What matters most.

In this world, peoples always kept asking what is the most important things in their life. Sometimes, they are confused with themselves, which one is the needs and which one is the will. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, there are five segments of the hierarchy which are the lowest is physiological, safety, love or belonging and self-actualization. For me, what matters most according to this hierarchy is family. I can get all that from my family.

Families are much more than groups of individuals. They have their own goals and aspirations. They also are places where every child and adult should feel that he or she is special and be encouraged to pursue his or her own dreams; a place where everyone's individuality is permitted to flourish. Although every family has conflicts, all the family members should feel as though they can express themselves openly, share their feelings, and have their opinions listened to with understanding. In fact, conflicts and disagreements are a normal part of family life and are important insofar as they permit people to communicate their differences and ventilate their feelings.

Chernobyl Diaries : Review

In April 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor experienced a meltdown caused by a failed system test. This failed test was accompanied by a power surge, explosions and subsequent exposure of the reactors control material. The exposure of the control material caused a fire, sending a radioactive plume of smoke to be released into the atmosphere. The fallout from this radioactive plume caused the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in the areas surrounding the nuclear plant. One of the abandoned places is Prypiat. Prypiat is the city that housed the workers of Chernobyl. This city is now an a empty husk of a city and the setting of the new movie Chernobyl Diaries. 

Chernobyl Diaries tells the story of a group of twenty somethings on an extended trip through Europe. Before they leave for Moscow, the travelers decide to take a day trip to the ghost city Prypiat. Turned back by security guards, the group's tour guide finds an alternate route into the city.

The tour begins with a visit to an irradiated lake where our adventurers find a mutated fish on the shore. As they walk away you can see that there is a lake full of these "mutant fish." Quickly, our fearless travelers find themselves in the city and visit a number of creepy yet visually compelling sites: a rusted-out Ferris wheel, bumper cars in the middle of an empty field, hastily evacuated apartments and abandoned school rooms. Finished with their two-hour tour, the group returns to their van, only to find out it has been sabotaged by some unknown entity. The remaining hour is spent with the group trying to get away from the city while battling mysterious forces.

Chernobyl Diaries starts with an interesting concept, but ultimately fails to execute. This failure to execute begins with the screenplay. Written by Oren Peli, Carey Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke, the movie has some of the most mind-numbing dialogue in the horror genre. One line that stood out: "Who’s taking us to Chernobyl? My friend Uri. He has a van!"  That line might satisfy a 6th grade composition teacher but is laughable in a feature film. This is just one instance of non-deliberate humor -- there are more, many many more.

Accompanying the bad dialogue is a set of scenarios that seem to be cribbed from the Cliff’s Notes book of horror. A "special forces" tour guide who cannot shoot straight, a man with an engagement ring (you know he’s not long for the movie), a scene where a character is severely attacked yet says "It’s just a scratch" and runs off. 

The worst part of Chernobyl Diaries is the lack of payoff, or should I say a complete ripoff. Throughout the movie we are lured by ghosts in the shadows, strange sounds, mysterious creatures. Basically we have invested our film coin for a payoff that never comes. Let me rephrase -- the payoff does come, but it is an utter disappointment that will leave you scratching your head saying "Are you freaking serious?" An episode of Scooby-Doo has a better pay off than this movie.

Chernobyl Diaries starts with a strong concept. But with a weak screenplay, forgettable performances, plot lines constructed in an incoherent manner and ultimately a ripoff of an ending, this movie is not worth your hard-earned dollars. 

P.S.: While this movie fails on numerous levels, it does have a cool concept, a unique setting (with actual footage of the location) and some interesting scares. If you like lowbrow horror films, you might be able to enjoy this. 

Campus life

Many students enter college expecting good times, knowledge, friendships, and a new sense of direction. They soon find out that college comes with challenges and struggles because of the great demands and expectations that are put on the importance of education. College students experience a great deal of stress, especially when they are trying to balance a full time job, raise children, and have a social life. The demands of doing many different things with very little time can become overwhelming.

The daily tasks of working and meeting the demands of job obligation can leave a college student exhausted. There are a limited number of students who work full time jobs and attend college full time. Others, still work late and get up in the wee hours of the morning trying to fit all of the required tasks of school and work into one day. Students often find themselves more exhausted when they are trying to schedule tasks, because there just does not seem to be enough time in one day. Putting in long hours and worrying about class schedules adds stress to a student life.

The college student who has children is faced with guilt about not being able to spend time with the children. The children has great demands on time. They need help with their homework, or need dinner and to be tucked in bed at a certain time. The thought of not being able to keep up with the demands of the children is very stressful and can be depressing to both the child and parent. In other words everyone suffers because you are unable to fulfill all the obligations that you have taken on.

College students finds very little time to enjoy extracurricular activities. Even if they attend any major school functions, games, or dating , they will regret not getting the term paper done that was due the following day or week. Many students begin to feel pressure that often leads to depression and social isolation. The fear of being a failure and not measuring up to someone’s expectations adds more pressure to the sleep-deprived, stressed out student.

College students are often left with no personal time, and must learn to manage job and family. College has many rewards if you do not get burned out and give up too soon. The pressure and time managing can all be worked out with patience and lots of understanding from family and friends.