing my homework for 'the pentateuch', which involves summarizing each chapter of the book of Genesis in one sentence. as some of you may or may not know, jacob has a lot of sons. one in particular is named Gad.

aaanyway, i started reading chapter thirty-five, which goes something like "God said to joseph..."

and i was like "God? who's God?"

in my defense, it's 12:13 and i've had a pretty busy day.

hope i made you smile. or at laugh at my stupidity. either or.

;)

3rd year of prov...

my third year of college starts tomorrow

yep, my third. i'm not halfway through my second or third year, but starting my third.

because i started halfway through the school year in 07/08, my true year starts in second semester.

sooo, looking over the past two years of school; living in a dorm with nearly a hundred other guys, putting off homework until the 11th hour, being stranded in Nowhere, MB for weeks on end... all part of my Providence College experience. such a unique circumstance, the closest thing i can compare it to is working at a summer camp. living in such close quarters with people for a long duration of time... which can lead to some crazy situations, both good and bad. like working at summer camps, you can walk away with life long friends, and believe i definitely have.

there have been points throughout the past two years where i have thought about quiting. living in the city has always been the more attractive alternative. the UOM and the UOW would have suited me quite nicely, but leaving without have nothing to show for it has always brought me back to prov. plus, finishing what you start is also really important in life.

this upcoming semester, i want to focus on school a lot more; getting the most of my education while i can. although graduating from prov [next year ;)] is not even close to the end of Academia Road for me, it will definitely be a huge personal accomplishment. finishing strong and feeling good about how i got there is for sure something that has been on my mind over this past winter break. so much to do, so little time left.

i know this sounds 'new years resolution-y', but i don't intend it too. think of it more as part of the maturing process...

well, i'm excited to start round three of providence college, and to see where that leads.

K

new years '10

now, i hate to start off my blog with something that is so typical... but! i feel it must be done.

sooo, it's the start of a new year, which means it's that time of year where people look ahead to the future and make plans of self-betterment. yes. 'new years resolutions'.
dictionary.com [that's right, the lazy man's dictionary] defines resolution as:
the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
now, we have everyone's tired, old lists that include acts such as frequenting the gym more, preparing a healthier diet, forming actual study habits, keeping your chin up and so forth. of course, these are all things worthy of revamping into good habits and the idea of changing them should be entertained... but let's be honest, if you were not hitting the gym, cutting trans-fat, picking up a book, and looking to the brighter side last month, chances are the acts you resolve to do will more than likely fizzle out mid-february [at best].
so my theory of true self-betterment is that if you actually want to be more productive with your time or whatever, is to not depend on a new year to bring a change to your schedule, but to integrate all these 'things' [whatever your resolutions may be] in a realistic way that works with your life, so they don't fade out.
if you're in school full time and working, going to the gym four times a week probably won't happen. if your working at McDonald's to pay off your car, not taking advantage of the 50% off on food would be ridiculous. you get the picture.

so! knowing all this. here are my new year's resolutions ;)
1) hit the gym more
2) eat less crappy food
3) have a higher interest in my classes
4) maintain a better attitude

get back to me mid-feb and see where i'm at.

later dayzzz

kel

becoming a blogger.

so i've decided to join the throngs of people and join this online phenomenon known as 'web logging', or blogging. i thought that having a place to organize my thoughts would be good for me, and journaling just seemed so last decade, so the internet just seemed like the next best platform do this.
anyway, i'm going to try and keep up with this. not lose interest after a month, like i did with soduko.
i guess you can expect from this what you would from any blog: an opinion. only laced with my insight and humour. and if for any reason that appeals to you, please check back regularly.

cheers,
kel