We’re almost there. It’s been a marathon and we can see the finish line. Unfortunately, that short remainder of the road is a mountainous climb. Well, grab your hiking boots, because we’re going to the top.
Yes, it’s that biannual time of year where we students start losing our minds just a little bit. Finals are upon us. Our brains beg for a break from sleepless nights and long study sessions, but our minds won’t let us stop until that final Scantron is turned in.
The hard work we put in to get our degree is the training we need to build our minds to handle responsibilities for achieving success, to the point that the work we do today will one day seem like minor tasks.
For those of us who are rounding our final lap of the college journey, this is just the beginning. We love to complain about problems with the economy, the government, education, etc. Well,whose responsibility do you think it will be to get things done in the future?
The way I see it, we can control one destiny in this world. We can’t wait around and expect someone else to solve each problem. We must grab control and accomplish as much as we can, even though someone else most likely can and will.
We can do whatever we want in this great land of opportunity. With a new president-elect who has broken the racial barrier, now more than ever this statement of optimism is preached. However, the catch is that we must put in the work necessary to be what we want to be. Do you think Barack Obama became the president by being at the right place at the right time? No, he put in hours and hours of work, day after day for years, with lofty aspirations and a drive that wouldn’t let up, just like all the world’s biggest successes.
It all comes down to how much you’re willing to work for what you want. It’s easy to be lazy, and sometimes it can feel nice too, but that feeling is an illusion. Being lazy after having accomplished something is resting, and there’s nothing like a good rest that’s earned.
It’s been a fun semester in "The Corner" – stressful, but fun. I expressed my qualms with the American election process and the school’s ban on skateboards, and pronounced my passion for Halloween, music and solitaire. I attempted to answer the world’s most unanswerable questions: what is love, and why is the grass always so green on the other side? And tackled other inquisitions of wonder: Do nice guys have to finish last? Is texting taking over communication as we know it? How does poverty benefit us? And would Cal State Fullerton be better off as Orange County State?
Hopefully you enjoyed reading on these issues of interest. If ever you picked up a Daily Titan and turned to my column while on campus Tuesdays, it probably wasn’t by coincidence; it was most likely planted there by me for your wandering eyes. I just want you to read, think, maybe laugh or just smile, and if I’ve ever made you do any of those things even just once, than I’ve done my job, and I was happy to do it.
I want you to be open-minded, inspired, and motivated to be something extraordinary, because it’s on us now. The world will soon be in our generation’s hands. Let’s make the best of it. See you next semester.
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Beauty of Athletic Unpredictability
Every facet of the working class has its top professionals.
But among all careers in the world, none are as amazing as the work performed on a nightly basis by professional athletes. No other job serves as a better form of entertainment than the competition of the best athletes playing at the highest level.Whether you’re in sales, marketing, engineering, science, acting, cooking … or anything, each one of those fields has above-average employees who excel in their craft.But of all the different working fields, nothing is as entertaining to watch as professional athletics. The skills of athletes are so unique and fascinating to behold that fans pay good money to sell out stadiums, arenas and ballparks all over the world just to watch them work.
This is probably because their work features skills that most ordinary individuals do not have; the ability to hit a 90-mph slider, to knock down a 30-foot jump shot with a massive man in your face, to seamlessly split defenders with a bullet pass into an open teammate’s hands in the end zone. Yes, you might have some unique skill at your given specialty, but it’s not as entertaining as what they do. That’s why they’re paid more for their work.People often question why professional athletes make so much money, but it is because people will spend countless dollars to see them. And why shouldn’t they? The mere spectacle of live professional events are exciting enough to just witness, but add the element of pure competition into the mix and the value of entertainment can’t be matched.Players must come together as a team and form the necessary chemistry to outwit and out-hustle the opposition.In what other field do you see competition like that? Award shows? Contests? Sales races? None of these engage in physical man-to-man competition like sports do.And the fact that it all comes down to straight skill and athleticism creates an element of "anything can happen" unlike anywhere else you’ll look.And it’s completely true; you never really know what’s going to happen in any sporting event. You can have a good idea of who the winner will be and there may be a very likely outcome, but those athletes still must play the game and outplay their opponent. As the famous sports analyst Chris Berman says, “That’s why they play the games!”A good example of this was Monday Night Football on Oct. 13, 2008. The defending champion New York Giants were set to play the ailing Cleveland Browns. The Giants were undefeated and the Browns had just one win and had been outscored 78-46 in their first four games. Seems obvious what the outcome will be? That’s why they play the game: Cleveland Browns stomped the defending champs 35-14, handing them their first loss in nine games.The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are another example. Not only had they not had a winning season in their first ten years of existence, they had only gotten to within twenty games of their division leader in one of those seasons. With no major acquisitions prior to the 2008 season, what cause was there to believe that this year would be any different? Despite the odds, a combination of terrific managing and great team chemistry from youthful talent bound together formed a dangerous group with great potential. Those Rays went all the way to the American League Championship, where they knocked off the defending champion Boston Red Sox and made the franchise’s first visit to the World Series.The unpredictability of sports is what makes it so exciting. There is nothing quite as thrilling as seeing a major underdog come from nowhere and take down the supposed best with no reasonable explanation other than they just wanted it more on that day.The pure athleticism displayed in professional sports cannot be rivaled in any other profession. Add to that the business aspect of the game in which each player works under contract, the franchise's operation of business and the unpredictability of the individual lives of each player, and you get a form of entertainment that can wow you unlike anything else on TV. Not a sports fan yet? Its never too late. You can find them everyday and on any given day anything can happen.
But among all careers in the world, none are as amazing as the work performed on a nightly basis by professional athletes. No other job serves as a better form of entertainment than the competition of the best athletes playing at the highest level.Whether you’re in sales, marketing, engineering, science, acting, cooking … or anything, each one of those fields has above-average employees who excel in their craft.But of all the different working fields, nothing is as entertaining to watch as professional athletics. The skills of athletes are so unique and fascinating to behold that fans pay good money to sell out stadiums, arenas and ballparks all over the world just to watch them work.
This is probably because their work features skills that most ordinary individuals do not have; the ability to hit a 90-mph slider, to knock down a 30-foot jump shot with a massive man in your face, to seamlessly split defenders with a bullet pass into an open teammate’s hands in the end zone. Yes, you might have some unique skill at your given specialty, but it’s not as entertaining as what they do. That’s why they’re paid more for their work.People often question why professional athletes make so much money, but it is because people will spend countless dollars to see them. And why shouldn’t they? The mere spectacle of live professional events are exciting enough to just witness, but add the element of pure competition into the mix and the value of entertainment can’t be matched.Players must come together as a team and form the necessary chemistry to outwit and out-hustle the opposition.In what other field do you see competition like that? Award shows? Contests? Sales races? None of these engage in physical man-to-man competition like sports do.And the fact that it all comes down to straight skill and athleticism creates an element of "anything can happen" unlike anywhere else you’ll look.And it’s completely true; you never really know what’s going to happen in any sporting event. You can have a good idea of who the winner will be and there may be a very likely outcome, but those athletes still must play the game and outplay their opponent. As the famous sports analyst Chris Berman says, “That’s why they play the games!”A good example of this was Monday Night Football on Oct. 13, 2008. The defending champion New York Giants were set to play the ailing Cleveland Browns. The Giants were undefeated and the Browns had just one win and had been outscored 78-46 in their first four games. Seems obvious what the outcome will be? That’s why they play the game: Cleveland Browns stomped the defending champs 35-14, handing them their first loss in nine games.The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are another example. Not only had they not had a winning season in their first ten years of existence, they had only gotten to within twenty games of their division leader in one of those seasons. With no major acquisitions prior to the 2008 season, what cause was there to believe that this year would be any different? Despite the odds, a combination of terrific managing and great team chemistry from youthful talent bound together formed a dangerous group with great potential. Those Rays went all the way to the American League Championship, where they knocked off the defending champion Boston Red Sox and made the franchise’s first visit to the World Series.The unpredictability of sports is what makes it so exciting. There is nothing quite as thrilling as seeing a major underdog come from nowhere and take down the supposed best with no reasonable explanation other than they just wanted it more on that day.The pure athleticism displayed in professional sports cannot be rivaled in any other profession. Add to that the business aspect of the game in which each player works under contract, the franchise's operation of business and the unpredictability of the individual lives of each player, and you get a form of entertainment that can wow you unlike anything else on TV. Not a sports fan yet? Its never too late. You can find them everyday and on any given day anything can happen.
Music- what it does for me
What has the ability to reveal our deepest emotions, yet allow us to express ourselves as loudly as we want? What causes us to think deeply, yet hear the honest thoughts of others? What can pick us up and comfort us in our lowest hour, and yet add just a little bit more fun to our most enjoyable nights? In a word: music.Music is all of the above and more. The magic of taking manufactured noise and creating the most entertaining form of sound our ears hear, then combining that with the expression of passion, a strong message or just nonsensical verbiage, is music. Everybody has their own taste, their own style, their own flavor. A single song can do different things for each person listening.I need music in my life. The places I go become more enjoyable with the added company of a classic tune. Waiting in lines, walking through school, driving on long trips – all these tedious activities can be improved with the addition of some delightful instrumentals. Suddenly, these boring events become a journey through the pleasure canals of my mind. The song that is playing serves as the soundtrack for my life at that very moment.Song lyrics can serve as an effective form of subliminal therapy for us. Lyrical poetry that captures exactly how you’re feeling can be a powerful thing. Someone else has felt what you're feeling, and you’re not alone. I believe there truly is a song for every emotion.It makes me wish I had the ability to sing beautifully harmonic notes. Unfortunately, I seem to be tone deaf. I wouldn’t recommend turning the back-up voice down all the way if I’m doing karaoke. I develop creative song lyrics that explain my thoughts and feelings all the time. If only I had the talent to express them by singing.I use music for everything in my life. Melodic sound gets me out of bed in the morning. They play while I skate around the world and keep my mind occupied and entertained, resulting in clearer thought, which always produces good things. I even listen to some easy listening tunes to lull me off to sleep every now and then.My life is often DJ'd by my infamous, ever-changing play list, which, when shuffled, can serve as a divine presence that guides me through my immediate surrounding with harmonious jams. I can satisfy my taste for classic dance music with tunes from The Isley Brothers, Mary Jane Girls, or Earth Wind and Fire, or I can indulge my interest in deep lyrics over an innovative beat of underground hip-hop, with People Under the Stairs, Living Legends or Mos Def. Which then may be followed by some electronic easy listening hits from the likes of MGMT, Daft Punk or Basement Jaxx. Or, with simply providing some of my all-time favorite jams that always put me in a good mood, like classics from Outkast, 311, Common, Kanye West or Bob Marley. Whatever it is, there is certainly no loss of variety.My secret style that gets me through life is acid jazz. The sleek mix of smooth jazz with a polished beat and a touch of electronic funk combines to create a musical outcome that, when done right, is a melody of sound that massages my brain. DJ Mark Farina and Thievery Corporation produce some of the best acid jazz around if you want to check it out for yourself. I use it for any and all the life scenarios played out above, but especially when writing, as I am while typing up this piece.Music relates to our lives. The right song can conjure up deep thoughts of that person on your mind, a cherished moment of accomplishment, a moment that lives in the depths of your past in infamy, or maybe a memory of fondness that you relive each time it plays. Music can do anything for you. Sometimes you just need to let your mind run with the melodic sounds in your ear and let your brain make its own interpretation of what you’re hearing. How does it make you feel? Does it make you think? Do the sound waves hit you in a beautiful way? Maybe you’ll love something you never thought you would. Or perhaps, it's something that is constantly enjoyed and loved.I like to move, I like to think, I like to have fun, I like to express myself, I like to dance, I like to relax, I like to be happy and I like to be motivated. There is only one thing in the world that can consistently do all these things for me – music.
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