Tuesday 18 December 2012

Personal Addition #39

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Candy-Cane-Cookies-233372
Check out the site above to learn how to make these cookies. The inside is peppermint buttercream! Sounds so good. I hope to try it!

Personal Addition #38

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggnog-pancakes-3/detail.aspx

Above is a site displaying a recipe for Eggnog Pancakes! I thought it was cool that you can substitute your usual ingredients for something more Christmasy & perfect for the holidays. I really want to try these some day!

Personal Addition #37


I think that if I ever have kids and they are upset, I won’t tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that, because it wouldn’t change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it worse, that doesn’t change the fact that you have what you have.
— Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I think this quote is funny because that was totally my parents when I was younger and even now. I do understand why people say that, but Chbosky is right, it doesn't change what you're feeling. You should really sympathize towards people who have less, but feelings are huge, and they can be hard to overcome just by sympathizing.

Personal Addition #36


Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
— Fred Rogers

So, so true! I think this quote is accurate and it's a good way of thinking of things. The end is usually considered negative, but it doesn't have to be.

Reading Reflection #12

If I Stay is going slower than I imagined. Enjoy reading about people my age. Easy to connect to. Also enjoy tragedy. 

Almost the end of the semester, want to squeeze in a really good book that's realistic and easy to relate to. Any suggestions? 

Monday 17 December 2012

Personal Addition #35


When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.
— Thích Nhất Hạnh

I posted this quote because I have the same way of thinking. There has to be something inside of someone to make them say bad things to someone else. 

Personal Addition #34


If you know yourself, then you’ll not be harmed by what is said about you.
— Arabian proverb

I totally agree with this quote and I think people need to learn this. If you know who you are and you're positive and confident about what you look like, how smart you are, your feelings, etc... how can anyone tell you differently?

Personal Addition #33


Try to make at least one person happy every day. If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word. If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought.
— Lawrence G. Lovasik

I really, really like this kind of thinking and way of life. I think it's a great goal to try and achieve every day.

Personal Addition #32


I’m like that. Either I forget right away or I never forget.
— Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot

I really think that this quote applies to me and probably many other people. It's weird to think about but you usually forget what you ate for dinner last week, but you never forget that time you snuck out or that vacation you went on.

Personal Addition #31

http://mehanskitchen.blogspot.ca/2012/02/blog-post_14.html

 
Check out this green smoothie recipe! I really want to try this sometime. Who puts spinach in a smoothie?!

Thursday 13 December 2012

Bucket List


1.      Bungee jump
2.      Learn archery
3.      Go canoeing/kayaking for a day
4.      Become decent at golf
5.      Ride an elephant or a camel
6.      Learn to surf
7.      Learn sign language
8.      Go on a hot air balloon ride
9.      Self teach piano
10.   Go scuba diving
11.   Zip line
12.   Ride one of ten of the world’s largest roller coasters
13.   Cliff jump
14.   Go on a cruise
15.   Visit all 7 continents
16.   Experience the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
17.   Visit all provinces and states
18.   Learn how to and make wine
19.   Make a list of 100 books to read & read them all
20.   Get a masters degree
21.   Get on the front cover of the paper
22.   Volunteer at a soup kitchen
23.   Build habitat 4 humanity home
24.   Be in a movie
25.   Have a child
26.   Volunteer at a pet shelter
27.   Buy a house
28.   Volunteer overseas for a 6 months +
29.   Kiss a dolphin
30.   Pet a panda
31.   Take up yoga
32.   Try to be vegetarian for a month +
33.   Attend a fashion show
34.   Be in a fashion show
35.   Skeleton sledding
36.   Visit Australia
37.   Horseback ride on a beach
38.   Donate blood (If I ever can)
39.   Have $1,000,000 at one point
40.   Visit a haunted house
41.   Write a journal everyday for a year
42.   Donate $1000 + to charity
43.   Walk the Great Wall of China
44.   Pretend to be a Wal-Mart greeter and hug people
45.   Bike the Copper Harbor trail in Michigan
46.   Visit Tunnel of Lights, Japan
47.   Work for a magazine
48.   Experience a Hindu spring tradition aka Holi Festival
49.   Be a bridesmaid
50.   Play hide & seek in a mall
51.   Visit Titanic in a submarine
52.   Donate hair to cancer
53.   Have twins
54.   Sleep on the beach
55.   Lock a lock on Lover’s bridge, Paris
56.   See Northern Lights
57.   Watch ball drop on New Years in New York
58.   Paint the circles on the twister mat & play messy paint twister
59.   Make a list of 100 movies & watch them all
60.   Go a week without phone or internet or television
61.   Bathe in a mud pool
62.   Record singing
63.   Attend World Cup soccer game
64.   See a glacier/stand on one
65.   Photograph an endangered species
66.   Attend Olympics
67.   Take a 365 photo challenge
68.   Send a message in a bottle
69.   Attend a red carpet event
70.   Go wild in Rio during Carnival
71.   Donate money to have my name on something (scholarship, park bench)
72.   Run a marathon
73.   Create family tree
74.   Sleep in a castle
75.   Get another piercing
76.   Buy a car
77.   Go on an African Safari Tour
78.   Learn to drive standard
79.   Adopt an animal
80.   Do Chinese fire drill at a stoplight
81.   Wear colored contacts
82.   Fly a wish lantern in Thailand
83.   Visit Taj Mahal
84.   Dive into the Great Blue Hole in Belize
85.   Dive with sharks
86.   Visit Redwood Forest
87.   Fire a gun
88.   Work at a restaurant
89.   Become tumblr famous
90.   Drink from a coconut
91.   Get braces off
92.   Hold wild cheetah cub
93.   Manage a retail store
94.   Read the Bible
95.   Throw dart at a map and travel to wherever it lands
96.   Paintball
97.   At parking lot, put sticky notes saying “Sorry for the damage” and watch them look everywhere for “damage”
98.   Picture of yourself everyday for a year
99.   Dye hair
100.  Take a picture with a VS model

Monday 10 December 2012

Reading Reflection #11

Just finished The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. Started If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Interesting setup of events. 

Not sure if I prefer a mix of events from the past & present or continuous events in the present. If I Stay is a mix, yet so clear.

Thursday 6 December 2012

Personal Addition #30


Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself.
— Siddhārtha Gautama

I enjoy this quote because I see this side of it that's true in my life. It's something I believe in. I think it's far more important to learn about yourself and know yourself than to venture off into finding out about others' lives. I at least think that you should find yourself before trying to know others very deeply or creating a solid relationship with someone. Also, the quote says sanctuary meaning safety or happiness. I think that it is very important to only find safety truly within yourself because you never know what other people's thoughts or plans for the future are and something could not line up properly if you put your safety within someone else. Especially with happiness, you should always be able to find that within yourself.

Personal Addition #29


Good Night
W. S. Merwin

Sleep softly my old love
my beauty in the dark
night is a dream we have
as you know as you know
night is a dream you know
an old love in the dark
around you as you go
without end as you know
in the night where you go
sleep softly my old love
without end in the dark
in the love that you know


I really like this poem because of the repetition. It holds my attention and makes the poem flow really nicely.

Personal Addition #27

Right now, I'm reading the book The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. It's very different and the things that happen in it are not realistic at all, but they could happen. I like that better than fiction because I like to know that there's a chance of it happening. Vampires and werewolves aren't proven, but having someone appear in your closet could potentially happen. I'm almost finished this crazy, magical book.

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Personal Addition #28



This always happens with me. I like to create debate and challenge the other person, even if I believe in what their opinions are.

Reading & Writing Reflection #10

I think overall my Twitter Fiction went fairly well including some successes and some frustrations.    I think I succeeded at writing simple, descriptive single tweets. I think some of my tweets are for an older audience, some for a younger audience which is good that I can target different ages. I think most of my tweets carried out an emotional aspect and they make the reader feel what the character would be feeling at the time. I had a bit of trouble with vocabulary in my opinion. There is lots of imagery but maybe not super unique, over the top, awesome descriptions. Some of my tweets had a boring story line such as love or relationships, but different people like different topics and I learned that the topic of relationships and family is my strong topic for writing. I learned that I still need improvement. I'm sure even the best writers can improve, but I realized what audience my writing would attract and I don't feel like it's strong enough to reach all audiences yet, especially adults. I felt pretty good about publishing myself on Twitter, however, it is nerve wracking at times. I want people to like what I write and feel like the pressure is on. 

I read a few Twitter Fiction stories. One was by Jack Smack @microdito. One of their tweets read, "Holding her head high, she gathered her scattered belongings from the front yard. A heavy glance back at his once sheltering arms." This person's twitter fiction caught my attention because I wrote a lot of relationship and emotional type of tweets and so did they. I like the tweet above because it could be part of a longer story or it could be a vss which is kind of cool. You can also feel the character's pain because of words such as heavy, scattered, and once sheltering arms which all create visual imagery. 
Another Twitter Fiction author that I explored was Karthik M @mysmallstories. An example of her tweets is, "A tiny tale for his little one. Every night is was so much fun. Then she grew big and tall. Now it's the Facebook wall." I think this tweet is so interesting because it's talking about a recent trouble. It creates a big topic of discussion of how kids are growing up these days and what they're being exposed to. They start with bed time stories and suddenly they're reading the drama on their Facebook wall. I also like how it rhymes at times because that keeps my attention and flows nicely. This author also writes, "Calm night. Tired body. Restless mind. Sleepless soul. Moist eyes. Broken heart." I usually like flowing, rhyming, big long sentences, but this tweet has something to it that attracts me. 
I really like these two authors because their writing is what I was trying to go for, so they're like inspiration. It was alright to spend Thursday's class reading Twitter, but I prefer books over short tweets. I was surprised that tweets can bring out certain emotions or memories in just 140 characters or less. I was also surprised that Twitter had this educational/professional writing side to it. I never would have guessed.
Also, I like when authors make characters and their characters have Twitter so you can go into theirs and read their thoughts. It makes the story have different perspectives and you get to know all the information. 

This assignment did sort of change my perspective of Twitter. It showed me people use it for other things besides posting drama and lyrics and their day to day thoughts. It showed a professional side to Twitter that I like, but I'm not sure I'd use. I'm not sure what other ways we could use Twitter inside the class. I'm sure if we all thought hard enough, there could be some super creative ideas. Overall, great project idea!

Monday 3 December 2012

Personal Addition #26

Here's some interesting words that I've learned recently:

Vernorexia - a romantic mood inspired by spring

Pinguescence - the process of becoming fat and obese

Bailiwick - one's particular area of activity, interest or authority

Personal Addition #25

If you didn't grow up like I did then you don’t know and if you don’t know it’s probably better you don’t judge.
— Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

I like this quote & agree with it. I wanted it on my blog as a reminder to everyone on why judging people doesn't really make sense. We do it so easily, but really it's pointless because we never know what people have gone through, what they're going through or what has made them who they are. 

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Twitter Fiction


1 – I heard the crunch of a branch as I tore it off the vine. The grapes tasted sweet with a hint of bitterness. I was addicted until I dropped.
2 – You yelled at me for being second best. I’ll always remember the tone of your voice, the rage in your eyes. I’ll never look at you the same.
3 – “Tragedy,” he said, “I’ve been through it.” The boy looked up at him differently. Tears filled his eyes because someone finally understood.
4 – It had never been just me and my dad alone on a trip. Why now? He came up to me. He said, “I’m so happy we can do this. I’ve been waiting.”
5 – It was four a.m. I woke to the ghastly smell of smoke, flooding into my nostrils. I yelled. There was no response. I panicked. I ran.
6 – She stroked the dull side of the metallic blade. She thought long and hard, but something held her back; something spiritual, almost holy.
7 – He raised his rough hand and placed it along her delicate jaw line. She stared into his eyes. He whispered, “This is just the beginning.”
8 – Why did I leave? Why did I give up on the most inspiring and real person I had ever met? Pain hit me quickly. It came randomly, sharply.
9 – She was rock climbing a grand mountain. He was on the edge. He held her rope up. She begged and cried. He cut the rough rope slowly.
10 – I was with him. I was always with him, but today was different. Standing in the scratchy wildgrass, hearing it blow in the wind. I saw love.
11 – Every day after lunch, I feel the scratchy tip of a toothbrush at the back of my throat. I feel sick. I feel tortured. However, I feel fit.
12 – My father isn’t who everyone sees. I’ve seen a side; a side that isn’t so caring or loving or beautiful. I’ve been a victim. #beaware
13 – I dream of the wooden runways, the high heels jabbing my feet creating blisters. I want to hear the crowd, smell the stuffy backstage air.
14 – I asked my father a question. He asked me one back. He lost his keys, he doesn’t know what month it is, and his question was, “Who are you?”
15 – I kissed his sweet, soft, loving lips and a smile spread across his face. A good feeling swept through my body, my muscles, my bones.
16 – I remember when we were young we would sit on the cold, hard concrete and pick off sticky tar. Why can’t we go back to feelingless days?
*(One group of small story tweets, same topic, could be conjoined)
17 – The field can be soft as clouds, hard as rock. When you slide, the mud can smear up your leg or you can feel the pain of the stiff ground.
18 – Playing in the drizzling rain is exhilarating. Your cleats dig into mud. Feeling the cold drops falling onto your hot skin is refreshing.
19 – Hearing the pound of your foot meet the blown up sphere and fly through the air to exactly where you aimed it to go is an amazing thing.
20 – I smell my sweaty self. I start to taste the blood and spit in my mouth from overworking, but I push harder and score. They yell.
21 – It was sunny and hot. She went on the dock and dove in. A man arrived. He dove in after. Her head went under and stayed under.
22 – I held the silver rod in my hand. I heard the waves crashing lightly against the boat. I felt a tug. I used all of my strength to catch one.
23 – The usual crosswalk didn’t interest me. It was much quicker to cut across one busy road. My adrenaline rushed. I made the wrong choice.
24 – I walked into the bland smelling doctor’s office. A bigger body pushed past me. It took long to get called. I was diagnosed with cancer.
25 – It was fall. I heard the crunch of the leaves, smelled the crispness of the air. I picked up a rough stick and I ran into you. Beginnings.
26 – I sat in my new car. The fresh smell filled my nose. I felt the smooth, firm leather and started the engine. I drove until I heard a bang.
27 – I took my garbage out one cloudy day. A terrible, rotten stench crept up my nose. One I had never smelled before. What if it was a body?
28 – The train whizzed by. Nothing was going to stop it from bulldozing the woman tied in front. No one was around. I leapt from my bench. Dead.
29 – I said, “It’s not you, it’s me.” He replied, “Yes you’re right. It is you. All it ever is is you”, and ran into the cold, November sun.
30 – I stroked the soft fur of my dog, my favorite companion. The smell of outdoors floated off his fur. I heard him whimper and his eyes shut.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Personal Addition #24


I believe this was in the Minneapolis zoo a while back. You can walk under aquariums of sharks and pet stingrays. It's freaky to touch something so powerful and usually wild. This was definitely a cool memory and who knows if I might go back someday!

Personal Addition #23


This picture was taken several years back. I remember camping often and going on long family trips all across Canada and the United States. I used to go and explore a lot more often and I really miss having the time to do that. I love nature and I don't mind the frogs or snakes or toads. I hope I can take some time in the future to go back out and explore nature a little bit more. 

Personal Addition #22

I learned two words today and thought they were quite interesting. I bet many people don't know what these mean!

Nudiusterntian - The day before yesterday
Dactylonomy - The art of counting on the fingers

Personal Addition #21

I'm missing summer so much, but there are many good things about winter. Here are a few of my favorite things about winter:

-Hot chocolate, tea & coffee drinks!
http://www.moxieq.com/hot-chocolate-the-right-way

-Snuggling up to watch movies
http://pillsplace.blogspot.ca/2008_12_01_archive.html

-Tobogganing, skating & skiing!
http://www.huntsville.ca/en/living/skating.asp

-Holidays like Christmas, New Years, and Birthday!
http://thefabulousreport.com/1028/today-is-national-champagne-day.html

Monday 19 November 2012

Twitter Fiction Board



 These pictures are of my twitter fiction planning boards. There's nothing too special about them. Since I decided on doing VSS style, there's no certain order for them. On the top I wrote what techniques I used or jotted down ideas for images. I finished 20/30 twitter stories so far and filling out this planning sheet has helped keep me organized and on track for this project.

Writing Reflection #9

I am not quite done my twitter fiction yet. I'm done approximately 20 short story tweets at this point, so 2/3 of the way finished. However, I think once I start posting the ones I do have and seeing how people react, I might be more inspired or able to think outside of the box. Being in a classroom or in school doesn't allow me to think creatively so some of my stories may have the same topic or feel to them. I chose to write a VSS. It's easier for me to be creative and incorporate all of the techniques and tools for writing that we learned if I'm writing a shorter story. I like change and variety, and I assumed that if I wrote a long story it would drag on and I'd run out of cool ideas. There are a few elements that I have yet to include in my twitter fiction. These elements are: taste imagery, a clear "so what", and possibly another character development tweet. Overall, I think I've thought of some interesting stories that differ from one another. There are some with 3 kinds of imagery in them, which makes them detailed and the reader will be able to relate. I think my character development skills need work. I'm not exactly confident in how to explain a character but still tell a story all in a few words. I have thought very shortly about what kinds of images I can include to my tweets. I will continue to try to produce some quality writing and I'm hoping that my twitter fiction turns out okay! Can't wait to start posting!

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Personal Addition #20


"I love those kind of nights that turn out unexpectedly good, great, and sometimes just all out amazing just because you didn't really expect anything to happen at all. If only we could live just like that - with no expectations in mind. It’s possible we’d be much happier, with more memorable moments that would last us a lifetime."
-unknown

I really like this quote because I can relate to it. I've had these nights many times and I do believe it is true that things that are unplanned or unexpected are far more meaningful sometimes than things that are. I think these moments are important in peoples' lives and should occur every once in a blue moon just to convince you that there are wonderful things within the world and they will happen to you when you're least expecting it.

Monday 5 November 2012

Personal Addition #19

Lone Wolf: A Novel
I would like to read the book above which is Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult. If you read any description about it, it sounds personal and realistic. I like stories that are or could be seen as non-fiction. This is because they could happen to me or could have already so I feel a better connection to things that are realistic and am also more interested in reading on about them. It sounds like there is an intense conflict in this book and I'd like to have the chance to read on to see what it is and if it is solved and how.

Personal Addition #18

http://www.travelcuts.com/reading-week/volunteer-abroad/#.UJfWkcXA_ZE

I was looking for a student vacation and I came across this site. We don`t have reading week yet, but this would be perfect for next year. You can go to the beach or on an adventure, but I would be most interested in the volunteering opportunities abroad. That would be amazing to get away during spring break in university and to help people in need. The prices are very good and everything is included. Some volunteering opportunities are:
Wildlife Conservation project in Costa Rica
Water Safety Project in Ghana
School Improvement Project in Ecuador
Reforestation Project in Nicaragua

All of these trips sound amazing! I`ve always wanted to do something like this, but have never tried to find the chance. I think I will be highly considering this for the next while!

Writing Reflection #8

In the month of October we did a project called 'Newspaper Blackout Poetry'. This was actually my favorite project or assignment so far. I think it was a fun project because everyone's turned out so different. Some people did longer ones, some did shorter ones. Some did jumping around, while others stuck to straight down. I looked at the project and assumed that they would all be quite similar because newspapers aren't that exciting. In the end, there's so much variety to them and that makes for a good project. Newspaper Blackout Poetry does have some challenges to it. One challenge I found was thinking of what to blackout or I guess what to leave the way it was. You kind of have to make the story as you go along and that's tough for me. I did not want to use letters from a bunch of words or jump around a lot, so it was tough to find words that would fit into my poetry correctly. One success I had was my theme. I wanted to focus on love and in the newspaper there are a lot of he's and she's and fighting going on. I think all of my poems fit my theme correctly and I'm proud of that. Newspaper Blackout Poetry is unique because it's not your writing. You're using someone else's writing and writing your own poem inside. You don't decide what words you use, you pick the words out of a selection. All the things so far in this course have been ourselves writing all of the words so this assignment was definitely different. From doing this project, I learned that I like variety. I like doing different things every once in a while to spark my inspiration. Overall, this was a great project and I would recommend it for everyone to try!

Reading Reflection #8

Boy Proof
Cecil Castellucci
Pages 1-53

This past week I started reading Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci. So far, it hasn't really been my kind of book. I'm not that interested in the whole technologic, sci-fi thing, but the girl pulls me in to keep reading. She's not like most girls and that's why I'm so interested. I like reading about a variety of people because then I may learn something I didn't know. Going out of my usual reading categories also opens the door for learning. The girl, Victoria, who calls herself Egg after a movie character has qualities or characteristics that are similar to mine. One big thing she talks about is shyness and how she likes to work alone. I think in a way that is like me. Alone time is important in my life and I don't consider myself an outgoing person. There's also this guy that comes in to her life. He starts going into the same clubs and in class he shows her up. I can understand the feeling of jealousy or being frustrated when someone comes in and tries to take over what you've always known or done. Right now, this guy in her life is frustrating her. He is in all the same clubs and I believe most of the same classes. I predict that by the end of the book they will have some sort of love for each other because they have common interests. Sometimes the people that bug you the most are actually really good for you. Overall, I'm interested in reading the rest of this book and creating conversation about it!

Monday 29 October 2012

Reading Reflection #7

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson


In the past few weeks, I have finished two books and I'm so close to finishing the last one. All three books have been pretty easy reads. They have gone quick, but that can also be because a book is so good.

The first book I finished was Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. This was a quick read because it is written in very small sections so usually there's a different section every second or third page. This style of writing is good for me and maybe other people would feel the same. It's good because you're not rushed into finishing a long chapter in a class or anything. You can keep reading section after section whenever you have a minute in your day. I definitely feel it's harder to fit reading into my day when there's long chapters because I feel the need to stop at a solid point. Overall, this book was alright. It relates a bit to my life and someone I had a close bond with so that makes it memorable. It's kind of repetitive, not in the way that it says the same thing over and over, but in a way that it's sort of the same concept throughout the whole book. He's slowly dying and you know he's going to die and Mitch keeps learning lessons from him. There's no twist or event that really catches your attention. I'd give this book a 3/5.

The next book I chose was A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin. This was also a fast read, but not because of small sections. I found it interesting and you never knew what was going to happen in the end. It wasn't the best book I've read, and I probably wouldn't recommend it, but it does have a focus on disabilities and that's something I appreciate. It has a drastic ending of the guy with disabilities committing suicide and I think that makes it have a big impact on the reader. I don't know much about disabilities and I think a lot of people don't learn much about it. In my opinion there's more of a blind eye than actually supporting and learning about it and it's a shame. Overall, this book was okay. I'm glad I could read it, but I don't think it's quality writing. I'd give it a 3/5.

The last book I chose to read was Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book also has quick sections, which made me read it in just one weekend! I'm not quite finished so I'm not sure what kind of ending it has, but overall I've really liked the book. Since it is a teenager talking you can relate to what they're feeling more and understand what they're going through. I like when characters don't have it all. This kid has it tough with grades, girls, and especially family. His family definitely isn't perfect and I think characters need to have flaws so that everyone reading can relate. Somehow, someway, I think everyone can feel something that this kid, Tyler, in the book is feeling throughout the novel. Another reason why I like it is because it is modern. There's no whipping in the school for being bad or dates with a girl to a drive-in movie. There's community service, parties, and grounding. There's drugs, alcohol, and smoking. The more modern it is the easier it's going to be for us teenage readers to relate, so Anderson's style and setting of this book were spot on if teenagers were her audience. Overall, I would recommend this book to people if you want an easy read. I would give it a 4/5.

Reading all three of these books gave me a better perspective of length, style, and setting of novels. I can't wait to read more!

Thursday 25 October 2012

Personal Addition #17

I just remembered going to a zoo in the states where they had these giant tortoises. I forgot what they were called and I don't remember much about them, except that they were extraordinary.
800px-Galapagos_giant_tortoise_Geochelone_elephantopus
They are called Galapagos tortoises. They can live up to 177 years! And that is only the age recorded. Who knows how many of them are out there that have lived past 200 or more years. It is the fifth longest living animal in the world as of now. All I remember from these animals is that they are huge! I think of a tortoise and I imagine a little turtle like a house pet or something. This is at least up to my knee or thigh. It is very slow and looks its age! I saw them when I was younger, probably around 10 so back then I probably could've hopped on it and rode it it was so big! They really are amazing animals and I think everyone should pet on in their lifetime!
http://news.discovery.com/animals/top-10-longest-living-animals.html

Personal Addition #16

Right now, there's so much talk of the future. I'm in the position where I have to make a very big decision. It's really the decision of a lifetime. I have to decide what I want to do for a living. At the moment, I know that I want to do something health related. I've always wanted to do something in that topic, so I think that's for sure. Everyone always asks you what you want to be so young and I have no clue. Does anyone really know what they're going to do at this point?

One of my choices is to become a dietitian. A dietitian is exactly what it sounds like; an expert on diet and nutrition. You could work as a private practice and start your own business, you could work in a hospital to help patients or recovery, or you could work in research and education which would be government. It seems like a good job and if you get tired of working at one place in your lifetime, you could switch to research or hospital or whatever you want.
http://www.collegeofdietitians.ab.ca/Public.aspx

Recently, I've been tossing the idea around of being a chiropractor. It would take a lot of work, but you could go anywhere in the world and do it. It has a high salary once you're established. I think it would be hard to start your own practice/business and grow from it. I like being under someone else and have guidelines, however being your own boss has its advantages like hours you work, vacation, etc. so when/if I have children, I can still be around to support them and raise them properly.
http://steveshealthanswers.com/natural-health/how-do-you-find-the-perfect-chiropractor

There are many options within health that I'm considering, if you have any input let me know!

Personal Addition #15


The picture above is the Big Whiteshell Lake. This is where my cottage is. Believe it or not, my family of four shares it with two aunts, two uncles, two cousins, and my grandparents. That is what makes it so comfy and loving. It's one of my favorite places because I have so many memories there. We play lots of outdoor sports together, hike, swim, adventure, do puzzles, play cards, and many more things. I think they built a huge cottage on this island in the past few years. Think about having to go to your cottage by boat and back every time. You would have to transport everything by boat. It seems strange, but if you were retired and spent a lot of time there or even decided to live there, it would be absolutely wonderful. If you've never explored the wilderness, I suggest you do. It may seem boring trudging through pokey twigs and possibly poison ivy, but it's a great memory and makes you forget everything back home. If you get the chance to visit the Big Whiteshell Lake any time in your life, I suggest you take it!

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~burchil/mantario/trip_to.html

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Personal Addition #14


The picture above is G.G. Gelati. It is a little place on Corydon that sells gelati. I highly recommend this place! A small is a huge portion for me and you get to choose two flavors. There are 42 to choose from, so good luck choosing just two if you go! There are unique flavors, unlike most places, such as cookie dough, m&m, snickers, passion fruit, pear, chocolate banana, pistachio, blueberry and many more! You can choose from gelati or sorbet, or mix one of each! It looks like it's an 80's ice cream parlor and that makes it so cute. If I were to recommend a gelati place in Winnipeg, it would be G.G.'s! Give it a try!
http://berleez.blogspot.ca/2009/06/g-g-gelati-for-first-time.html

Personal Addition #13

"All I ever really want to know is how other people are making it through life-where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside of it."
 Miranda July

I like this quote because I can relate to it. I think right now in my life and as I'm starting to grow up, I'm more interested in other peoples' lives. It's easy to get interested in what other people are doing when you are in a school setting because there are thousands of kids around you. Everyone has different religions, morals, beliefs, things they like to do. With technology it's becoming easier and easier to know where people stand and what they're up to. Of course, it's also easy to compare yourself or use this information to look at where you stand. There is a positive and negative side to this. The negative side is if people are going out more than you or buying more things than you or getting better jobs and grades. It's easier than ever to bring yourself down because of how other peoples' social networking looks. People can display their lives in such a showcase but it might not actually be that great...The positive side to this technology is that you can see how other people are doing and if someone has a great idea or sparks inspiration, you can use this to further yourself. Everyone wants to know what someone else is up to in their life. It's intriguing, and you have to realize that it can affect you positively or negatively depending on who you are.


Newspaper Blackout Poetry

 

  The picture above is my project called Newspaper Blackout. There are three poems which are all about love. Basically, you take any newspaper article and pick out certain words to form a sentence which forms a poem. This form of poetry was created by Austin Kleon!

This is my first poem:

It is called Doubt and Uncertainty. The poem says: As each day passes, he questions leaving.
This is my second poem:

It is called Hopeful. It is kind of hard to read, so it says:
It was a long awaited four years, but despite that we will move forward.
This is my last poem (split into two to fit it in):
It is called Unbalanced because it talks about fighting and waiting in a relationship.
The poem says: He complained of the reliability of her. They argue for new communication but await the outcome of it.

Overall, this was a fun project to do, and I'd love to have the opportunity to do it again.







Tuesday 23 October 2012

Personal Addition #12


I've never tried pumpkin pudding, but it looks so good.
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/28454/quick-pumpkin-pudding/detail.aspx
The website above has a tasty recipe which looks something like this:


  • 1 pkg. (5 1/10 oz.) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
  • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
  • 1 can (15 oz) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • Fat free whipped topping (optional)
  • If you have the time to try it or have ever tried pumpkin pudding, I'd love to know what it's like. It seems like a great fall dessert or snack!

Personal Addition #11

Halloween is coming up in the next week or so! The most traditional thing to do around Halloween is carve a pumpkin in my opinion! Here are my top five favorite pumpkins:




http://www.home-designing.com/2008/10/amazing-halloween-pumpkins
http://swirlyman.deviantart.com/art/Barfing-Pumpkin-184581126
http://mashable.com/follow/maegwin/
http://www.hohumcards.com/2010/10/30-creative-ideas-for-carving-your-pumpkin-into-a-jack-o-lantern/

Monday 22 October 2012

Writing Reflection #6

I do not have a solid plan for after high school yet, but I do know that I want to receive scholarships and have the opportunity to go to university. I want to graduate from university and have a career that will fulfill my wants and needs. I want to expand on my family with someone I love and possibly travel to a few places. Blogging can actually help me achieve these things that I dream of. Most scholarships ask for a written part about either yourself or a certain topic, so blogging, especially this type of blogging because it is based on creative writing, helps me improve my writing skills. I think blogging also improves your creativity by adding personal additions and trying to stand out from the crowd. This improved creativity will help my application for a scholarship stand out from everyone else. Leaving high school and going into university, you need to become a lot more independent and not rely so much on the teacher to do things for you. Blogging improves your writing and with improved writing, comes improved reading. I think these two skills are a huge thing when going to university and fending for yourself in class. A professional blog that promotes yourself in a positive way could help you make connections with profs and even other students. Blogging also makes you an awesome researcher. You learn to link back to the sites you took something from and you have to do that for basically everything in university. These skills listed above will also help me in my career I believe. As for having a family, increased creativity would help. Sometimes you have to go with the flow, make things up, start something new. You never know what's going to happen with a loved one or kids. When the time comes for me to travel, skills to research are important. Blogging helps you know your way around the internet a little better. There are many ways that blogging can help me achieve my goals after I graduate from high school.

So, I did a bit of travelling around blogs and posted a few comments here and there. I first commented on Jenine's six word memoir because I love animals and learning about an animal I'm unsure of intrigues me. I commented on Victoria's personal addition because I love music and I as well relate to lyrics. I also commented on Carol's six word memoir because I don't know anything really about exchange programs and I'd love to learn! I believe that a good comment has a purpose. Why are you commenting on a post? Do you want to share what you know about the topic, create an idea and share it relating to the topic, or learn about what they're posting. I think the comment should have one solid topic. It shouldn't be all over the place asking things that aren't related to the post. A good comment should pull the writer or the post into the conversation and want to be involved. I think overall a good comment should express your opinion but also ask for other peoples' or just the writer's as well. I believe that a bad comment focuses on just your opinion. A bad comment is writing that puts someone down or discourages them from writing more. I think a bad comment is one that stops conversation or doesn't start one in the first place. A bad comment has no purpose behind it. There are many benefits from commenting on someone else's blog. You can start a conversation and teach each other things that you may not have known before. Teaching each other things can make a bond or a friendship quite easily. Commenting on someone else's posts makes you noticed. They will notice you and want to see what your blog is all about as well, expanding your circle of blogs you connect with. By commenting on other people's things you can encourage them to keep doing the great things that they are and also improve their writing skills by giving solid criticism. There are also some benefits to receiving comments, which are mostly the same. Someone comments on your blog, you will want to check them out, therefore expanding your circle of blogs you connect with. I really do believe comments of criticism are very valuable to improving writing and blogging skills.

Comment #1
http://jeninesbookloversblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/my-6-word-memoir-5.html?showComment=1350915352053#c8167084679061721461

The first comment I posted was on Jenine's blog. Her drawing with a six word memoir on it caught my eye and made me read on to her explanation. It got me thinking of how complex horses are. There aren't many other sports that involve animals and how many different things horses are used for is incredible. It's weird that humans, who are smaller than horses, can have such control and power over something so large. It also got me thinking of other animals and the relationship you can have with them. Sometimes it's so powerful that when you lose them, it takes a toll on you. Animals can become good companions. I wonder what variety of companions there are out there? What is the weirdest pet there is? I think from commenting on Jenine's post, I stopped thinking of technology and friends for once and focused on something that may not get enough attention when we're caught up in our daily lives; animals.



Comment #2
http://victoriasbooksandwrittenpieces.blogspot.ca/2012/10/want-u-back-cher-lloyd.html#comment-form

The second comment I posted was on Victoria's blog. I relate to lyrics all the time so it's nice to know someone else does too. It made me think of how people relate to things online and I was wondering if we rely on that too much? Have we grown up expressing our emotions through technology too much that the person or problem we should be addressing has no clue what's going on and nothing will get solved? It made me think of Facebook and how it's become just a mess of people's opinions and emotions. Sometimes people don't use the internet for things that contribute to their life. We're all guilty of it, but some people more than others. I think technology has taken us away from playing outside or art or other beautiful, natural things. Is that a bad thing though? I know Victoria didn't say any of this in her post, but the whole idea came to me when I thought of how we relieve ourselves through lyrics and original things like music.



Comment #3
http://carolcastilhosblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/as-i-guess-im-only-exchange-student-in.html

The third comment I posted was on Carol's blog. Her six word memoir caught my eye because it had something to do with travelling and that interests me. She talked about being an exchange student and what a good opportunity it is. It made me think of having the opportunity myself and where I would choose to go. I've never traveled out of America, so any opportunity South or to Europe would be a dream. I wonder how many people are on an exchange right now? I told Carol that I'd be so scared to leave my family and friends. I'm not that outgoing so I don't know how I'd survive in a whole new school. It would be different adjusting to the food, the traditions, and especially the weather! If I went on an exchange, I'd definitely have to go somewhere a bit warmer than Winterpeg. Overall, I wanted to create a conversation to learn about what it's like to go on an exchange. I don't know anything about them, so I am interested to learn!



Thursday 18 October 2012

Personal Addition #10



Did you know kiwi can enhance your sleep?
Kiwi fruit is actually known to reduce asthma, wheezing & coughing from the high amount of Vitamin C in it.
While a banana is know to have say 1.6 grams of fiber, kiwi is know to have about 3.4 grams. With such a high level of fiber, kiwi can increase good bacteria in the intestines and sometimes even strengthen the intestines ability to absorb nutrients needed. Also, because of having such high levels of fiber it can help to reduce cholesterol. This means less of a risk for heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and heart attacks. Kiwi is also a good cleaner outer. It can get rid of toxins in your body and unwanted substances. There are specific nutrients called lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect against blindness and cataracts. These two substances in general help reduce macular degeneration (medical condition, usually for old people, where there is a loss of vision in the center of their vision field because of damage to the retina). Relating back to my main question, kiwis can in fact improve sleep! It is hard to find a fruit with the levels of calcium that kiwi has, but this calcium helps with sleeping.
Aren't those good reasons to grab a kiwi next time you see one in the fruit basket?

Personal Addition #9

Just today, I remembered a trip I went on to Yellowstone National Park in the state of Wyoming. This National Park is about 1,488 km from Winnipeg and takes around 16 hours to get there! If you have ever been there you'd know how magnificent and interesting it is! It truly displays nature's beauty through colors, depth and actions.

The picture to the left is a geyser called Old Faithful. This geyser could possibly be one of the most famous in the world. Believe it or not, it it the most predictable geographical feature on Earth. It erupts every 91 minutes. I remember waiting around, walking through the park, trying to time it exactly right so we got back in time to pull out our cameras. They also have a sort of countdown of minutes until it erupts. It's truly amazing how precised something that we cannot control is. This geyser can shoot hot water up to 32 m in the air!


This picture is a spring called Grand Prismatic Spring. It is also quite famous in Yellowstone National Park. A spring is basically a point in the ground at which the surface dips below the water table. This causes water to come up from the Earth and form a pool. The water in it is said to be around 70 degrees Celsius! The colors that these springs form are so vibrant and eye-catching. I learned that nature doesn't have to be green, brown, and grey.


It blows my mind still that you can get that close to something so strange and mysterious. You look at them and want to dive in to explore. I don't think most people know much about geysers or hot springs, but they're amazing in my opinion & I'd suggest everyone goes to Yellowstone National Park at some point in their lives to experience these things.
www.google.com