Long Time, No Talk

It has been over a year since I last wrote on this blog. I can't quite figure out what caused me to stop, but it probably can be attributed to the lack of pressure from my Writers Craft teacher (which caused me to start this blog) in addition to my own laziness or most likely, being distracted by the latest venture in my life: University.

My first year at University went along better than I could have hoped. I met so many new people, made so many new friends and contacts, experienced so many new things, and learned so much, I can't even put it into words. However, it is not my recent year of Post Secondary schooling that has me blogging once again. You can thank one of my old high school teachers for that, and not the one who had me start this blog in the first place.

The story goes back to 10th grade where I had this one teacher, whom we shall refer to as "Mrs. Y." Not only was she my Grade 10 History teacher, she was my hockey coach and director of school plays that I worked as a Set Designer for and continued to remain a constant presence in my life through my 4 years of high school hockey, as well as an employer of my babysitting skills. In Grade 12, while exploring a possible intention towards a teaching career, I took a "Leadership' class which basically gave me the foundations to being a teacher and prepped me for what I may encounter in the journey of achieving a teaching degree. This class, like the University teaching program, required us to have a placement as a teachers assistant in either a Grade 9 or 10 class. When given a choice of students to help out in her class, Mrs. Y chose me.

 However, at the end of the year, I had decided that I would enjoy another career in art or film, rather than a teaching one. Yet, I believe that it is final pairing of Mrs. Y and I that  gave me the amazing opportunity this summer of a job as a MLI Teachers Assistant Working with her (and 2 other assistants) to teach English as a Second Language to visiting Japanese students. This has changed my whole perspective of teaching as a career. 

I enjoyed teaching ESL to the Japanese students, that I am no reconsidering the degree I'm currently pursuing. At this moment, one of the other teaching assistants and I are trying to plan a trip to Japan, to get a taste of the language, a feel for the culture, and an understanding of the education system there. Not to mention, we wish to visit our previous students! So, here arrives the reason for my out of the blue blog update: I will be starting a new blog, one that will document our work and efforts towards raising funds for this trip, as well as one that will act as a travel journal. The link will be posted shortly.

Hey, while you're on the internet, check out this site. It's a great motivator :)
http://www.wwwdotcom.com/

Encore!

My first design, "Traditional Leather"

Once again I write about internet distractions. The first time, I wrote about funny viral videos on YouTube. This time, it’s about fashion.



"Playing up the Pink"



Recently upon compiling a faux fashion magazine sample for a school project, my group mates and I stumbled upon a very intriguing website. This website is called www.polyvore.com. There, you can make your dream outfits and “publish” them to see how other people like them. It’s basically a fashion blog, just minus the written stuff. Already I have three or four outfits.

A bonus to this site is the part that you can design your own magazine template. We used both the outfit design and template designs for our magazine. Yet, now that I have completed my portion of the project, I can’t get myself off the website.

If you get a chance, I'd advise you to check it out. ;)

My latest so far... titled "Birds of a Feather"



Mark My Words!

Marks are what have motivated me throughout high school. The desire to receive anything above an 80, preferably the numbers above the 90 level.  To achieve this, I had pushed myself to a point that I no longer recognized I was pushing myself.

In grade eight, I can distinctly remember my teacher telling the entire class “if you’re getting 80’s now, expect a 20% drop once you’ve hit high school.”

 At that point in my life, I didn’t really care about grades. I got C’s and B’s mostly… and an occasional A. It worried me that I could end up drops into the 40’s or 50%’s in high school.

When the end of grade 9 came around, I found that I had made good study habits that allowed me to achieve straight A’s. I would never have dreamed of such a thing happening to me. I was ecstatic. The joy I felt in achieving these marks made me want to get them again and again, still motivating me. So it comes to my final year and I have an A average.

Now, with university looming over me, I’m losing the motivation. I’ve already been accepted. I’ve already accepted and offer. I’ve paid my deposits and I know for sure where I’m going to be in September. To be focusing on exams that I honestly no longer really care about, seems mundane. All I want to do is finish high school after four long years and move on with my life. Work, earn money, go to university, meet new people, learn more about things that interest me. Oh the variety! How I can’t wait!

Yet, there is still the little matter of exams. I need to do these last four. I need to do them well. I need the high marks to get more money to go to university and have less debt. It all boils down to marks.

Bet ya didn’t know, this blog is a result mark motivation. This blog is apart of one of my last four classes in high school. Although I do enjoy blogging, and I may keep it up when I’m in university, this blog was not started on my own accord. In fact, this post is not on my own accord. I’ve just posted this the day before our teacher gives a final evaluation for our blogs. I wanted to add just one more post to get the best mark.

The Technology Addiction

I even have to admit it, I am a technology addict. I say I can get by without my phone, iPod, internet and so on. But that's a lie.

When I lose my phone, I'm freaking out to the max until I find it. when I lose my iPod, I almost cry. When the internet is down at my house, I can't help but sneak peeks while at school. Technology has taken up a large part of my life. I was only ever really introduced to it when I was ten, getting my first msn account, when I was 12 getting my first facebook, when I was 13 getting my first iPod... and when I was 14 getting my first cell phone, when I was 15 and got my first laptop... The list goes on. And I have grown to live with these items as a necessity so when my laptop broke, I didn't know what to do with myself.

            I find it quite sad that I’m like this. But I know people who are worse. Who are even 10X worse than that. Why has this dependency been created? It was once a luxury- being able to stay connected with people at a faster and constant rate. Now it’s a must have. A need. People spend hours of their day on the internet or on the phone. And for what purpose? To tell everything you want to tell someone just before you see them the next day?
            This idea of technology addiction brings me to my thoughts on 2012. I don’t believe people are going to die (unless death is brought upon them by themselves). I think that life, AS WE KNOW IT, will change drastically. I’m thinking that all technology will die and we will be cast into a second Dark Age. How will people cope without their precious blackberries, or cell phones or computers or any such stuff. Some people may just keel over. Spontaneously combust. Just not exist without their technologic gadgets. And where will I be?
            I hope I’m not too addicted to technology. I like to say that I could live without it. Go find a nice, secluded cabin in the middle of the woods. No technology for 20km in either direction. But I guess we’ll have to see.

Fan Fiction

Reading is one of the things I most enjoy in this world. It’s a secret escape from reality. You picture yourself as the main character- you experience what they do and say. You experience the ups and downs, the confusion and the clarity. In a way, YOU become the character.

 But what happens when you reach the end and you’re not ready? What do you do then? The author clearly isn’t going to write more, yet, you just want the story to continue on forever.  Well, the solution is as easy as two words: fan fiction.

With fan fiction, you, yourself, take the characters from the story and place them in your own plot and setting. Credits go to the author who originally created the basics like the characters and setting, but you get to manipulate them into your own version.

I was once an avid member of web sites like fic wad, fiction central – sites where you can both write your own stories and write fan fiction. My favourite part of those sites was reading other peoples fan fiction of my favourite books. Some of the alternate endings people have come up are better than the ending the original author had thought of. It amazes me what a different perspective can come up with.

So, if you're one to follow a book series to the end and beyond, fan fiction may be just right for you. You can test the waters and see what others have come up with or you can dive right in and write your own. It doesn't matter what you do with it, it's just good to know that when it all seems to come to an end, it actually isn't.

Blog Fat

This topic is one that had really opened my eyes. My sister and I had been discussing ways to be healthy, but cost became a defining factor. I asked "How will I be able to afford being healthy in university? I won't have any money to buy all these expensive organic foods." and it's true. Unhealthy foods like Kraft Dinner and Mr. Noodles are sold for less than a dollar and can even been bought in bulk. So what would a poor university student do? We'd go for the cheap stuff. The stuff that comes with more. The only stuff we have available to us on our budget.

            Okay, so we do buy our health from paying for expensive healthy foods. But what about what keeps our body in shape? There are gyms but they cost money too. We could run outside, but we can’t forget the proper running equipment. Shoes alone could break anyone’s wallet, let alone the spandex shorts and running sweater.
            So why do we pay so much to be healthy? In my eyes, we are given two choices. The one, be cheap, save money but risk bad health. The second, to spend money and have less of it and be in your prime. It shouldn’t be this way. My sister and I agree. Perhaps the government should step in. If they want less people using health care from having heart attacks, maybe they should think about forking over some money for those who do desire to be in shape but lack the means.