Survivor Redemption

After being on hiatus for a couple of years, Survivor is finally making its way back onto TV screens on the 22 of September.

I admit, while I’m excited about it, I also noticed it’s not as much as the other seasons. I don’t feel the urge to start watching the first episode as soon as possible.

Looking back on my feelings, I think it’s due to the whole incident with Dan Spilo: the contestant that sexually harassed all the women. Whenever I think of Survivor now, I can’t help but think of how they hadn’t taken him seriously until a staff member was affected. And while they ejected him after the incident, it didn’t change how the other contestants had to go through.

I did hear that they have changed a lot of policies due to what happened. And I believe that they are willing to be more aware this time. I think the whole thing with Dan Spilo was a wake-up call to the staff that they can’t ignore issues.

So I’m going to go into this new season eager to see how they have learned.

Changes Through Life

As time passes, everything is changing: Even you and me. One day, you get into something, and the next, you move on to something else.

Change is everywhere regardless of when it happens, in the clothes you wear, the games you play and how you act.

In some cases, I have to wonder if it’s a case of maturity or not. Because I remember thinking something was good, justified. A while later, I often end up wondering, ‘Why did I like that?’ or ‘I can’t believe I was such a brat back then!’

Regardless, change is always happening. People go through good changes, growing from their past mistakes and becoming better people. On the other hand, people can also change for the worst. They can into bad habits and harm others. A decent person can even change for the worst. At the same time, someone can become a good person as well. It’s all a matter of what we choose to change about ourselves.

Bizarre Weather

Sometimes, the weather we’re having the last few days is confusing. Like it can’t make up its mind. Or the heat and the water in the air are either fighting or working together.

I admit, ‘confusing’ means ‘frustrating’ to me. And the bizarre weather has been frustrating to me.

An example of this is when I wake up, and I see it is very cloudy outside. I then think it will rain and decide to go on my daily walk early so I wouldn’t have to worry about it later. Two hours after I come back home, the clouds clear up. And I’m left wondering why I didn’t wait for the clouds to clear up so I can take my walk while it is beautiful out there.

Not only that, the humidity sometimes gives me headaches. And when I get them, it’s often a miserable time as I try to rest while my head is aching. And the aches often feel like something is drilling into my ears, or I have something throbbing inside my forehead.

Summer weather is unpredictable and frustrating. But I try my best to expect the unexpected and to accept what happens.

To Remake Or Not Remake

Video game remakes: When a game is remade for a newer console, giving new players a chance to enjoy something that was popular.

However, while it can be popular for first timers, what about the players that played the original?

In my opinion, it’s both good and bad.

It’s good because it gives me a chance to somewhat play an older game again. And they improve the graphics and engine, fixing problems that existed in the original.

The bad thing is that often developers get carried away with adding new things to the remakes. And as a result, it doesn’t really feel like the original game. In some cases, some elements from the original are taken out to make way for the new elements.

A prime example of this would be Diddy Kong Racing and it’s remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. In the original, there were ‘battle’ games that players can play on their own, while in the remake, they can only play those games in multiplayer.

I hated that fact, as I loved playing the battle games back in the original. I feel like I shouldn’t have to use multiplayer to play them in the remake.

I believe to make a successful remake, developers should keep most, if not all, of the old features, while putting in a few new features, such as improved graphics and online play. That way, new players and old players can enjoy the game.

Walmart Changes

Walmart is going through some changes, and they are going to improve customer service.

Some of the changes are:
-The photo lab will merge with the electronics, allowing more tech-savvy people to help customers.
-There are more signs above the store departments, allowing customers to see where they are more clearly.
-The self-service area is expanding, with more registers.

Walmart’s goal is to ensure that their customers leave happy, and I believe these changes will help. Customers will be able to find what they are looking for more easily with the signs. And with the photo lab merging with electronics and the expanded self-service, services will be more quick and effective.

I’m looking forward to seeing what other changes Walmart is putting in!

Character Subplots: Good or Bad?

I admit, watching certain shows, I think certain things work on one, while it doesn’t work on another.

The biggest thing that works differently on different shows is the sub-plot; What goes on besides the main plot, allowing viewers to look into other elements, such as the lives of the secondary characters.

Most of the time, this works well; I often enjoy learning more about the castaways in Survivor, see rivalries build in Hell’s Kitchen and in particular, watch the uprise of Christine Ha in Masterchef.

But I’ll admit, those character subplots don’t always work. An example of this would be the Ricky and Pam subplot in the early seasons of Billy the Exterminator. I quickly grew tired of seeing the drama, and I wanted the show to stop showing it off, as it made it feel like a soap opera. And it felt like it was taking the focus off the main premise of the show.

In the end, subplots can work as long as they don’t become the main focus.

Entitled Videos

One of my favourite things to watch on YouTube used to be stories about Entitled Parents; Stories where someone runs into a parent that asks for something unreasonable because they feel entitled to it.

Sometimes, the stories all seem hard to believe. I often end up asking myself if there are people like that. People that threaten to call the cops for minor reasons or make servers cry. It all just seemed too ridiculous to believe.

Recently, I started watching ‘Karens Caught on Camera’ videos on sssniperwolf’s channel. And I found out that there are people like that. I’m often left staring in disbelief, watching all those people act so rude and overreact because of small reasons. And a lot of them are small reasons, such as not wearing a mask.

I admit, I hardly even seen an entitled person, let alone someone that acts the way they do on those videos. So seeing it is always a shock, as it shows that people like that do exist.

Summer Freedom

Spring is slipping away, replaced by summer. Spring flowers are giving way to the summer flowers. Days are long, the sun shining the most brilliantly. And, of course, the heat goes up, making bodies carve for anything cold.

What else do I see in summer? Well, I still feel a sense of freedom that I had at the end of my school years-a freedom of being able to go outside. It may seem childish, but I enjoy getting that feeling even now. It just makes me feel free.

Of course, there can be another way to look at it; being free to go outside after a long winter. I never really liked going outside during it, as the snow makes it hard to walk and it’s cold. As such, I’m in the house more, not wanting to go outside.

Yet the sun beckons me to come out. I need to be careful, though, as it can get hot, and I get sunburned easily!

Dog Minds

One of my favourite things to watch on YouTube is dog videos: Specifically, videos where dogs are rescued and make full recoveries.

It is always inspiring to watch a dog go from scared and unwilling to do anything to happily bounding across a yard. And there are times when they do it without one of their limbs.

How can a dog trust again after going through all that abuse? How can they recover from that?

The sad thing is, I think the reason is that humans often don’t recover fully; they never really show that same energy as before.

So, are dogs stronger than humans? No, since the human mind and the dog mind work differently. Dogs don’t have the same responsibilities humans do, so they are more carefree. But still, the trauma will affect a dog’s behaviour, as they can’t move on, just like humans. They will be more cautious and be unwilling to play around at first.

Still, it always seems like the dogs I watched can recover. So it always leaves me wondering if dogs are mentally stronger than people.

The Small Things

Ever noticed the small things in life? What exactly are the small things? They are the things that a person often sees or does. And often, it’s to the point where they don’t think twice about them.

But unknown to that person, they leave an impact on them. They are impactful because those things are things that bring joy to the person.

Why do I believe that the small things so important? It’s because they show that happiness in life doesn’t have to come from something big: they can come from looking at the small things and remembering the joy they bring.

Examples of the small things for me are:

• seeing magnolias bloom
• eating a slice of key lime pie
• going on walks

They may seem small, but they bring me so much joy. They let me enjoy the moment while reminding me of the beauty the world has. They make me feel happy and grateful to be alive to experience them.

I think that everyone tried to enjoy the small things more, they will be happier. They’ll see that the world has so much to offer, and they can find happiness anywhere. And I believe that will have a positive impact on their mental health. If everyone sees the beauty in everything, they will be happier.