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The Clock is Ticking: How to Stop Procrastinating

Marcus Chung
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Fall is the wonderful time of year where the wind starts to get cold, leaves start to fall, and students begin to hate their lives again. I’ve just made the transition from grade 9 to grade 10 this year, and after the first 3-ish weeks of High School, I feel pretty comfortable highlighting some differences between the two. First of all, days in High School feel a lot shorter than in junior high. I attribute this to there only being 4 periods, but my friend told me it was because I always zone out in class. I honestly can’t say he’s wrong. Next, you have a lot more freedom in the options and clubs you join, and finally, there is a lot more work to do. You are given less direction to your learning and have to learn and review a lot of things by yourself. The teachers also began the year faster and give out assignments far more frequently. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a student, or have been at some point in your life, and all students know one thing; where there is work, there is procrastination.

Now, I’m very familiar with procrastination. Which is a really bad thing. Don’t be proud of yourself if you’re like me. However, I’ve also learned how to deal with procrastination, which is valuable, and If that’s a skill you have, give yourself a clap on the back. Now there are a few ways to stop yourself from procrastination, and they may not all work for you, but here are a few tips to eliminate procrastination and improve work ethic.

  • Start working as soon as possible. All of the other tips build off of this tip, and all procrastination stems from ignoring this tip.

 

  • Set a deadline for what you have to do before the actual due date of the assignment or project, and create a
    Fun fact, this article was written on September 24th. Pretty cool coincidence. Now stop getting distracted.

    step-by-step timeline of how much work you should have done at a given date before the deadline. This tactic gives you some incentive and healthy stress to actually work without a consequence if you can’t make the deadline, as well as breaking the assignment into smaller, more manageable chunks. This strategy works best when you’re tasked with a large project with a very far away due date, and prevents you from wasting half of the time you’re given without making any progress. I would recommend this tactic to you only if you’re organized and want to work, but just keep telling yourself “I have enough time…”

 

  • Focus on the end goal. This applies to all of life. If you have nothing to work for, then you won’t work. When studying for a test or working on an assignment, think about what you want. Whether this be a good grade, or bragging rights, or fulfilling your dream in life, whatever floats your boat, just think about what you’re working towards, and see every single word you type, or page you read as a step towards that finish line. If you’re really uninterested in the task you have to do, which happens really often, *cough socials studies cough* create a reward system to work towards. No one, except your teacher, expects you do read 50 pages in one sitting, so give yourself a break every now and then, just no too often. I would really recommend using this to boost your work ethic when you are running out of time, or when you’re really unmotivated to work.

 

  • Remove distractions. Don’t even try to simply ignore distractions. We both know that’s not going to work. Instead, eliminate those distractions. Obliterate them. Remove them from existence. Or if you’re not that hardcore, just find a way to stop them from bothering you. For example, I’m very popular and have lots of friends who want to text me. Woo, that’s a good joke. Now back on topic, if your phone is getting in the way of your work, turn it off. If you’re getting social media notifications, log off. Just keep working. After all, your work has a deadline, those things don’t.

 

  • Turn on some music. A lot of people say to only listen to classical music. Screw that, listen to whatever you want. The only criteria for a working playlist is that it doesn’t distract you. Other than that, go crazy. I’m listening to Imagine Dragons while writing this. Playing music helps you because you get lost in it and begin to ignore the outer world. You are essentially distracting yourself from other distractions. It also makes working a bit more fun, turning it from a -5 on the fun-o-meter to a -3.14159. Guess who just did some math homework. I’d rate it a -3 factorial. Playing music doesn’t help everyone, but if you’re one of the people it does, then there is no assignment or project I wouldn’t recommend using it on.

“One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow.”

-Vincent T. Foss

I hope after reading this article, you decide to use some of these techniques I’ve illustrated. If you’re interested in more ways to improve your work ethic, or you’re thinking “This guy’s techniques suck. He probably procrastinated while writing this.” First of all, you’re right about the procrastination, and second of all, here are some of the links I used which have a lot of valuable information and I definitely recommend checking out.

 

Link to pictures:

 

My working playlist (Warning:Explicit)

 

Stop procrastinating and get things done!

Annie Wang
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Sometimes the feeling of putting off things that are unpleasant like writing an essay or finishing your homework is just too strong to resist. Even though you clearly know that you have to finish it eventually, you still do not want to do it NOW. Procrastination impacts all of us in various degrees, however, people seldom know why we procrastinate and how we can avoid it.

 

Some social psychology researchers describe procrastination as a failure of mood regulation. We want a short-term good feeling even though we are pretty sure it’s going to come back and put pressure on you later. In other words, procrastinate is our attempt to avoid bad feelings like the stress and boredom of the task itself. Here is an example to help us rationalize this concept: You probably do not want to write a big English essay when you are tired, so you tell yourself you’ll do it after you get some rest. It’s pretty reasonable, isn’t it? You should realize that you are giving yourself small excuses habitually in order to put off the task and push away the bad feelings. However, you in the future will finally confront that stress and bad feelings. It is important for us to regulate our mood and recognize the stress and bad feelings will not just disappear later if we do not accept them.

There is lots of study and research on procrastination, there is certainly a lot of suggestions on how to beat it. I will just list some advice on how to beat academic procrastination, basically, putting off school assignments until the time near the due date.

  1. When you get a big project, you can try to break it up into small chunks. For instance, you can plan ahead of time and do a little piece each time. It is much easier to get started and the task will not be intimidating and stressful to you.
  2. Realizing that getting things done is the only way you can get rid of your stress. The stress of your assignments will not decrease or disappear if you do not get started, on the contrary, you will just have more work to do in the future.
  3. Understanding the future – you is also you! Similar to the second idea, you can do it sooner or later but the only difference is how much work you will leave behind for the future-you to finish.

Procrastinate now and panic later.

In summary, the mood regulation is the key to help us avoid procrastination. It might sound easy to change, but it isn’t always easy. If you are reading this blog and want to procrastinate working on something, you should go and GET STARTED!

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12 Struggles Faced by Students at the Beginning of their Senior Year

Rosie Zhao
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After two years of experiencing both ups and downs in high school, grade 12 students are finally at the end-game; graduation has been set, post-secondary applications are being completed, and the adult world is imminent. However, the beginning of the end can be brutal for grade 12 students.

1. Senioritis: you’re already experiencing burnout and graduation seems so close, yet so far.

We’ve all heard of the word before, where your performance is inversely proportional with your workload and you can feel your motivation ebbing away while your to-do list just gets longer. Sure, it may usually occur after final exams/university acceptances, but after all of the work you put in grade 11, it’s already tiring jumping back into diploma courses and extracurricular activities. Graduation is only several months away, and it’s really easy to get complacent– but don’t fall into that trap!

2. If it hasn’t already started, you will be asked about your plans after high school A LOT.

The question, “what are you plans after high school?” will be the classic conversation starter as a grade 12 student, whether it’s with your friends, distant relatives, or complete strangers. It’s alright though, since we all pull out the question on each other. I’ve practically formulated an automatic answer to this question, which is an ambiguous explanation of everything I actually have yet to sort out for my future.

3. And you have to start thinking about how your plans coincide with that of your social circle’s.

Unfortunately, your friends probably won’t have the exact same plans for post-secondary; some may stay while others may leave, and it’s hard to imagine the separation after spending years together. Take advantage of this last year you can spend with them!

4. It seems like almost everyone has their post-secondary plans figured out while you’re still unsure (as your stress levels intensify).

Why can’t we all be like the students who definitely know what they’re doing — from their university major, to their top university picks and plans for applications? Although life seems easier if you have a plan, it is not the end of the world if you don’t know right now. There is still time to figure out your passions and preferences, and the worst case scenario is you end up changing majors while in university– which won’t even be that much of a setback.

5. There’s the constant debate between staying at the local university & financial stability vs. exploring a new place with the burden called student loans.

If you are like me, with a desire for traveling but financial woes, then you’re all too familiar with judging the pros and cons between the local University of Calgary and an external university. Well, that means more university applications to complete while I further delay all important decisions about my future! However, be sure to attend the University of Calgary’s Open House on September 30 if you are interested in applying– experience campus tours, attend the exhibit fair, and meet U of C staff!

6. Applications, applications everywhere! University, scholarships, and extracurriculars, oh my!

Ah, application season– a time where we basically rewrite our credentials to sell ourselves on several different forms. The beginning of the school year is when applications open for universities and scholarships, so alongside your schoolwork and regular extracurriculars, you need to dedicate time to finish these applications by the deadline. This is also the time where you feel completely inadequate as you fill out your “volunteer/community involvement” and upload your grades…

7. And for these applications, you feel obligated to cram your schedule to fill in possible gaps in your extracurriculars.

DISCLAIMER: This is not how grade 12 students should approach their last year! All too often, students pursue extracurricular activities such as volunteering so it can boost their credentials on their application; while it helps, one should be joining extracurriculars based on their interests or else they are set for a miserable experience that they have to endure. But honestly, making up for potentially lost time during the first two years of high school would be MUCH easier with one of those time turners from Harry Potter.

8. Your wallet will be emptying really fast, so you actually have to worry about budgeting your money.

You’re more conscious of how you spend your money as you keep in mind that each university application costs ~$100 and post-secondary fees in tuition, residence and meal plans are looming. Resisting that urge to impulsively splurge is a constant struggle, and getting a part-time job might be on your to-do list to save up some more money before the major spend.

9. At the same time, you want to explore outside of your comfort zone during your last year of high school and complete that avant-garde high school bucket list.

It’s the last year of high school! While still free from the responsibilities of a self-reliant adult, you might want to experience something before graduation, whether that’s a road trip with your friends or doing a senior prank. However, time is our greatest enemy and it feels like there’s almost no time left over with applications, school, and extracurriculars…

10. But your guilty conscience is always there to list the gazillion other things you should be doing instead of hanging out with your friends.

If you find yourself saying “I probably shouldn’t…” to a friend’s invitation, that’s your guilty conscience butting in to remind you that there are much more effective ways to spend your time. It might be true, but don’t forget to take breaks and enjoy yourself to avoid burnout.

11. Thinking about adulting is both exciting and SUPER daunting.

For those who are thinking of leaving for university, the thought of being responsible for ourselves is constantly at the back of our mind; you might want the independence, but you also might not be ready to be responsible for “adult” tasks like cooking, cleaning, and taxes.

12. But overall, be sure to make the most out of your last year of high school!

You’re at the top of the social ladder at school and trivial matters are still being covered by your parents; use this time to make connections, explore new things that you didn’t dare try before, and spend the last quality time you have with friends and family!

Image Sources: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/Featured

What’s Happening? (25/09/17)

Bhavana Vel
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The world is in chaos.

It’s hard to admit. I know that. But right now, there are so many different things going on in the world that it’s hard just to keep up, especially with many of us having started school just a few weeks ago.

Well, here I am, to tell you everything that is going on in the world as we speak. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

5: Fenty Beauty

Rihanna launched her own cosmetics line! The long awaited collection has 40 different foundation/concealer shades (forty!!!) , brushes, beauty blenders, highlighters, lip gloss, and blotting sheets. I would kill to get my hands on one of the highlighters, honestly. Mortals, we are one step closer to acheiving Rihanna’s (used to be) unimaginable beauty.

4: Body Shaming Was Adressed In The House Of Commons

Celina Caesar-Chavannes, MP for Whitby, Ontario, spoke out about body shaming in the House of Commons last Wednesday.

She wore her hair in braids to the House that day, and went on to start a speech about women, their natural hair, and the issues facing it in Canada.

“Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that there are young girls here in Canada and other parts of the world who are removed from school or shamed because of their hairstyle.”

It’s true. In fact, schools have given students detention or even suspended them for coming to school with their natural hair in braids.

She then continued to say that “body-shaming of any woman in any form from the top of her head to the soles of her feet is wrong”. And, let’s be honest, how completely overdue is that? Body-shaming has been a topic that has been sparking controversy all over North America for years, and it’s great that an MP spoke up about it at the House of Commons. I applaud her.

“Irrespective of her hairstyle, the size of her thighs, the size of her hips, the size of her baby bump, the size of her breasts, or the size of lips, what makes us different makes us unique and beautiful.“

Afterwards, she said that she would continue to rock her braids, one of her reasons being that “they look pretty dope”. And who can argue, because they do!

“I want them [girls and women] to know their braids, their dreads, their super curly afro puffs, their weaves, their hijabs, and their headscarves and all other varieties of hairstyles belong in schools, in the workplace, in the boardroom, and yes, even here on Parliament Hill.”

Watch the full video here.

3: Earthquake in Mexico City Leaves People Scrambling to Find Shelter

The earthquake, scaling at a 7.1, destroyed hundreds of buildings across the city, leaving citizens to search for homes and shelter.

People are currently living in churches, schools, tents, and other official or pop-up shelters throughout Mexico City

Thousands have lost their homes, and some are even facing longterm homelessness.

You can donate to help here: https://donadora.mx/projects/unidos-para-reconstruir-mexico.

Mexican Red Cross, and other organizations are also taking donations.

2: Puerto Rico Devastated By Hurricane Maria

Puerto Rico is facing crisis as the entire population is left without electricity, water, and telephone services in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Engineers are saying it could take months for it to be restored.

Homes are without roofs, entire neighbourhoods are flooded, and fallen trees are blocking highways.

At least 13 people have lost their lives due to the hurricane.

If you want to donate to help the cause, do so here: https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund.

There are also other organizations where you can donate, such as the Red Cross.

1: Donald Trump Threatens to “Totally Destroy” North Korea

Ah. Haven’t we had enough of this man? Apparently not, because he continues to make headlines almost everyday.

Donald Trump, the infamous president of the United States, and Kim Jong-Un, the infamous leader of North Korea, have been engaging in a rally of increasingly threatening personal insults for a while now. That also includes threats of a nuclear bomb.

North Korea conducted its 6th (and most powerful) nuclear test on Sept. 3rd, resulting in Trump saying:

“If [the U.S.] is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”

Kim Jong-Un then proceeded to call Trump a “mentally deranged US dotard”.

What could happen if North Korea does eventually detonate a hydrogen bomb?

  1. Losses of lives. (100% rate within just six square kilometres)
  2. Cities will be ruined.
  3. Sattellite networks will be destroyed. (Not only will your cellphone networks be down, but the military won’t be able to perform the missions they usually rely on sattellite for.)
  4. Prevailing winds would carry radioactive material further.
  5. Aircrafts and ships would be affected.

In retrospect, we haven’t seen this type of horror since the second world war. And it’d be nice if we didn’t have to.

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Just Go For It: A SHAD Memoir

Lucy Han
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Dedicated to SHAD Western Fellows of 2017, Program Directors and Assistants and everyone who made my summer SHAD experience possible.

You can find a few accounts of SHAD Fellows’ experiences here on Youth Are Awesome, and from each of them you can easily deduce that SHAD is certainly a summer of a lifetime. I can spend hours telling you how amazing the program is, but since there are already countless articles and blogs outlining just that, I want to take this opportunity to share my own experience.

Before we get into my personal story, I wanted to note that there’s a common misconception that SHAD stands for something. In a sense, the charity does stand for something; It values Creativity, Excellence, Community, Diversity, and Responsibility. That SHAD itself is an acronym is a total myth.

It was Canada Day and I was packing for my flight to London, Ontario. Never would I have thought that a one-month camp would generate such special and dear connections for me.

The first morning I remember standing outside one of the SHAD’s dorm rooms, after being invited to hang out when I woke up, and waiting for at least five minutes at a time to knock when I wouldn’t interrupt the conversation inside. My stomach was knotted with nervousness; fearful that I wouldn’t know what to say to my fellow campmates, I contemplated going back to my room. I’ve always been afraid of socializing with new people and I couldn’t find a will to enter that dorm room. Finally, I convinced myself that everyone must have the same feelings as me and I tentatively knocked. It took a few times before the voices inside acknowledged my knocking.

And just like that, my journey began. We bonded over Jenga, card games, pool and table tennis. We sang “Slow Hands” on repeat and created hilarious skits involving wacky words like flabbergasted and cloudburst. We admired each other’s talents and complemented each other’s skill sets.

SHAD provided me with an environment that allowed me to fulfill a lot of my goals that I didn’t even know I had, such as talking about Snapchat for my SHAD Talk (which was SHAD’s rendition of TED Talks) and being a punny emcee.

STEAM: the very core of the SHAD experience. Performing scientific procedures in a chemistry lab and learning about astronomy was incredibly fun. We got sneak peaks into the latest technology at WindEEE. Our inner engineers were kindled from building model windmills, rooves and robots. Wire sculpture and watercolor paintings showcased amazing art skills. And lastly, we wore our math hats when solving math problems during our math lecture(which also involved playing with a bee colony simulator that the professor coded himself).

Now aside from what I did, my experience with the people there was what brought me to make profound realizations about myself. SHAD is never about never and is always about always- always taking risks and putting yourself out there. Knowing that I was constantly in a judgment-free zone, I did a lot of things that I normally would not have had the courage to do.

In the blink of an eye, my SHAD experience was over. My physical experience at least, because I know I will forever carry on what I learned forwards. On the last morning, I was groggy and all nervous again, just like on day one; except I felt this way for a different reason. I was nervous about never seeing this group of amazing individuals, my ohana, ever again. Everyone at my campus helped change me for the better and I can only express so much gratitude.

These were the words I was left with at the end of my journey.

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.”

The Most Majestic Instrument

Madina Shaykhutdinova
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It’s a toy! It’s an instrument! It’s the Otamatone!

 

A few weeks ago, I stumbled on some videos of people playing this strange object in the shape of an eighth note (or a quaver, if you prefer). This instrument, created in Japan by Maywa Denki, produces a sort of electronic sound when it is played. One hand is used to press on the neck to make different notes. There are no frets, but you can easily slide your fingers for smooth transitions to the closest notes. The other hand is used to squeeze the Otamatone’s mouth, which makes the sound waver by hiding and exposing the speaker found in the head of the instrument.

The result is weird and adorable, but mostly weird. The eyes and mouth-like shape opening on the head of the instrument make it seem as though the Otamatone is singing, especially when the mouth is opened and closed to make a wavier sound. However, the sound that is produced is a bit like the quacking of a duck, mixed with an unnatural electronic sound. I was in awe when I was watching people play tunes on the Otamatone, but I was also laughing because it was so ridiculous. Here is a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” on Otamatone by Nelson Tan Yan Cong (NELSON TYC).

To make such an odd instrument sound not out-of-place in a big band is quite the accomplishment. There are many other Otamatone covers available of popular songs and pieces, ranging in skill and type of Otamatone, from Ave Maria to Despacito. This all shows that humans strive to achieve greatness in any aspect of their lives, even in playing an odd little instrument that may not sound great originally.

 

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The Cycle of Change

Lucy Han
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What would happen if we never changed ourselves? Our ways, our mindsets, our outlooks… It seems that we’re always either trapped within a cycle or travelling along an upwards spiral.

With the former, we put ourselves into a stagnant position, where nothing terribly bad or terribly great ever happens. It’s always a desirable place to be in because why go through all the trouble when you can be perfectly happy as is? But the issue here is at this stage, we’re simply riding a plateau, inhibiting growth and potential. It’s not the nature of the cycle that traps us; it’s our own nature that traps us into the cycle. Our own minds stop us from striving for greatness, instead preferring complacency. What ultimately differs between a cycle and an upwards spiral is committing to change (or lack thereof).

Change nothing and nothing changes.

To actually “change” something about ourselves in order to improve and grow is only 1% of the struggle. For instance, if you’re not a particularly healthy eater (like myself), it’s really easy to go an entire day without eating snacks and say, “I’ve changed to a healthy eater!” 99% of the challenge is about actually committing to what we’ve said to change about ourselves.

The cycle of change – its direction and path – is entirely within the control of our own hands. If you’re satisfied with where you currently are, there’s no reason to cause unnecessary stress in your life to change yourself just because “you need to keep growing” and there’s “always something to improve”. Time and place are always factors you should consider when wanting to change a certain aspect about yourself or your life so don’t be so hard on yourself all the time! But there’s something that’s blocking a goal of yours or you know you can make the commitment, aim for change!

One day or day one. You decide.

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“One More Thing…”: Apple’s iPhone X

RunLin Wang
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I’ve been an avid user of Apple products ever since grade 7, when the revolutionary(at the time) iOS 7 was released. Naturally, when I heard that there was going to be a “Special Event” hosted by Apple, I was very excited, although I thought that it was probably just going to be a new iPhone with a couple small revamps to the overall phone. I was dead wrong.

That home button that has been a staple on Apple phones since the very beginning? Gone. Touch ID? Gone. Metal back panel? Now it’s glass. Hated charging cables? Now just throw your phone on a mat.

And I thought that getting rid of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 was a big deal.

 

Nobody liked the extra dongle that was required to use headphones on the iPhone 7

 

Initially after the iPhone X reveal, I was completely shocked and excited. However, after giving it a bit more thought, I began to realize a couple potential issues with the new iPhone design, and I thought that they would be worth sharing.

1. The Lack of a Home Button

The Home Button has been on every iPhone since the very beginning, and for a very good reason. Steve Jobs himself said that through all of the applications that would have a variety of touch controls, it was important to be able to have a single button that would do the same thing reliably every single time, in order for the phone user to build trust with the phone. The home button is the manifestation of this idea. I personally can attest to the idea that the Home Button helped to ease me into using an iPhone, as if I screwed up in the application somehow, I could always press the Home Button and reopen the application. The Home Button was invented in a time when touchscreens were not widely accepted and it was important to have a physical button, and the reasoning behind why Apple got rid of it now is understandable, as touchscreens are literally everywhere. However, seeing how much significance the Home Button had in my first experiences with the iPhone, I’m not sure that new users will have that same experience. Only time will tell if this new, screen-heavy design will be embraced by the public!

2. Face ID

With Touch ID gone, Apple needed a new innovative sign-in system, and thus Face ID was born. The selfie camera takes pictures of your face, and analyzes a ton(30,000 to be precise) of invisible dots to create a computed image. When you want to sign into your phone, all you do is simply let it scan your face to let you in. It’s an amazing concept, but it also has some shortcomings. We all know that selfie cameras are not exactly known for their resolution. If this is the case for the iPhone X as well, could people with similar faces, or even people using masks, open other’s phones? Could this be a potential problem of security? Another issue could be that the person who has Face ID set may get a scar or another sort of alteration to their facial features. If and when Face ID does not let them into their phones due to this, what will they feel? Will they feel self-conscious about the change in their features, and is that really what we want? Considering that the Face ID demonstration experienced technical difficulties during the iPhone X presentation, these could all become realities very soon.

3. The Price

$1300 +. I think this is probably the biggest problem for the iPhone X. Sure, there are two hi-def cameras on the back side. Sure, the screen is big. But really? That much money? I could buy McDonald’s burgers for life using that money. Or almost 0.5% of a single share of Berkshire Hathaway. Personally, I immediately lost passion for the device after seeing the price. There’s just simply no way, with any sort of advertising, that any company can convince me to scrape over the equivalent price of almost 600 bus tickets for a single phone that’s probably going to go out of fashion in a year or two. Again, not sure about others’ perspectives, but this price probably won’t go down well for most people. We will know soon enough!

 

Of course, all of these have simply been my own speculations of possible challenges that the iPhone X will face. Seeing the rising stock price of Apple, we can see that the public still has a great amount of confidence in Apple’s new device. I’ll be bugging my friend to buy one so I can play around with it, and maybe I’ll write a follow-up sometime down the road once we see how the iPhone X performs!

 

Image references:

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A Glance at IB

Jesse Lee
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It’s the new school year, and the homework is flowing in! That means for IB students (or ones thinking about it) have some things to think about. One of the scary things I first thought of when going into grade nine was not of the school year ahead of me, but the school year after. I feared IB because of all the stories of kids sleeping at 3 a.m. and running on nothing but Tim Horton’s coffee. Speaking from experience however, IB isn’t all that bad for the first two weeks, at least for now it is.

One thing I regret doing is loosening my grip on the homework in the second week. You’ve probably heard this a million times, but it really is important to focus and not procrastinate, or right off the bat the teacher thinks you’re a bad student. There was also a lot of pressure on me to join clubs around the school, and tryouts and auditions were starting to roll in. Clubs are good because they look spectacular on your university application or resume, so it is very important to join at least one or two. As always, it is also important to make new friends; you may or may not have your old friends in your IB classes, and in the case that you don’t, new friends are a must. Put yourself in a group of talented individuals and not the shady groups that you may find around the school. Grade 10 IB is nothing hard, but it may be challenging if one does not listen to the lectures and what the teacher says, as the classes do tend to move quite fast. As long as you stay on top of the work, you’ll be more than fine.

P.S.: As a personal bias, Western Canada High School has a much larger budget and (to me) a preferably better school to attend rather than other schools offering IB 😀 

 

P.P.S.: More updates will roll in as I drown in more homework

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In a world in which beauty and brains cannot coincide

~ Chu ☆ ~
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When I was in 4th grade

I first heard the concept

of a “dumb blonde”

When yo mama jokes

turned to unrelenting stereotypes

and constricted narratives

 

Suddenly it seemed to become

accepted

that the colour of your hair

could somehow determine your IQ

That your appearance

could somehow reflect

what was inside

And I wondered

what ever happened

to “don’t judge a book by its cover”

 

And over the years

despite countless campaigns

to get rid of boxes

and labels

and definitions

It has always been

embedded in my mind

that smart girls can’t be pretty

and pretty girls can’t be smart

 

It’s been drilled into our consciousness

from the very start

from our fairy tales

stories about stepsisters

with beautiful and fair a face

but vile and black a heart

to our sitcoms

to our ugly Betty’s

with dazzling intelligence

but the forbidden combination

of plastic specs

and metal braces

 

Go ahead

Launch your crusades

Tell me

that no-one can be judged

because they fit a stereotype

Tell me

that the pretty girl sitting at Starbucks

won’t be classified as ditzy

and the smart girl you met online

won’t be stamped as a loser

in glasses and sweats

But don’t think for a second

that we’ll all abandon instinct

and instantly believe you

 

Because even now

I see

the dichotomy

between surface

and substance

beauty

and brains

and I wonder

why

the two can’t

coexist

 


 

(featured image source)

The Ongoing Conflict of The Marawi Siege

Julieanne Acosta
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It started this year on May 23. The so-called worst urban fight in the Philippines since World War II. The local news, PhilStar Global, called it “The “most serious terror event” in South Asia in the past 15 years”. As of September 4th, the reported casualties show that 639 militants have been killed, 9 captured, over 1,065 government forces wounded, and 68 civilians dead.

When the Philippines’ military decided to capture Isnilon Hapilon, the head of the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group in the Philippines that has already pledged to ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. They underestimated the total force of the group. Hapilon’s group freed the prisoners of a local jail, took over the local church by taking the priest hostage and his congregation. Consequently, taking control of Marawi City.

The Maute Group, a terrorist group dominate in Lanao del Sur since February 2016, have pledged to the Islamic movement in 2014. Hapilon is listed in the world’s most wanted terrorists by the US State Department due to the abduction and beheading of John Ridsdel, a Canadian businessman in April 2016.

Fights between government forces and militants started around 2:00PM. Maute fighters took over the Amai Pakpak Hospital, forcing all employees out. They allegedly took down the Philippine flag and put up the Black Standard flag used by ISIS (Note: An employee at the hospital denied this allegation and stated it never happened)

The entire city was put into lockdown. The Maute group set multiple buildings/houses on fire as many gunmen went into the town’s city hall, followed by 107 inmates escaping from the Marawi City Jail and the Malabang District Jail 39 after the attacks.

Between all the attacks the city started evacuating residents, consequently causing traffic on the highway to the next cities. During these attacks at least 11 civilians were killed with two identified as first-responders who were called to aid, nine that were on board a truck when they were stopped by Maute fighters and shot dead after their hands have been tied, and an officer was reported to be beheaded.

Because of this, President Duterte declared martial law (which means that the Philippines’ Military has direct control and all law in said place is under suspension)  on the island of Mindanao in hopes of gaining control over the situation. The martial law is in effect until December 2017.

The entire situation itself has received major criticism from the national news – with alleged claims of abuse and sexual assault under the martial law by government forces. Though it’s important to help those in need right now at the pressing problem and deal with the alleged claims after the initial problem is dealt with. Nonetheless, it’s extremely important to bring awareness as the situation grows more and more dangerous. Behind everything else going on in the world the international media hasn’t covered much of this terrible thing happening in the Philippines.

Fast forward to now, three months later the fighting has exceeded expectations. Hundreds of people have been left as casualties to the siege and a hundred more Filipino’s, who call Marawi their home, remain captured in their own city. If you would like to donate to help those who were affected,  click here. Donations are being used to help families with hygiene kits, non-food items, a learner’s kit and a learning space for school-aged children.

 

FI

Showtime: A Short Poem and Tips for Presenting

Marcus Chung
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve both hated and feared presenting; Something I unfortunately had to do a lot as a student. However, after years of forced piano recitals, school concerts, and public speaking events, I’ve begun to enjoy presenting. However, many people don’t share my sentiments, as evident from an analysis done by STATS. Because of this, I’ve decided to write a short poem to illustrate the terror and anxiety the very concept of presenting gives us, no matter how well we actually perform.

 

Showtime

Pray, play, fade away

Black light, white noise,

Pitch, bright grey.

 

Shiver

Shock

Shaking hands

Sharpened mind

Deep breath in

Tell your lies.

 

Singing your eulogy

Digging your grave.

Carved on a headstone

Words you don’t want to say.

 

Words you created

Words you once knew.

Damned if you don’t

Damned if you do.

 

Frozen in fear

In Winter we Fall.

Lose the battles

But learn from them all.

 

High noon, heart pounding

High stakes, pure gold

Ebb to the flow.

Caught in the cold.

 

Storm before the calm.

Bracing for tears

War before peace.

Your sentence is near.

 

Nothing to fear

Nothing to lose

Nothing lost

But a chance.

Take it

Use it

Deserve it.

 

Redeemed.

Accepted.

From fractured to whole.

Brought back to life,

Score that last goal.

 

Breathe

Leave

Take your seat

Born a butterfly

Freed as a bee.

If you’re anxious about presenting, which is something you’ll likely have to do as a student, I have four tips to give to you;

  • Practice your script ahead of time. Pretty obvious as to why you want to do this, but it’ll improve the confidence, pacing, and clarity of your speech. Even if your script isn’t phenomenal, people naturally pay more attention to the people who sound like they know what they’re doing.
  • If you want to improve your public speaking skills, listen to other people’s performances and see what you can improve on. If your main goal is to survive the presentation, and you’re already very nervous, then don’t pay attention to the people before you. Whether it be true or not, you’ll end up telling yourself how bad you are compared to them, making you even more anxious.
  • Breathe before you begin. Breathe during your presentation. Breathe after you end. Taking a deep breath before you begin will help you calm down and improve your presentation quality. Breathing in the middle will help you control the flow and pacing of your speech. Breathing once you finish will help you calm down and stop you from thinking your usual,”OHNOIDIDSOBADWHATAMIGOINGTODONOW?!” Breathing is also kind of essential for living, so TLDR: Just remember to breathe.
  • All presentations can be redeemed. End strong, and that’s what people will remember. However, learning to start strong as well isn’t a bad idea.

If you have stage fright, it never goes away. But then I wonder: is the key to that magical performance because of the fear?

– Stevie Nicks

Here is a video covering a few other tips that you may find useful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Season: What you need to know

Aaron Wen
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There is no doubt that you have heard or seen the destructive powers of Hurricane Irma, a category 5 (max level) hurricane that has caused havoc among most of the Caribbean and specific parts of America. The photos found online of the wreckage are chilling, and the best thing we can do to help is support charitable foundations that are sending aid to families in need. Reports say that another hurricane is coming up right behind Irma, so it is a good time to understand a few things about hurricanes and our safety when encountering them.

It is hurricane season throughout North and Central America, or more specifically, hurricane, typhoon and cyclone season. Usually affiliated with high winds, heavy downpour, flooding, mudslides and tornadoes, hurricane season runs anywhere from the beginning of June to the end of November, depending on where a person may live. Reported by the U.S. International Travel Agency, there has been a spike in hurricanes over the past few years, with over 10 of the 32 storms being hurricanes in 2013. Other seasons, such as typhoon season, occur during other parts of the year, specifically April to December. Regardless, in places like Central Americas, you must always be prepared to face a hurricane at any moment, which we will discuss later.

You may have actually heard about names for certain hurricanes making constant reappearances in the news, such as Hurricane Harvey or Hurricane Irma. As much as I want to tell you a fictional story of how the Irma was conceived for a hurricane, I can’t. News reporters simply name hurricanes so that it is easy for civilians to remember. It is much easier to remember “Harvey” than “029123342” as a name, which is the sole reason for the common person name rather than coordinates of latitude and longitude. The other reason why such hurricanes are given names are due to their reoccurrence every single year, allowing for the same six names to be reused for as long as the hurricane survives. Some retired names that you may be familiar with are Katrina (seen below), Irene, and Sandy, all hurricanes from the past 10 years.

Hurricanes reoccur due to their conception process. Hurricanes are only made above warm ocean waters, as they use the warm air as “fuel,” creating a low-pressure area when the warm air rises. As a result, air begins to push into the low-pressure area, leading to swirls of air collecting just above the water. The more the system of clouds grow, the larger the hurricane. Eventually, the swirling air collects so much, and spins so fast, that an “eye” forms, a hole in the centre. It would actually be possible to put someone like you into the centre of the eye perfectly safely, as there is only very low air pressure there. After reaching a certain benchmark, 74 mph winds, the storm is officially called a hurricane. The return of hurricanes correspond to the flow of warm air across the world, a cycle that explains the annual return of some hurricanes like Katrina in the past.

The way to defeat a hurricane? Easy. Put it onto land. Yes, people will be displaced, and frogs may rain from the sky, but the hurricane loses it’s source of “power,”  the warm air, and eventually dissipates to a few gusts of wind. Depending on the wind speed, the damage predicted by the hurricane can range anywhere from minimal (74-95 mph), to catastrophic (157 mph or higher). To clarify, hurricane Irma was initially reported as a level 4, extreme hurricane, and was upgraded to catastrophic a few days ago. You can see for yourself how dangerous a level 5 hurricane is, just Google it. 

So… what do you do in an impending hurricane? Sit and pray that the wind shaves your grass and just pulls a garden gnome or two into natures very own vacuum cleaner? No. Rather, your best bet to stay as far below ground as possible. While strong winds can easily topple shelters and even trees, wind itself moves horizontally, not straight down. By staying below the level of wind whooshing by, you are the safest you can possibly be. Big No-No’s are hiding under places where the wind may speed up due to the architecture of the building, such as bridges. Also, avoid going near power lines, as their structural integrity is not enough to keep it from falling on you. And most importantly, DO NOT leave safety or shelter when you feel the storm calm down. Chances are, you are in the midst of the eye of the hurricane, which means round 2 is coming very soon. 

In the hurricane season, let us give our best wishes to those who will be battling a few more months of rough winds and heavy downpours, and give our all to helping those in need. Stay safe everyone.

Featured Image

1/2/3

Did You Know?

Madina Shaykhutdinova
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Here are a few interesting facts you may not have known…

 

Although September is the ninth month of the year, septem means “seven” in Latin. The same goes for October, November, and December, octo being eight, novem being nine, and decem being ten. This is because before the Julian calendar, which had 12 months in a year, the Roman calendar had only 10 months. It was in the year 45 B.C.E. that Julius Caesar introduced the new calendar that included two more months, January and February, which pushed all the other months back two places and made their names inconsistent with their placement.

Different animals use different techniques to hunt for food. “Smasher” mantis shrimp are crustaceans that can grow to be around 10 cm long. They use their clubs to hunt by striking their prey. They can punch from 50 to 83 km per hour, reaching the speed of a .22-caliber bullet. This causes the surrounding water to boil and creates bubbles. These bubbles, called cavitation bubbles, release energy as they collapse, which shatters prey, even the hard shells of snails. Cavitation can also cause problems for some parts of ships.

While you probably know that consuming too much sugar is not good for your health, did you know that the World Health Organization strongly recommends that free sugars – which are sugars added to food and beverages, or present in honey, syrup, and juice – should make up less than 10% of total energy intake? This means that for someone with a 2 000-calorie diet, sugar intake should be limited to less than 50 g (12 tsp).  The WHO also suggests that reducing free sugar intake to less than 5% of total energy intake can provide additional health benefits.

The human body contains a lot of muscles. In fact, it contains around 640 muscles. The longest muscle is the Sartorius, that goes from the upper outer thigh to the lower inner thigh. It is used for hip and knee flexion (flexion occurs when the angle gets smaller) and abduction (when the leg moves away from the body). The smallest muscle is the Stapedius, found in the middle ear. It is used to control the movement of the stapes (the smallest bone in the human body).

Maybe you have already heard that tomatoes are fruits. But do you know why? Fruits come from the flowers of a plant and contain seeds. Vegetables, however, are all of the other edible parts of a plant. This means that cucumbers, pumpkins, corn, bell peppers, and even nuts are actually fruits. They are commonly referred to as vegetables because fruits are often sweet whereas vegetables are often savoury.

 

I hope you learned something new!

 

Image sources: 1/2/3

 

 

On the Brink of Another War?

Jesse Lee
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I’m sure that lately you have heard about the nuclear weapons North Korea now possess. North Korea is moving fast technologically, faster than any analyst has predicted. The U.S. and North Korea’s neighboring countries now fear a nuclear strike, with a warning missile flying over Japan in the last few days. News reporters say the next target is the U.S. territory of Guam. North Korean officials told CNN in Pyongyang that Kim was “very satisfied with the performance of the missile.” The intermediate-range missile, identified by the North Koreans as the Hwasong-12, flew over Japan, further fueling tensions between North Korea and the United States, as well as Japan and South Korea. The August 29th missile was fired just before 6 a.m., triggering emergency sirens in northern Japan and setting off text messages warning residents to seek cover.

So why does North Korea want missiles? North Korea has long maintained its want for nuclear weapons as it deters the U.S. from meddling with the Kim Jong Un regime. Pyongyang has looked to Iraq, seeing former dictator Saddam Hussein being overthrown by the United States. There is also with case with Libya, where the country’s late leader, Moammar Gaddafi, gave up his nuclear ambitions for sanctions relief and aid, only to be toppled and killed after the US intervened in the country’s civil unrest. North Korea believes that only nuclear weapons would stop American intervention.

We can only wait and see what unfolds next, as anything can happen at this point. Trump has since said, all options are on the table, and also pledging :”the U.S. stands 100 percent with Japan.”

Update 1 (2017/9/5): Fears grow when North Korea warns of more “gift packages” to the U.S.A.

Update 2 (2017/9/8): North Korea’s capital Pyongyang is evacuated due to World War 3 fears

Images Sources: 1/2

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