Decisions, Decisions.

How many times in our lives are we faced with decisions? We face them many, many times on a daily basis but obviously some are on a much larger scale than others. The choices you may have to make could vary between "what should I eat for lunch today?" to "what do I want to do for the rest of my life?" We make decisions based on our own personal experience and our morals, beliefs and values. I personally have a tough time making even the smallest of decisions because I'm always concerned about every one of the possible outcomes of making that choice and I obsess over it for longer than I really should. I've realised that the possibilities of how something might turn out in the long run are endless because in the process you have to make a thousand smaller decisions to get you to the next point in your life. I cannot tell the future and I don't know where I'm going to be or what I'm going to be doing or feeling in 3 years from now, or even 6 months from now. I won't know until I get there. The truth is, to actually think about not being able to know what lies just ahead of me is terrifying but also exciting because as I said, the possibilities are endless. A lot of people like to think of life as a road or path where sometimes you come across a fork in the road and that's when you're faced with a decision. I like to think of life as an empty canvas, you have room to create your own story, and go whichever way you choose, there is no right or wrong way to learn. There are always going to be obstacles that pop up and you're going to have to find your way around them but if there's one thing I cannot stress more it's to not regret anything. At some point when you made that decision, you wanted it, so why regret something you once wanted? If you found out that you what you thought you wanted and what you actually wanted were completely different things there's no need to look back and say "I shouldn't have done that" or "I should have done this instead" because we can't erase the past but we can learn from it. One of the biggest questions of all time is "what is the point of life?" I believe that life is not about doing everything right and being the best or most accomplished person in the world. We all make mistakes but it's those mistakes that make us who we are. The point of your life is to be you, and no one else; to live up to your expectations, not society's, and to enjoy who you are and what you're doing. You can't enjoy yourself if you're constantly looking back and regretting the things you may have done wrong, but instead you can accept that you made a mistake and move on to the next part of your life knowing that you have grown as a person and have learned not only about how to handle certain situations but who you really are and expand on it. So, instead of obsessing over decisions and being afraid to make choices, just jump into it. There is no "worst thing that could happen" because even if something hurts you still learn and grow. Even if you thought it was the worst thing, you never really know where the other choices may have led you. The only thing you can do is make the best of it, move forward and continue creating your life and seeing where it may lead. 

Take a Minute and Really Think About This.

Just because I'm 19 years old doesn't mean that I'm a typical 19 year old. It doesn't mean that I have no idea what I'm talking about. It doesn't mean that I don't know what hard work is. It doesn't mean that I'm spoiled. It doesn't mean that I party all the time (or in my case, at all). So before you ignore what I have to say maybe listen for a minute and hear what I have to say because maybe I have new ideas you've never thought of. 

I am still young so I'm always open to new ideas, the world isn't just in black and white for me, I have good morals and will fight for what I know is right. I am a hard worker, I am independent, and I support myself. I am intelligent and use my brain more often than you'd think, I have learned through my experiences as well as other people's, I observe people and their actions and reactions, and I study psychology in my spare time. I am a very caring person and I do not judge based on appearance, or judge someone before I have met them. I appreciate the little things in life and see the beauty that a lot of people pass by. I wonder about how the world works and I find the answers to my own questions, I take every little thing and take it as a learning experience and I write about it to remind myself when I sometimes forget. I speak up for those who don't have a voice and for those who aren't always loud enough to be heard. I believe that there are good people in this world but there are also a lot of careless, selfish people. One of my biggest values is family and togetherness. I am sensitive, emotional and empathetic, I will always lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on for anyone that needs it. If you are willing to listen to my advice or even take it I will offer it. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. And most importantly, I care about the well-being of others. 

I know I am not perfect and I know that I often make mistakes but I always correct myself, learn from the experience and make myself a better person. I try not to go to bed angry and I always forgive those who have done me wrong and apologize to those that I have done wrong or treated poorly. I am not bragging or tooting my own horn, just simply stating that my age does not mean anything. It's not about how old you are, it's about how much you've learned in those years and applied to your life. I know that I don't know everything there is to know but I am not ignorant and I usually know what I am talking about so if you could take the time to listen to what I have to say I will do the same for you. I respect everyone equally (unless given a reason not to) and I expect to be respected as well and treated as the mature, young woman that I am. This does not just apply to me but to every young person who also feels this way. The moral of my story here is: 

Take the time to listen to others, regardless of their age, race, gender and so on. They might surprise you and make more sense than you thought they would. 

My Thoughts on PETA vs. Pokemon

This is my take on PETA vs. Pokemon after playing the game that PETA released. PETA should have probably actually watched the whole Pokemon series before creating their "game" protesting it. I'll admit that there were some parts in there that got my attention such as all of the meme references they had in there (which I found funny and I know they use to get our attention by having us relate to it in a way that makes us feel positive) but aside from that I found the game to be rather disgusting and morbid, (and they're complaining that Pokemon isn't meant for children, ha). The characters that they have in the game are nothing like the characters from the show and show more reference to real live people who are cruel to animals (such as the research tester using moves like perfume blast or whatever, and the guy who wants to skin and eat the Pokemon). Also, I think that the way they are making their point is pretty ridiculous, they're trying to stop people from playing the games but they create a more morbid, sad version of the game where the characters actually DO abuse the pokemon. The best way I can describe it is hypocrisy. 

 Pokemon is not just about battling, within the show you learn life lessons like not only is Pikachu Ash's pokemon but also his best friend and Ash would do ANYTHING for Pikachu. It teaches you to be kind to your "pets" and show them respect as well as many other life lessons. I think that PETA is blowing this way out of proportion and should probably stay out of our media and stick to protesting REAL animal abuse rather than a Japanese animated show dating back to when I was young. I haven't watched more recent episodes but the ones that I used to watch every day when I was a kid taught me to be kind, compassionate, determined, caring, understanding, and adventurous/ It taught me to reach for the stars, go after my dreams, never take advantage of the time spent with your loved ones, travel the world if you have the opportunity, meet new friends, always find an opportunity to learn something new, do what you love to do, always tell your friends how much you care, help out a stranger whenever you can, always be the better person and always be yourself. If that's not enough values to keep a show running then what's the point in even watching TV any more? Yes, in the show Pokemon "battle" but it's about the equivalent of two humans wrestling or boxing or something. The two Pokemon are willing, they express that they want to battle (if they don't they run or they refuse) and after the battle they are once again just two Pokemon who congratulate each other on their hard work. In the first Pokemon movie, Mewtwo is forcing the clones to fight the originals and Ash and Pikachu stop the fighting and speak out against the violence. Pokemon recognises that there is a difference. 

Therefore, I think that PETA should probably stop this ridiculous petition to stop Pokemon and start concentrating on real life issues that are happening to real animals who are suffering right now. They should concentrate on finding a way to put real life animal abusers in jail rather than getting a slap on the wrist. It really bothers me that things like this happen way too often where people concentrate on the small petty things in the media (just to be picky and have something to complain about) and focus all their energy on getting rid of it because it's easier to stop than the things happening here in the real world. So PETA, stop being one of those picky people who are too lazy to do ACTUAL good and pick on the media and get out there and solve real problems. 

If you want to see the game for yourself click the link below, but be warned it's really sick and twisted. 

http://features.peta.org/pokemon-black-and-white-parody/

Looks pretty gross right? If these want to stop animal abuse maybe they shouldn't make a game portraying animal abuse, am I right? 

Who I Am

I had to do a write up for a project for my schooling and I just thought that I would share it with you guys. There is obviously so much more than me but here's a bit about me so you guys can get to know me better :) 

Who is Amanda?

When people ask me who I am and what sort of things that I'm into I don't usually know what to say because I'm passionate about so many things. I like to say I am a person of many interests and the values that I have are very important to me. I always set goals for myself and sometimes it takes awhile to achieve them but when I do it's the greatest feeling in the world. I pride myself in being the best that I can be; sometimes I get off course or fall off track but as long as I make in it the end and have accomplished something along the way I shine.

Firstly, a couple of my values in my life are family and aesthetics. Family values are very important to me because of a few reasons. About a year ago I had moved away from home on bad terms and was completely cut off from my family, after experiencing that I realized just how important family is. Families are the people who will always be there for you, support you and forgive you. My mother and I have always been fairly close but I feel that over the past year we've grown even closer. Since moving away from home and moving back in, although I don't live with my father we have also grown closer and are able to talk easier with each other. Although the experience of moving away from home was a bad thing I learned a lot from it and because of that mistake I've come so much closer with my family.

As well as family, aesthetics is another value I have. I tend to find beauty in everything, which a lot of people forget about. I like to take the time to stop and smell the roses or watch the sun rise. When I take the time to do these things I feel closer with nature and feel better as a person in general. Whenever I get upset or angry about something taking a walk usually helps me. I find walking and just looking at everything you're surrounded by is relaxing and helps you forget about the petty arguments and complications that come with life. Last summer I went for a 5 hour long walk and on that walk I learned a lot about myself, and life as well. I learned that you shouldn't get upset over every little thing that doesn't seem to go your way because we are surrounded by so much good all the time. We tend to ignore the good and only concentrate on the bad, but if we take that time out of our lives to be thankful for everything and admire the natural beauty we'd find ourselves much happier more frequently.

Secondly, I have set a few long term goals for myself. School has always been a struggle for me so I want to concentrate on my education. I was supposed to graduate last year with all of my friends but I was short 6 credits so I wasn't able to. Seeing all of my peers graduate and leave me behind was a really horrible feeling so I've set a goal to graduate this year to prove to myself that I have the ability to, even though my peers have already graduated. After graduating high school I want to go to college for Early Childhood Education because of my love for kids. Hopefully I will be going to a college in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, or London.

Speaking of kids, another one of my goals is to visit my nieces more often. They live in Kenora so I don't get to see them as often as I'd like to. My nieces are only 7 weeks apart as my sister and my sister-in-law got pregnant around the same time, and they are both around 2 years old now. When children are younger they grow so fast and if you don't see them they almost forget you, this is something that I really don't want to happen. I love kids in general and I want to be apart of their lives and have them know me as Auntie Amanda. Every now and them I get to Skype with them but it's not the same as seeing them and holding them. Therefore I've decided that I will go up to Kenora to visit them at every chance I have.

Lastly, a few other things about me that someone might want to know is that I love animals and have two pets, and I have interests in music and travel. I love animals and enjoy having pets because they're almost like little furry people, or little furry children. I have a 3 year old Miniature Doberman cross with Chihuahua named Bella and a 5 month old kitten named Roxy. Both Bella and Roxy provide so much laughter and entertainment in my life. They can be a handful when they get into things that they're not supposed to, or when Roxy climbs the curtains but overall they bring joy into both mine and my mother's lives.

Along with being interested in animals I also have a bunch of other interests. A couple of those interests are music and travel. I have been interested in music ever since I can remember. I have been singing since I was in the crib and playing guitar for at least 6 years now. I have written many songs and performed at a few shows. One show that I performed at that really sticks out in my mind was when I performed at the Loud As Rock concert in 2010 with a close friend of mine, David Huffman. I remember getting up on that stage with all of the bright lights was so scary, although I had performed before. I was so nervous at first but once we got off the stage I felt amazing. I think that the fact that you can share your thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams through a song is just absolutely amazing. Music has been a huge part of my life and always will be. Maybe some day I can combine my interest in music with my other interest in travel. I love to travel because you get to see new places, meet new people and make friends with them, and learn so much. Starting in 2008 I began going on trips with a youth group from Thunder Bay every two years in the summer. In 2008 we went to the Yukon which was such amazing experience that I decided to go on the following trip in 2010 to London, Ontario. It was going on those trips that made me decide that I want to keep traveling and go to different places all around the world.

Therefore, I would describe myself as a very family-oriented person that enjoys the little things in life and has many interests. Every experience I have in my life adds to those interests and the knowledge that I have. Every day I'm growing and learning more about life and about myself.