YOUTH ARE AWESOME
Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth. YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them. Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.
Any views or opinions expressed on this blog belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people or organizations that the blog may be associated with, unless explicitly stated. All content is for informational purposes only.
See this post for an introduction to this series, this post for the second week, and this post for the third week of 5 Happy Things!
From the highly anticipated Jurassic World to a live stream of a T-rex autopsy, dinosaurs are rising from extinction–as much as possible, at least.This past weekend, people were interacting on social media about #TREXautopsie, a National Geographic feature including a comprehensive replica of a T-rex. People all over the world could stream this intricately designed replication undergo an autopsy.
Check out what went into the crafting of the T-rex:
From on screen to off screen, innovative technology and resources are bringing dinosaurs back to life.
For Calgarians, many can revel in local events that have introduced lifelike dinosaur experiences.
The Calgary Zoo’s Dinosaurs Alive features 16 new animatronic dinosaurs for visitors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y20CkNU8y-c
In addition, TELUS Spark also offers a unique display of 14 life-sized dinosaur sculptures with their series, Dinosaurs in Motion. Attendees are encouraged to be interactive with these models and see how pulleys and various controls allow for the dinosaurs’ animatronic movements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMJ4ieq6vbQ
Dinosaurs may still be extinct, but with the aid of science and technology, they can continue to remain in our imaginations forever.
Fight.
What does this ensemble of five letters mean to you? What memories – but more importantly emotions – are evoked when somebody mentions FIGHTING, or speaks of a FIGHT?
Is the first thing that pops into your mind an argument you had with your significant other regarding which of Starbucks six new frappuccino flavours are the best? Or a fight you had with your co-workers regarding fairly splitting the workload, so you do not have to take as many aspirins from carrying the company on your back?
While the UFC is now commonly associated with the word “fight” or “fighting,” what is often missing in this association is that the UFC is a display of mixed martial arts (MMA). Despite this, we still call the athletes in the UFC “fighters,” and a match between two athletes a “fight.” While many people who watch professional MMA for the first time (likely the UFC) are quick to point out how violent it is, they often ignore the complexity and skill involved. That is not to say that MMA is not violent, as there are still conflicting reports as to whether MMA is as dangerous as most label it to be.
However, we cannot simply discredit everything that these athletes and superhumans do in their sport. Many are quick to say they dislike the sport because it is “too violent” or “unsafe;” however, many other sports also have an excessive amount of contact (such as boxing, football or rugby). Those sports are apparently presented in a more organized manner where the physical contact is not the focus and thus, the violence is apparently more acceptable. The “protective” padding in football and boxing also perpetuates this illusion that these sports are more safe, when in actuality, this “protection” also allows players to endure more pain and punishment before it occurs to them that they are truly hurt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJj3ceWj8o
In MMA, there is no preseason or exhibition, there is no regular season, nor is there an offseason. Every single fight is a “playoff” round, a “knockout” round, a do or die situation. A fighter cannot simply have a bad performance and say “it happens,” because they do not have 82 games in a season, let alone 82 fights in a career. At the highest levels, a fighter typically fights 2-3 times a year. And this is why every time you watch a fight, you can expect an athlete who has trained their absolute hardest, who has done everything in their power to be ready to showcase their talents to the world. And while it is true that their bodies and physical well-being is on the line in a fight (and that this is “dangerous”), for almost every fighter, that is the least of their worries. It is their ego, pride, determination and dedication that they are most concerned about. They are fighting for the satisfaction of knowing the countless hours in the gym and many sacrifices – most notably, being away from family and loved ones – have paid off. And they wouldn’t have it any other way, because they love their job.
A friend recently introduced me to this YouTuber that choreographs his own dances. I have watched a couple of his videos and fell in love with how amazing they are. Too bad I don’t wear the same shoe size as him, haha!
I have linked one of his videos below. I chose the one that I enjoy watching the most. This dance has a combination of cuteness, sweetness and greatness. Check it out!
After watching this passionate dancer dance, a light bulb lit up. It reminded me to continue on being passionate about whatever I am passionate about. Know that if you are passionate about something, make the passion into your shoes and wear them when you conquer the world.
Ever since I was a little girl I knew that I had a gift for music. Playing was my passion. While most kids were outside in the blazing summer sun, playing childish games, I was content with sitting in the cool indoors for hours practicing my beloved cello. When I play, it feels like I am transported to a whole new world. A world where I am free from all my concerns and all I have to worry about is my music. Playing was never a chore for me, when I played I felt like that was the only thing I was destined to do.
I had spent months practicing, the momentous day had finally came. It was the day of the Alberta Provincial Music Festival. I had worked so hard to get there and it was a dream come true. As I was sitting in the auditorium with my mother sitting beside me, I thought of the importance of this day. My hands were anxiously shaking as I tried to mentally go over my music. I knew my music like the back of my hand, however, I still practised the fingerings of my notes as I was listening to one of my fellow competitors play. I listened to the melodic music echo through the room, filling the air with a rich sound. Once they finished playing the crowd erupted with a warm applause. The boy beside was about to go on stage. I could see his sweat slowly trickle down his face.
The room then became silent as the adjudicator was speaking. The adjudicator seemed to talk for hours before somebody would go up to play, finally at the end of his speech he said “I will now call upon Thomas Deckers, to please step on the stage. He will be playing ‘Sanctus’ written by Earl Collins” I watched as the boy nervously walked up the stage steps. He then slowly went and sat at the beautiful red grand piano. He placed his careful fingers on the piano then started playing. The soft and gentle sound of the piano resonated in the air. I watched in glory of his playing.
Soon I felt myself becoming anxious as I was next to play. My mother gave me words of encouragement, “You’ll do great, I have faith in you” she whispered to me. When the boy finished playing the crowd cheered and he came and sat beside me again. I closed my eyes then I heard the adjudicator call my name, “Katie Patterson, please step on stage”. My mother gave me a pat on the back and softly said “Good luck honey”. I got up from my seat, looked at the crowd and climbed the stage steps, then I walked toward my cello and slowly opened the case. It felt as if all the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I picked up my cello and positioned where they belonged and started to play. The deep cello sound flowed through the air, breaking the silence. I watched the crowd look in awe as I played. Then suddenly my fingers slipped and I hit a wrong note, I continued playing as if nothing had happened. But all I could think of is, I spent months and months practicing only, to blow it with a wrong note. I just lost the competition, what will my mother think? what will the judges think?
I finished off with holding my last note, for eight steady beats. As soon as I stopped playing the crowd roared with applause and cheering. Then I bowed and walked of the stage.
“Wow! that was truly breath taking, good job sweetie” my mom said as I sat down.
“I messed up my note, how could I have done that?” I said as I slumped down in my chair. I listened to the rest of the show feeling disappointed in myself. Finally after waiting for what seemed an eternity the last performer finished.
The judges then made their way towards the stage. I sat up on the edge of my seat, waiting for them to declare a winner. I had already lost hope, knowing that I had lost. The suspense was killing me. Then one of the judges started to speak I am very impressed with you all, for making it this far and being so good at what you do. It was honestly a very hard decision to pick a winner. However, after listening to all the performers, one of them stood out to us. The winner of the 2015 Alberta Provincial Music Festival is….” I was felt like I was at an endless pit of disappointment. “Katie Patterson. You may now approach the stage and accept your award”.
I had won! I felt like I was hyperventilating. All that hard work and dedication had finally payed off. I walked up to the stage with unsteady legs. I gave the judges a handshake and took my award.
“Congratulations, you played beautifully” one of the judges said.
Then blurted out without thinking “What? me? I accidentally played one of my notes wrong”
“Dont be so hard on yourself. After all, we are all humans and we all make mistakes”
“Thank you so much, this is the best moment of my life”
Then traditionally since the winner always makes a speech I approached the microphone.
“Thank you so much for this honour. I would like to thank the judges and also my mother for always being there for me. I believe that nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. This is truly a surreal experience and it wouldn’t be possible without my dedication to the cello.”
So, it’s almost the end of the semester; for school-lovers and youtube-preferrers alike, this time of year is accompanied by a low-key nostalgia, a feeling akin to having the Breakfast Club music play on a constant loop at low volume in the back of your head. Everyone wants to be remembered, and yearbooks are a great way for you to make your mark on your classmates. But it can be difficult to create the perfect yearbook comment: one that says “I love you soooo much!” while also saying, “eh, you’re kind of cool, I guess.” To make things easier, I have delved deep into my signatures of yearbooks past to come up with a few tips for overcoming signer’s block.
People love hearing about how great they are. But to avoid sounding insincere, stay away from terms like “nice”, “fun”, “good friend”, and “cool”. Also, try not to simply list their talents! Bonus points for not sounding like a third grader who just discovered thesaurus.com and using words like “amiable”, “staunch”, and “prepossessing” to express the same uninspired sentiments.
Use the first thing that comes to mind when you think of that person as your theme. Darren’s in your Spanish class? Muy bueno. Exercise your “Spangish” skills to remind him of all of the fun times you two have had in the class, and of any interactions you had doing projects or assignments. He may not be touched by your recount of Latin American history, but at least you will have an identifier: “Spanish girl”.
Think hard… Remember all those tips you’ve been taught about writing? You can use questions, sudden changes in tone, irony, and understatement to write a memorable yearbook comment the same way you can use them to write a memorable essay.
Avoid using the classic phrase “have a great summer” at all costs. After all, no-one looks back on old yearbooks and thinks, “Thank-goodness Jon wrote ‘H.A.G.S.’ in my yearbook! No wonder I was the only one of my friends who didn’t get mono!” Truthfully, unless you two are close friends, you’ll only be remembered for what you contribute to her yearbook, and it’s the random things that stand out. Some of my suggestions include generic insults, quotes from military dictators, references to some of the better internet memes or cult movies, random web addresses, and inside jokes.
Keep it brief. For starters, this helps to cut down the time spent with the yearbook, as to not arouse suspicion. More importantly, though, it packs a more powerful punch, leaving her guessing and interested. Some people think they need to find a secluded page on which to spill their guts, but I recommend hiding in plain sight. Your crush will be more surprised (and pleased) to find your message sandwiched between “H.A.G.S.” and, well, “H.A.G.S.”
Have fun, and happy signing!
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It’s no secret that it’s difficult to do or buy most of the things you want when you don’t have the money. Plus, with summer vacation approaching, everyone is in a rush to grab the best jobs available to students like us. And top it off, all your friends seem to be getting the jobs they applied for, leaving you to keep searching and searching and searching…
While job hunting seems to feel more like a boxing match than thumb wrestling, there is no doubt that you can come out of it as the winner, and more importantly, with a job. With these tips and tricks, your chances of getting hired will be significantly higher. It’s all a matter of having what the employers are looking for!
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Although it might be easier to just apply for whatever job there is and wait for a call, it’d be ideal to brainstorm the ones that appeal to you the most and suit your interests. Do you like music? Do you enjoy being around children? Are you athletic? Do you know your way around the kitchen? Do you love animals? The possibilities are endless with this one. Once you have a list of jobs you’d like to apply for, go online or visit the store/organization/company and ask for an application. Some websites you can go to include mall websites (Southcentre, Chinook), Heritage Park, the Calgary Zoo, your local YMCA, and the Youth Employment Centre!
As an active job-seeker, it’s always beneficial to have connections within the company you’re applying for. With friends working at the YMCA, grocery stores, and fast food chains, I’m constantly asking them if their work is hiring! Tell them that you’re looking for a job and if they’d like, they can suggest you to their hiring manager. When you have those connections, you’ll have someone to stand by you and advocate for you as to why you should get a position. Plus, it doesn’t hurt working beside someone you know!
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If your mind is set on certain jobs, it’d be best to have volunteer experience related to those lines of work. Employers will notice that you’re committed to having the job as you have put extra work into making it happen. If you have minimal to no work experience, but have a long list of volunteer experience, employers will appreciate that. Since we’re only youths applying for our first jobs, they can’t expect to see a lot of work experience, so this is when volunteering plays an important role. So if you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, check out Youth Central or read my blog post on volunteering at local festivals this summer.
More often than not, employers will ask that you have a cover letter and resume on-hand so they can easily see your qualifications. Cover letter and resume writing can be daunting, but as soon as you have a clear-cut plan for what experience, achievements, and skills you want employers to know of, you’ll have great ones in no time! In addition, it’s very important to always update your cover letter and resume so companies will have your most recent information. I suggest you keep your cover letter and resume to one page each because there is such a thing as having too much information! Keep your content relevant, professional, and convincing. Also, use action words that will entice employers to choose you over other applicants.
Cover letter tips can be found here:
Resume tips can be found here:
Whether it’s from a previous employer, a teacher, a coach or volunteer coordinator, there are tons of ways you can get references for when a company asks for it! These people are also advocates for your redeeming qualities as a prospective worker. Make sure you know these people well, they know you will be using them as references, and you have their contact information readily available. When it comes down to it, references are the key to affirming the employer’s belief of hiring you!
From previous experience, what stopped me from getting hired was my lack of availability. Being able to work a certain amount of hours weekly is the deal breaker for some employers because they want to get as much hours from their employees as possible. Working 25-30 hours a week (part-time) is ideal. Especially as summer approaches, your availability should be good unless you have other commitments. But even then, if having a job is a main priority of yours, there has to be some compromise!
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After finding a job, there is another challenge possible employees have to get past: the dreaded interview. From another previous experience, job interviews are quite the task when you don’t know what to say or do. Once you’ve figured out a time and day for your interview with the hiring manager, search up interview questions for the position you are interested in. Make sure you can fully and confidently answer the questions as employers want to see that you know what you’re doing. Dress appropriately for the interview and have your cover letter and resume with you just in case! Answer honestly and keep your head held high. This is your final chance to show them that you can represent the company and what they stand for!
Even when you have the qualifications or make it to the interview, some prospective jobs just don’t happen and that’s okay! Circumstances have to perfectly come together in order to get hired and when it finally does, you’ll be glad that the other jobs didn’t work out. Though we wish that getting a job can happen in no less than one try, we all just have to keep searching and searching and searching. It happens eventually.
“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Best wishes,
Kandace 🙂
Beauty is something that heavily dominates our media, industry and daily lives. Yet, there’s such a huge divide between the way perceive and define beauty. For me, there’s only two kinds of beauty— artificial and natural beauty. Artificial beauty mainly feeds from women’s insecurities and the notion of perfection, making it a popular choice for young women to more mature ones, who desire to be at least worth a glace in our highly selective society. Meanwhile, natural beauty has more layers to it. It can range from our eccentric natural-born features to authentic qualities we radiate; it’s beyond physical and harmonizes every part of our being.
I know that posting projects or homework is not generally accepted as a worth-while read in blogs. But, this photo-analysis essay is a simple work that I’ve always been passionate about. I hope guys take interest in it and appreciate its content. Enjoy!
By: Mariell Hombrebueno
African Woman Reading Vogue
Source: Copyright: Eric Lafforgue www.ericlafforgue.com
“And that’s what my mother meant when she said, ‘you can’t eat beauty,’ was that you can’t rely on how you look to sustain you. What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul.” –Lupita Nyong’O.
With all the distinct and diverse images of beauty the world has to offer, our society only seems to heavily try to conform to one ideal form of beauty— lean body, flawless, sun-kissed skin, perfect hair, symmetrical face and Barbie-like proportions. If you possess all these qualities, you are considered the apex of perfect beauty everyone is hopelessly striving for. However, the African woman in this picture is far from what our society would deem as perfect since her exposure to our subjective society is minimal to none. This is clearly shown in her slightly asymmetrical facial features, nonchalant poise, untouched skin pigmentation and unusual body decorations. At the center of the picture, our eyes are drawn to the vibrant Vogue magazine she is reading, something that signifies that our society is inevitably focused on the idea of perfection and immaculate beauty. The photographer is trying to convey to us that the highest form of beauty reflects our identity and what we are natural given, instead of letting society force you to accept the idea of “perfection is beauty”.
Beauty only truly exists when our unique identity and naturally given features merges together, not when we use artificial devices such as photoshop to enhance our physical attributes like the models on the cover of the magazine. If you observe the rawness of the African woman’s skin versus the model’s fake tan and flawless skin, you can see that ethnicity truly shines when you leave your skin untreated just like the African woman. She is a beautiful chaos; the placid look on her face in contrast to the asymmetrical and disproportionate shell arrangement around her head perfectly shows it. Also, the fact that she is reading a fashion magazine, something that’s not really accessible to her normally, shows us the open-mindedness and vast curiosity she encompasses. This proves that she possesses intellectual beauty as well. The gashes in her knuckles and her uneven skin shows the strenuous labor she does on a daily basis. From this we can tell that she is disciplined, hardworking and responsible which can also be a representation of true beauty. In contrast, we see that the models are busy doing poses that strikingly projects lust which is a very low and cheap representation of sensuality and beauty. The peachy undertone of her nails share a great similarity to the color of the cursive text on the left region of the magazine. It shows that beauty in every sense: color, texture, patterns etc. originated from nature, and only gets copied to plastic for mass produced products that aims to advertise societal beauty. The fresh shells enveloping her head shows that she does not go by conventional ways, and in the end, truly shows the eccentricity of her tradition and how nature is a prominent factor in her life. The photographer also captured the distinct, colorful, chalk art she has on her slightly protruding face. This shows us that we are beautiful in any way we desire to express our individuality. In contrast, the models are obviously wearing a full makeup coverage that tells us that every visible imperfection had to be covered to be considered beautiful. The frontal angle the picture is taken from causes the outward folds of the magazine to pop-out more. It signifies that no matter how much we force to manifest perfection in ourselves and in our lives, we will always inevitably fail. Somewhere along the line of beauty, perfection has an end, while imperfection will always thrive because it is what feeds the beautiful growing soul in every human being. The African woman shows a beauty that is grounded on nature, eccentricity of tradition and inner self beauty.
This picture makes me feel inspired, grounded and also a little bit conflicted. The prominent shells in contrast with the blurred hay background makes me feel like we can always find beauty in nature, whether it is just a background setting for us or an item we own. However, the cone-like structure and discorded colors of the shells somehow gives me a jarring and unsettling feeling, just because of the way they are so tightly woven around her head. But, I think it is a very clever way of saying how vulnerability to negative forces such as fear has the capability of elevating beauty in a more poignant way. I do feel upset and conflicted when I see the seductive looks and sexual poses the models are showing because it signifies how beauty in our society now lacks class and natural foundations. But at the same time this picture gives me a spark of hope that class and will reemerge once again because of the way the African woman is holding her magazine. She is holding it at chest level which hides her breasts, an action that gives me the impression of class and self-respect. In comparison, I feel agitated how one of the models is deliberately squeezing one of her breasts. It seems cheap and further shows that beauty now is increasingly being tied to sexual ideas. Lastly, her mellow gaze towards the magazine shows her indifference to the compelling content it has. It shows how she embodies full confidence as a woman because it seems that she does not let the subject that is meant to compel her to conform to society rattle her at all. This makes me feel empowered to take pride to what I already have and separate myself from the rest of society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4FVXFniIps
In the gift of blood you give a person in need one of the most important things – a fighting chance. You may not be a trained nurse, doctor, EMT, or any form of a health care provider but you do have the power to save someone’s life.
There are many reasons why someone would want to donate. It could be that they were simply asked to, they know someone who is in need of blood donations, the company the work at encourages going as a part of Partners for Life, or it could be that they believe that if they are capable, it is the right thing to do. Whatever the reason for donating, you are becoming part of something bigger.
Blood isn’t the only thing you can donate via the Canadian Blood Services. You can become a part of OneMatch and donate stem cells, you can donate a kidney, or you can donate individual components of blood like plasma or platelets. Each of these have slightly different processes which you must go through. One of those processes is evaluating whether you are able to donate, or not. There are height and weight restrictions that are put for your safety to ensure you health and there are blood tests done to ensure the safety of others. There is also a waiting period you must go through in between donations so you can replenish what you’ve given. For whole blood you must wait 56 days, meaning that optimally, you would be donating blood 6 times a year if you decide and are able to become a donor for the long term. If you donate blood once, and decide that you no longer wish to donate for whatever reason, you may do so with no complications. If you wish to donate platelets, you can do so every 2 weeks for 70-90 minutes. The waiting period for plasma donations is 7 days between appointments and takes around an hour and a half. Six to eight whole blood donors is the the equivalent to one platelet donor. Four whole blood donors is the equivalent to one plasma donor.
Your gift does not go without recognition. The Canadian Blood Services has a National Donor Recognition Program that recognizes milestones with pins, cards, certificates and other small tokens. When you donate, you are giving a part of yourself and that doesn’t go unnoticed.
– Be 17 years of age
– Be in good health
– Meet the height and weight requirements
To find out more eligibility criteria and check the height and weight requirements click here.
If you are unable to donate due to health and eligibility requirements that’s okay! Encourage your family members who may be able to donate to do so.
Here is a video to you show you the steps to donating blood so you’re comfortable and knowledgeable about the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlo1vJo55Tg
Summer is well on it’s way. Everywhere you look, everyone is is flaunting their sun kissed tan and effortless beach hair, exposing a carefree demeanor. Crop tops, short shorts, Hollister dresses and t-shirts with a relaxed fit are the essentials every girl has in their summer wardrobe. But if you want to get out of the norm, here’s some of my favorite pieces that can be worn from a casual hangout with friends to a sea side date.
P.S.: I’m a bargain shopper so I can’t guarantee that any pieces from my lookbook are still being sold at their original retail stores. I’m sure you can buy similar pieces from the Forever 21 website with their large selection of items and affordable price. Also, their sale section is a must because they add new items everyday! Happy shopping guys 😀
Extra info: Height: 5’3″
This look consists of a splotched lavender crop top from Urban Outfitters,
a black and toned down green Bohemian inspired trouser
and a grey maxi cardigan if you desire a little bit more coverage.
This is perfect for a night out with the girls or a beach party. The 100% rayon material of the trousers has a light cool feel to it and adds a natural atmosphere to the whole look as well. Tip: The crop top can be replaced with your bathing suit top and your swim bottom can be wore under the trousers for convenience if you’re planning to take a swim after!
This outfit consists of a net orange low-high sweater from Urban Outfitters
and a light blue bleached washed shorts with a zig-zag pattern at the edges from Roxy.
This casual look is best suited for gals out there who wants a pop of color. The sweater is breathable due to the netting, and is also great if you desire a top that’s a little see through. You can wear this for your everyday errands such as going to school or shopping at the mall. Tip: Wear your hair in a bun to tie the whole look together!
This is a charcoal black halter sleeveless jumper from Hollister
with a plunging v-neck at the front and a very low back.
It has a thin belt at the waist to add shape.
I would wear this to a dinner out with family or a stroll at the park. The simplicity is just striking. This perfect for simple girls who want to make a statement. Tip: With the low plunging back, it is optional to wear this outfit without a bra. Instead, you can wear silicon inserts – from somewhere like LaSenza. You can pair this with your favorite sunglasses!
This outfit consists of a chiffon dress that has
regal-like details on its ruffles from Terranova,
a big statement pear necklace from Aldo and
a pink and black 5 inch heels with a detailed bow from JustFab.
If you’re a sweet charming girl that’s looking for sophistication, this is the look for you. Whether you’re going on a date or attending an event, this look is showstopping. Tip: Wear your hair in a low pony tail for added sophistication!
As a general rule, you can probably find me listening to music about 70% of the time. Over the years, I have amassed a very large and diverse library of tunes and I’d like to share some of my favourites with you over the course of coming weeks. This week, my theme is pretty general: Songs that I listen to that give me hope for whatever reason. This is a big one this time of the year, with exams and all the stress and uncertainty that comes with them.
I couldn’t figure out this song’s title for the longest time and I must say, I felt pretty stupid after finding it after many months of searching.
A little further off of the beaten path, Mixtapes is a band worth listening to. Hopefully their hiatus will end soon so they release more amazing material.
One of my favourite tracks off of their latest album which I reviewed here.
I discovered one of Aerosmith’s greatest hits albums in my basement. Since that fateful time in the fifth grade, this song has been through a lot with me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0YifXhm-Zc
Slow, ballady love songs get old. She Loves You never will.
I can’t say as Green Day’s ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! era was their greatest, but this song is worthy of the records it set.
From Way’s 2014 solo debut album Hesitant Alien, this is a great track and offers great contrast to the rest of the record.
Jason Lancaster ended up with a really good band after leaving Mayday Parade. Too bad that they broke up in 2013 after their second LP release in 2012. Lancaster now has a solo album that I’ll be checking out.
Summer is nearly upon us and it’s that time of year again where I compile a complete list of all of the books that I intend on reading over the summer. During the school year, it can be difficult to find times to curl up with a good book, but during the glorious months of June through August, reading time is prime.
The Book of Negroes – Lawrence Hill
After seeing that CBC was going to be airing a mini series based on the book by Canadian novelist Lawrence Hill, I decided to pick up a copy to read before watching it. You can stream the entire series from CBC here.
The Lord of The Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
I know what you may be thinking, “YOU’VE NEVER READ THE LORD OF THE RINGS??” Fine, I’ll admit that I’m very behind the times. In my defence, I have read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of The Ring, so you can’t give me too much flack. I tried to read the series a few years ago, but it just kept getting pushed to the bottom of my list. However, when I got a single-volume copy of the entire series at a used book sale, I have set out on a mission to finish what I started (and to be able to compare the movies to the book, which, by the way, I have seen more times than I care to admit).
T
he Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ok, this one wasn’t completely by choice. I have to read it for a novel study in English next year, so I figured that I might as well get ahead on it. This is not to say that I’m not looking forward to it, because I am. The Great Gatsby is a classic, and I’d really like to turn a little bit further away from mainstream literature to broaden my reading repertoire a bit.
Safe – Aviva Bel’Harold
I met local author Aviva Bel’Harold a few years ago at Chapters. At the time, I was probably eleven or twelve years old and the material treated in her 2009 novel Safe was a bit dark and beyond my grasp. Now that I’m older and have found more reading time, I’m finally going to read the story about fifteen year old Mariah, who finds herself deterred from her plan to take her own life by the appearance of Toby, the ghost of another teenage suicide.
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Already a modern classic, The Book Thief is yet another book for which I must use the excuse that I just haven’t gotten around to it. I started reading it a few months ago and then it just kinda went off of the rails. I hope to get back into it because I really enjoyed what I had read up until the point where I stopped.
Othello – William Shakespeare
Alright, alright, yes, this is another one I need to read for school, but I’m not going to let that deter me. I got my own copy, so at least I can write notes in the margins if absolutely nothing makes sense. Here’s to hoping.
Who’s glad that the weekend is finally here? (Me, of course!) I absolutely cannot wait for summer vacation – it’s almost here guys! While we wait for its grand arrival, let’s make the most of our weekends. Here are a few things for you to do this weekend in and around Calgary:
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What: Every Saturday morning, you can catch a movie for only $2.99! Featuring a new movie every week, funds go to the Free The Children organization.
Where: Cineplex Theatres
When: June 6th, at 11:00 am.
Cost: $2.99 / More information and participating locations here.
What: Okay, who does NOT like Imagine Dragons? The band is on tour to promote their newest album, Smoke + Mirrors. What are you waiting for? It’s time to begin, isn’t it, to begin buying your tickets (yes I know it’s bad sorry)
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, 555 Saddledome Rise NE, Calgary
When: Friday June 5th, 2015 – Doors at 7:00 pm
Cost: $29.50, and up Click here to purchase tickets.
What: Alright, who doesn’t love plays? This is a hilarious Whodunit, where the audience participates to figure out the murderer who killed a person in a hair salon! This is a WONDERFUL time for you to pretend you are Sherlock (ahem, Benedict Cumberbatch), and have lots of laughs along the way!
Where: Vertigo Theatre, 161, 115 – 9 Avenue SE
When: June 5th to June 7th
Cost: $22, and up / Click here for more information / tickets.
Oh, June, the month of exams! Are you ready? Have you began studying? If not, you probably don’t have enough motivation. Lucky you, I have a technique that I use that motivates me to study and makes me enjoy studying.
Here I go:
I have dealt with many different techniques and found that this one seemed to work the best. It definitely isn’t something too difficult or too simple, however, it does the job. I like to call this technique the “thinking technique” because all of this motivation will be occurring within you. You’ll be communicating with yourself in order to drive yourself to study.
So, here is all you have to think:
1) When wanting to study, don’t think of it as a tedious task, think of it as something you really love to do, even if you don’t love it. Tell yourself, “Yes! Studying!! Yay!”. I find that when I do that, I can trick my brain into thinking that studying is something I love to do. We usually use the words “Yes!”, “Yay!”, “Alright, I’ve got this!”, when we are excited about something that we are going to do. So, by associating those words with studying, it will trick your brain into thinking that studying is meant to be excited about and hence would make you want to study.
2) For me and, probably, many others, we work hard because we want to gain something in return. For example, you train hard for soccer games because you wish to win the games and become one of the best. So, if us as humans enjoy getting rewards, why not think of what reward we will receive if we study? Think about the great mark that you want to get on the English test. Tell yourself, “If I study, then I will have a greater chance of getting the mark I want.” That thought will trigger our brains to connect the “tedious” thing, studying, with something awesome, the reward. When those two things are connected, it will drive you to work harder because your brain knows that if you study, then there is a chance a great reward will be received.
3) Ever understand why you have the urge to give up when something unwanted occurs, like receiving a bad mark? You get the urge to give up because it disappoints you. When we feel disappointed, we like to think that nothing will every go right anymore and that giving up feels like the right thing to do. Disappointment is such a strong force, strong enough to make people want to give up. Wow, eh? So, if it’s such a powerful force, why not make that use that as a motivation? Tell yourself what would happen if you don’t study and make sure that it associates with something that is unwanted. For example, “If I don’t study, then I’ll not receive the mark that I deserve” or “If I don’t study, then I will disappoint myself”. Doing this is effective, because we are built to stray away from things that make us unhappy. So, if disappointment, or anything else that is undesirable, is associated with something else, then we would try to stay away from doing that thing. Use that to make yourself believe that studying is good because… “if I study then I won’t disappoint myself”.
As Cheryl James likes to say, “change is not an event, it’s a process”. Know that things will take time. Adjusting your brain to enjoy studying may take a while. It may be slow at first and it might take some getting use to, but the day when you begin to love studying will come! Motivation will come!
Good luck!!
Missing two months of school due to a chronic concussion from rugby is not fun. Going from a very active lifestyle to basically being bedridden was a tough transition for me. Imagine this: spending almost the rest of your day in a dim room, feeling nauseated all the time, taking 8 tablets of painkillers for your excruciatingly painful headaches, losing balance even when you’re just standing up, being sensitive to light and sound, and most importantly— being away from your everyday normal life. Thought that was the end of it? Nope. My sports medicine doctor also prohibited me from doing anything physical and mental. So, no school, no cellphone, no t.v., no sports….etc. Every time I woke up, I felt a deep sense of isolation and unworthiness. It just wasn’t fair. Everything was going great, then this happened.
So often, when inevitable challenges occur in our lives, our immediate reaction is to run away or bury ourselves in the remnants of our childhood. We relentlessly rely on “guilty pleasures” or “quick fixes” to assuage the pain or any negative emotion associated with our struggle. In my experience, this never fixes anything in the long run. Why? Because it just conceals vital parts of our humanity, which are vulnerability and suffering. Truth to be told, our suffering is self-inflicted most of the time. We believe and feed all our negative thoughts and beat ourselves up by making hurtful, self-deprecating comments directed to ourselves. I‘m not good enough. I’m not smart enough. I’m not pretty enough. I’ll never make it. Sound familiar? Sometimes we just need to tell ourselves, shhhhhhhhhh, look for peace amidst of the chaos, and give ourselves a break.
Somehow, a part of us is afraid that growth and happiness might come out of our suffering because we’re too focused on the present moment, forgetting that nothing ever stays the same. Change is the only constant thing in this world, as my mom would say. So, no matter what you’re going through now, know that it won’t stay like that forever. Life Always Gets Better.
As weird as this may sound, I’m actually grateful that I got a concussion. It gave me a break from the boring, structural nature of high school. I can honestly say that I learned more in those two months than I learned in two years of school. This is because I managed my own time and cut out the things that are not beneficial to me. Although I’m not a 100% well yet, I feel so liberated and contented with my life right now. I also switched to a healthier diet and got in shape again. I watched nearly a 1,000 movies, read a ton of books and caught up with my art projects. As of now, I’m learning about business and marketing, new science, and spirituality on my own. And I’m glad none of them have deadlines. Thank God. The bottom line is, life is too short, so don’t take it too seriously and just do the things you are passionate about!
Here are some tips I found helpful on overcoming adversity:
This may sound overly cliché, but it’s actually scientifically proven that both love and fear can’t exist in the brain at the same time! So do more more of the things you love and be with the people you care about when you’re going through a tough time.
Visit this site for more details.
Certain types of gemstones can actually emit positive healing energy that can help you feel better. For example, rose quartz has a gentle comforting energy. It’s known to cure heartaches.
Visit this site for more details.
Always remember there’s someone out there that has it worse than you. Just remember of how blessed you are and take charge of your life.
Mizoram, India, 2006
My family recently volunteered to make a thousand peanut butter and jelly and meat sandwhiches for the homeless people at our local church. It really took things off my mind, but, most importantly, I felt that such a great sense of community by helping out our church and the homeless.
