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.
Lately I have been a lot more reflective about what I want my future to look like. However, those reflections do not only revolve around university, what to study, and where I see myself in 10 to 15 years.
Often, teenagers are so preoccupied with getting through high school by thinking about where they will be in the far future, that they neglect to consider what comes with finishing high school in the short term.
With the 18th birthday approaching, most young adults dream of being able to go to clubs, legally be more independent, and do other things that are deemed “adult-like.”
Young adults often forget that leaving high school and turning 18 does not automatically let us jump from one level in our lives to the next. There are steps in between which young adults need to consider.
Having marked down my dates for the two week’s notices I need to hand in to the organizations I volunteer for before going back to Germany, I have also thought about my future in blogging. I wanted to take that next step and use everything I have learned and apply it, by growing even more independent. So a few weeks ago, I have been preoccupied by thinking about what that meant, and finally I came to the realization that for me, it meant this: Like going from high school to university, I would go from a learning blogger to a writer that had more responsibility due to a tighter schedule of having my own blog. I found my own concept to approaching blogging, and I am very excited to start a new chapter in my online presence!
Having taken that first step in pursuing my own path has allowed me to look less scared upon the future steps I will be required to take, but it has also strengthened my belief in slowly but surely commencing a life in another part of this world.
I found that I can only grow if I push myself, and follow my own path.
For all of you that are going to be starting their lives somewhere else pretty soon: Don’t forget to stay up-to-date with your life here, take all the precautions needed before going to university, always encourage yourself to do better, and, of course: succeed!
Teamwork can lead to that refinement and satisfaction. It’s one excited feeling when we’re the “fresh blood,” and yet another enthusiastic one when we begin to witness the new “fresh blood” that come after us. With a new road ahead of us, we naturally tend to be energetic and set agendas for ourselves. Once we start to look back at our experiences, it’s that fulfillment that provides the same energy for us.
My own perceptions of what I can do in a part of a team was defined and refined as I became a part of several teams in my life. A family is a team because that vitality and love is a result of teamwork. Then there’s the most direct sense of teamwork from being a part of a sport team, a school club, or a youth program. Then comes the teamwork in our future occupations, our community, and beyond. I became the most strongly aware of the contentment I get from teamwork as I became a volunteer, a youth steering committee member, and later a blogger.
I don’t think I put too much thought when I decided to do volunteer projects; I tasted the sweet fruits of labour and accomplishment and that was about it when I reflected right after my first time helping out. You could almost say I was “mindlessly” volunteering as I first set foot into this then-foreign arena. To put it simply, there wasn’t anyone to guide me and tell me the programs I could apply for or the goals I would be heading for. In that tireless fashion, I wound up applying for Youth Central committees and got to be on the Youth Volunteer Corps steering committee. For one, I didn’t know where I got that courage or why I was propelled to do so. Along the same path, I then took up the art of blogging as I started contributing right here on Youth Are Awesome.
The impacts of these teams as my biggest motivation didn’t strike me until I began to feel that I was losing grip on this volunteer world – the shining stars, the new opportunities, and most importantly those sweet fruits. I might have lost out on the gossip, but it took me a while to understand that it’s those people around me that offered me the merits of this teamwork – the appreciation for our work, the response for our writing, and respect for our growth. They are the reason I know where I stand today in terms of where I stand and how I’ve came to know my strongest skills.
Being in a group dynamic means that we end up specializing, but in a dynamic position; I’m a relatively banal person that lacks those leadership skills, but I know that I can at least be a pillar to the best of my abilities. On my committee, that means I could devote time to make those plans my fellow members have drafted a work come true. Among us bloggers, that means I could read and relate to my fellow blogger’s works to my heart’s desire. At a volunteer project, that could mean helping out another youth and encouraging them to create their own journey.
Looking back, I sustained my own volunteer run as older volunteers lead in fostering that team environment. Similarly, it’s the discussions that we bloggers have at meetings that builds my writing experience. Now, it’s the “fresh blood” of this time that bring insights onto this table and will embrace this group dynamic themselves. They’ll be legends in their own right as we all guide their path. As a team, we hold our fellow members up and our members support us the same.
So it’s time to start exploring a new field of teamwork – my family. That could be a blog in it’s own right. It’s another fruit of teamwork.
It’s too good to be true; the 21st century has brought a new innovative website, Freerice.com. Now let me explain.
Freerice.com website setup. Simple and effective.
Here is what the website looks like, and as you can see on the left are where the questions are located. There’s always four options and all you have to do is click on the right answer. For each question that you answer correctly, you donate 10 grains of rice to someone in need. (To be more correct, the World Food Programme donates it as they are the ones who own the website.) The progress is tracked by the bowl of rice on the right which fills up as you collect rice and resets every time you hit 100 grains. (I’m assuming that this is because it takes 100 grains of rice to fill a bowl?)
All the categories you can choose from.
There are a lot of categories within the humanities and sciences so you can choose which category to play from. The questions are not at all very hard (unless you choose level 60 English vocabulary) so it’s easy to get into a momentum and become addicted to the rewarding feeling of getting so many questions right. You can also be rewarded by the feeling of knowing that you’re donating rice to those in need just by clicking a button on your computer screen.
You can also join groups on this website, whether your group is made of friends or complete strangers, and track how much rice has been donated as a collective. It’s nice to see how much one person can do, but I think the real driving point is seeing how much difference you can make as a collective. (If you decide to sign up, you can join my group with this link here!)
For more ways to help, check out the World Food Programme website. It’s the little things that count, so even if you don’t want to go out and volunteer today, you can at least answer some fun trivia questions.
Why worry about water? Water is an important component when it comes to survival – every day should be World Water Day! It was created in order to bring awareness on many aspects in which it is used. In addition many countries are struggling to acquire clean water. Thus water is a scarce resource in many third world countries. “In 2014, the UN System – working closely with its Member States and other relevant stakeholders – is collectively bringing its attention to the water-energy nexus, particularly addressing inequities, especially for the ‘bottom billion’ who live in slums and impoverished rural areas and survive without access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, sufficient food and energy services. It also aims to facilitate the development of policies and crosscutting frameworks that bridge ministries and sectors, leading the way to energy security and sustainable water use in a green economy. Particular attention will be paid to identifying best practices that can make a water- and energy-efficient ‘Green Industry’ a reality.” (unwater.org)
This year World Water Day in Calgary was held in the beautiful Devonian Gardens. More than 450 people were able to come together on March 18. Many youth actions were displayed, and it was a wonderful way to bring awareness on several issues surrounding water.
“The annual celebration hosted by CAWST — Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology — serves as a showcase for student groups working on local and global action projects through CAWST’s Youth Wavemakers program. This year, 25 student groups took part in the event, demonstrating their projects to hundreds of Calgarians, as well as news media from CBC and CityTV.” (cawst.org) CAWST really helped Youth Central’s TD Youth Earth Ambassadors take their idea and make it a reality!
What the TD Youth Earth Ambassadors did this year was to bring awareness on water bottle usage, and how we truly do not need to purchase water bottles. I remember being told that the water in our taps is actually just as clean as water in any typical bottle. So why do we purchase large packages? Is it more convenient? Is it because you think it’s more cleaner? Well whatever the reason may be if you purchase a reusable water bottle and fill up before a soccer game etc. In the long run, you will actually be saving more money. We can bring change on person at a time! After all it is just water, and it does not really matter what packaging it comes in.
Unfortunately, for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate. (Fox, kids National Geographic)
“Ok, first let me say, I am passing this information on and cannot verify the truthfulness of the first statement – but we know that in all areas of commerce there are unscrupulous operators, so there’s no reason to not assume there are companies out there selling something that isn’t what it claims to be. One of the most compelling reasons to give up bottled water is that some bottled water may simply be tap water. It is estimated that 25% of bottled water is, in fact, just tap water. Some companies may process tap water by radiating it or filtering it, but it is still tap water being sold to you as pure water at about 10,000 times the cost of the equivalent measure of tap water. This brings us to the question of the purity of bottled water. Even if it comes from a natural resource like a spring or mountain stream, bottled water may contain (according to studies from rd.com) nasties like benzene, arsenic, phthalates, methane derivatives, mold and various microbes, such as e-coli. Thanks to a recent change, there are regulations for e-coli in bottled water. All this might leave you in a quandary about whether you drink tap or bottled. If you choose bottled, check the sources your chosen brand uses. If you’re not sure about the quality of your tap water, you can learn about your municipal supply at foodandwaterwatch.org, which also provides some info about the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974.” (Beresford, AWS)
I hope this has sparked some interest in learning about what YOU can do to bring CHANGE.
“We warned that one day you would not be able to control what you have created. That day is here. Not heeding warnings from both Nature and the People of the Earth keeps us on the path of self destruction. This self destructive path has led to the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Gulf oil spill, tar sands devastation, pipeline failures, impacts of carbon dioxide emissions and the destruction of ground water through hydraulic fracking, just to name a few. In addition, these activities and development continue to cause the deterioration and destruction of sacred places and sacred waters that are vital for Life.”
– Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Lakota, with the Council of Indigenous Elders and Medicine Peoples in a statement of resistance to environmental destruction, saying there is “no time left to defend the Earth.
What would you do for a klondike bar macaron? If you’re like me and my friends, you end up wandering around downtown for nearly half an hour after getting lost trying to find the place. But is it worth it to just get some macarons?(Not to be confused with the macaroon, that’s a different sweet.) The obvious answer is yes. Let’s start going into details.
The macaron place I went to is called the Yann Haute Patisserie, a small but very noticeable yellow house-like building. Getting there was the hard part, but once you see it, it’s hard not to miss it. Once inside, you open another door and find yourself face-to-face with many tasty looking confectionery desserts, since it is a patisserie they don’t only sell macarons after all. Trust me, I nearly wanted to buy nearly everything else they offered besides the macarons just because the display looked so good. But after all, that wasn’t what I came there for.
I ended up getting a delicious 8-pack box of macarons, but it was certainly a hefty price, at nearly $16. (And there goes my allowance for the week.) I had yet to taste any of the random selection I chose, but after a long trek to the station and a bus ride, I was at home and ready to taste test. Here are a few of the flavors I reviewed:
Looks pretty good.
Lemon-
As the name states, there was definitely a lemony flavor in this one the moment I bit into it. It was tangy and sweet, but not too overpowering and good. It wasn’t too sour and was actually a sweet unique flavor, which I liked.
Blueberry-
Again, the name and the flavor were pretty straightforward. There was a fruity flavor, and the color and filling on this macaron sure made it eye-catching. Not my absolute favorite of the bunch, but it sure was something interesting.
Raspberry Chocolate-
I actually liked this flavor the least, but that’s because I don’t really enjoy fruit+chocolate combos in the first place. The filling was a mix between dark chocolate and raspberry, and I felt the two together were overpowering, but had a distinct mix of flavor.
Red Velvet-
This is essentially red velvet cake in the unique form of a macaron. If you absolutely love it like I do, go for it. If you’re not into it, then just try another flavor. Yann’s usually sells about 12 or more varieties.
The Verdict:
Overall, I really enjoyed the macarons that I bought from Yann’s. Each had a distinct floavor, some I liked more than others, and each one was soft and chewy. If you feel the craving for macarons, then go here. But be prepared to spend some money! 😉
For more info on the locations and times Yann’s Patisserie is open, go here.
If you are a guy in North Korea, say hello to what will supposedly be the new fashion fad: Dear Leader Kim Jong Un.
This new haircut is modelled after the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s invulnerable block of hair on the top of his husky body. From a report, the style became a state-mandated guideline about two weeks ago even though experts familiar with the country say there is no evidence the new hairstyle has been taken up by the people.
But if this law happens to be true then it would be North Korea’s strictest haircut restriction. Additionally, this crackdown on barber shops throughout North Korea has not been the first. Last year, North Korea limited the range of men’s hairstyles to 10 and women’s to 18.
I would definitely believe something like this would happen in Korea because before Kim Jong-un became president of North Korea, BBC reported that his father, former North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il led a television campaign against long hair called “Let us trim our hair in accordance with Socialist Lifestyle”. According to the show, long hair sucks nutrients from people’s brains and makes you look like a slob. Wow, I better cut all my hair then.
We’ll just have to wait and see if this is actually true.
In a traumatic incident, a young boy ends up with a priceless painting, which he comes to find himself unable to part with. This is the premise for The Goldfinch, a novel that surprised me in a number of ways. I didn’t expect that I would actually become so absorbed. Despite its girth, this novel was a fairly quick read, and closer to the mystery/thriller genre than I expected. I also managed to remain interested and sympathetic despite that approximately 2/3 of the text documented his downward spiral in alcoholism and fairly excessive drug abuse (which, dear reader, are two habits you should avoid), perhaps because, contradictory to what you might expect, the novel remained beautifully written throughout all of this. In contrast to the body, the ending was tidy and perhaps rather cliché, or at least it would have appeared so had it not occurred after such an onerous journey—at that point I believed that both Theo and I deserved a happy ending.
I was a bit excited when I read the back cover for this novel, as while yes, another dystopian piece of fiction, this one was about an alien invasion. And now, only a couple weeks later, the plot and slightly dull (major) characters (I wasfond of some of side characters, like, oh my, Teacup) have faded to a vague, shapeless mass. I expect this is more a consequence of having overdosed on too many dystopian fantasies, but this de-sensitivity does pose useful in finding the novels that stand out from the crowd. For me, this was not one of them. While I was able to read this novel in only a couple of sittings, after I finished it I didn’t feel motivated to read the next volume (I’m getting really tired of series nowadays) nor much interest as to whether these lovely visionary young ones will triumph or gosh, will this star-crossed love work out?
Of course, disparaging questions aside, I always respect these sorts of novels for their intricate plots; these authors really do take on quite a challenge: upending a whole social structure.
I could hardly put And the Mountains Echoed away after realizingit opens with a fable. And this charming, storyteller tone is retained throughout the novel as the fable is reflected throughout and the story of two estranged siblings telescopes to a resolution. The inarticulate emotions that many of the characters experience—a feeling of inexplicable lacking, or an inescapable monotony—contribute to the slight mythical air, even as the novel speaks with remarkable clarity on the ambiguity of motivation, far from fairytale expectations.
Finally, there was the exploration of familial relations, duties and expectations. A number of parallels are presented in the variety of perspectives. One man moves to Kabul to escape the burden of his paralyzed sister, only to later find his best friendship and only family lies in his paralyzed employer. Others return to their hometown to reclaim lost property or lost memories, some leave their parents, some parents leave their children and some remain by each other’s sides. It was the sort of novel that you feel quiet after reading–and the sort that you want to look back at and flip through it pages.
When you think of the word “athlete,” I would assume many of you would picture hard working, determined individuals. These individuals dedicate their entire life in order to become a “grandmaster” in the sport of their desire. These athletes train every day, hoping to one day make their dreams a reality. This week, I came across a video featuring athletes many of you probably aren’t familiar with. As a matter of fact, these “athletes” have all of the characteristics I had previously mentioned. They’re hard working, determined, and committed to the sport they compete in. They are video game athletes! As part of MLG (Major League Gaming) these gamers are playing every day hoping to become the best in the world. The following video focuses primarily on the game “League of Legends.” Many of these gamers spend over 80% of their day training. There are also several amateur teams that hope to make it into the big League’s one day. One of the most recent League of Legends world championships had taken place in the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, CA. Hundreds of thousands of people tuned in to enjoy the show.
So what do I think about this? To be honest, I think it is completely ridiculous, and simply stupid. These gamers are locked up in rooms 24/7, sitting on a chair clicking a mouse. That’s pretty much summing up their entire life for you! That’s right, these gamers are completely oblivious to the world around them. I highly doubt they have any socials skills. They’re complete minions. Life is about innovating, creating, solving, exploring, and merely living. Even though the real, hardcore athletes are also very caught up in their own sport, they are still able to live life. Let’s face it, looking at a computer screen for your entire life is very unhealthy for your body. I don’t see how simply clicking a mouse can get you anywhere in life. Although these professional gamers can make up to $500,000, are they really satisfied with what they’ve accomplished in life? Are they happy with themselves?
You can click on the link down below for further details.
Have you ever experienced the annoying choke of ideas when you draw? Have you ever felt like your brain is suffering a drought and just can’t think of anything original? Well, worry no more because these 5 tips will help you get past the endless seas of unoriginal, uninspired and conventional ideas! Maybe.
1. Get inspiration by doing things that provoke emotion.
Emotion is a big part in art, especially when you are creating something that is ‘yours’. Just illustrating your emotions can create something original and inventive. Some things that may provoke emotions might be just doing something that makes you happy, such as: playing your favorite sport, hanging out with friends, etc. Another really common way to encourage emotion is music; you can also draw what you hear as well (as an idea).
Here are some ’emotional’ pieces (feel free to click for websites as well):
2. Get inspiration from doing something different than you normally do; be different.
Experiencing something new and different for the first time leaves a lot of first-time impressions. Inspiration can come from anywhere and by doing these things you might even realize or notice things you haven’t before. By experiencing different aspects of something you can also see it from different points of views. This opens up new ways to interpret things around you.
OK, I know its painful parting with your pencil or whatever artist’s implement you use. When I had an artist’s block and needed to come up with new ideas I was really reluctant to part with my beloved pencil, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone. I tried water-colour, and, believe it or not, I came up with some pretty unusual but unique ideas. They didn’t really work out with watercolour, so I went back to using pencil and the ideas turned out like I imagined them to be (well, almost).
Here are some mediums you can use (there are links as well):
I think that a really important part of art is letting yourself admire and learn from other artists. Let them inspire you if you can’t inspire yourself or find anything interesting.
Just draw. My last and final tip is just to unleash anything you have cooped up inside you or see around you out on the blank surface in front of you. If you completely lack emotion, just draw whatever you see. After drawing a lot, see if you could combine your pieces or enhance them with colour, pattern, etc.
I was lucky enough to be at the advanced screening of Divergent at the Cineplex Odeon, and might I just start off this blog post with a moment of appreciation. (Cue silence.)
I was going into this with very high expectations, since I did read the book about 6 times and had imagined it in my head for the past two years, and I was not disappointed. Although the casting decisions were slightly dodgy (we’ll get into that) I must say that the set, acting, and technical aspects completely blew me away. With hype equal to that of The Hunger Games, it would have been a huge let-down if the Divergent movie progressed in a similar fashion. That is a whole other topic I will not get into, so for now let’s just dive into this review.
Cast: ♔♔♔
We’re starting off low because I don’t want it to feel like I’m gushing over this movie too much, but I completely am. In my mind, and as the book repeatedly describes, Tris is a small girl, which is one of her many qualities that draws people to want to protect her. Although Shailene Woodley is gorgeous and a good actress (I look forward to freaking out over TFIOS), her physique definitely did not fit the description of Beatrice Prior. Her collarbone tattoo was also a major let down. I didn’t have too many problems with the casting for Four/Tobias, but he didn’t play the intimidating aspect of the character to its full extent. Plus the real actor is 29 years old and did not pull off 18 very convincingly (although I did hear rumours that the ages of the characters were changed?). Other than those two major flaws, Christina was supposed to be way taller than Tris, and I feel like their figures got swapped in this movie. As with The Hunger Games, many of the side characters you grow to love and sympathize with are not included. In both THG and Divergent, I feel like the only drawback to this is not having as much of an emotional drive in the main character’s motives when the movies for Insurgent and Allegiant roll out.
Cinematography: ♔♔♔♔♔
My ticket from the premier and movie poster on my wall.
The set almost everything was exactly the way I pictured it to be, and in some scenes it was even better. I feel an extreme amount of CGI was put into this movie in order to make the city (not revealing the city name due to spoilers) look old and war-torn, and it was done so well considering all of the overhead shots and panoramas of the city. All I have to say is that the pit was not circular as portrayed in the book, but it didn’t take away from the effect of the movie, so all is well.
Progression: ♔♔♔♔
Many had complaints regarding the progression of Divergent, although I for one feel it was justified. Divergent is a book with so much detail, imagery and explanations behind motives, beautifully done so by Roth to really indulge us into her fantasy world. As with any movie, even the biggest fans would not be willing to sit through a five hour movie, okay maybe they would. The pace was very rapid, jumping from one scene to the next and missing out on some scenes that really captured my attention in the book. I feel like the movie directors got through the main points of the book so that someone who didn’t read it would still understand the plot. Overall, I can’t say that the scenes included were not done beautifully so, and they did a really good job pulling me into that world.
This was a short review since I don’t want to put too many of my opinions into any of your heads before you watch the movie, which you all must definitely do. Judging from how great Divergent was, I have even higher expectations for the next two in this trilogy.
Exactly eight days ago, Alberta Premier Alison Redford resigned. Broadcasted on many Canadian television channels and billed as a “major announcement from the premier,” Redford officially announced that she would, as of the evening of March 23, officially resign as premier. Albertans and Canadians have been engaging in talks regarding national politics this week, discussing whether the move was “called for” or “uncalled for.” Canada has been receiving a lot of press regarding politics lately, ranging from the “Senate Scandal,” to “Rob Ford,” to “The Resignation.” However, things are really not as bad as they may seem, if we take the time to compare our scenarios to the latest development in North Korea.
The Kim Jong Un era in North Korea has reached a new milestone, with the announcement today that North Korea has tightened its clamps regarding haircuts. Yes, Kim Jong Un previously had enforced laws which only allowed North Koreans to have certain haircuts. 28 approved “dos” were released to the public about one month ago, with 10 for men and 18 for women. Haircuts that were not sanctioned would absolutely be punishable by law, with barbers being warned not to deviate from these rules, with the risk of severe punishment.
The Barber Shop Menu for Females SourceThe Barber Shop Menu for Males, as of YESTERDAY, March the 26th, 2014. Source
Officially announced today, all university students in North Korea must all have the “Kim Jong Un” haircut. With “Un-cuts” currently only being made mandatory for university students, much can change over the course of the next few days. As we have seen in the past month, Kim Jong Un seems to be prioritizing protein follicles over 95 per cent of the state’s issues. Two weeks ago, Radio Free Asia reported that this state-sanctioned law was brought to the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang. Now, the government (made up of Kim Jong Un, and, well, that’s it…) has enforced this law all across the nation. Male university students all around North Korea must have the same bowl cut as their dictatorial leader.
Citizens of North Korea, especially the students to which this law applies to, are not exactly impressed, as the haircut is largely disapproved by the population. The cut was referred to as the “Chinese smuggler haircut” until the 2000s in North Korea, as reported by the Korea Times. Largely unpopular because of the connection to a Chinese smuggler, it definitely is more popular than it was before. Or at least that is what Kim Jong Un is made to believe. Now, Kim Jong Un may be able to get closer to cloning than modern day technology, which most recently discovered how the earth was created and the whereabouts of a massive plane that went missing on March 8. While it is still unclear what the policy for males who are not university students are, whether they still have the choice of their ten cuts of terror, or whether a new rule is being implemented, females will still have 18 cuts to choose from.
As of Wednesday night, only university students are required to get the “Un” done; however, with Kim Jong Un, things change in a hurry. Similarly to his desire for candy and chocolate, we don’t know if he’ll want something else by tomorrow.
I was at a loss when I sat down to write this post. Quite frankly, with up to 500 words to fill, and the simplicity of a coddled egg, adding enough text to balance an overload of images seemed to be a challenge. All that came to mind was a brief and insincere exploration of the convenience of this method, Scared of poaching eggs? Try coddling! Simple, convenient and quick! worthy of the back of a can or “recipe idea” pamphlets for various products.
And so, when stuck, one turns to examples.
I started at the Sophisticated Gourmet, whose recounting of his soul-searching morning before baking an apple loaf cake almost brought me to tears and made me ready to write a heart-rending narrative of my coddled, first-world problem-filled life, allegorically comparing the gentle cooking and soft yolk of a coddled egg to my spoiled upbringing and current state as flimsy and likely easy to kill. Suitably impressed, I subsequently showed the Sophisticated Gourmet’s emotional narrative to my mother, who then provided me with an apt word—affectation.
(I’ll be honest–being sentimental, I still really enjoy this blog.)
I turned to the Wild Yeast Blog, where her impeccably crafted posts provided a blunt contrasted in focusing solely on technical detail.
I looked at the local Dinner with Julie next where the openings of her posts were personable and easily demonstrated her experience. Smitten Kitchen often started humorously, and a touch of anecdote and a bit of description composed Desserts for Breakfast.
Superfluous or technical, I thoroughly enjoyed all of these food blog preambles, and in particular, the smooth transition to the recipe. I found myself looking back at what I had originally considered—approaching the benefits of coddled eggs, but scrapping the mechanical manner I had adopted.
So yes, the coddled egg: I love eggs fried so that they are browned and crisp, boiled so that the whites are bouncy and firm, or poached such that they are just set—really, I love eggs any way as long as the yolks remain runny. Lately I have been coddling eggs—gently cooking them in water.
Most of the joy I derive from coddled eggs is how much easier it is to clean than when making poached eggs—you can also make do with a much smaller pot. The most important thing in cooking, after all, is to minimize the number of dishes you wash afterwards.
I began cooking them on a small rack to stop the ramekins from rattling against the bottom of the pot (mostly due to a somewhat unrelated paranoia derived from the last time I shattered a very hot glass pan which then melted patches of our floor). But apart from this irrational fear, making eggs is fairly effortless–just do remember to check to ensure the yolk doesn’t overcook.
Coddled Eggs
Start a pot of water boiling, the level high enough to go partway up the ramekin
Put some sort of flavouring on the bottom of the ramekin: cheese, herbs, cream, cooked vegetable, etc. Crack in an egg.
Set the ramekin in the water, lowering the temperature in order to maintain a low simmer, until the white is set and the yolk is whatever consistency you prefer—this is usually around five minutes for a soft yolk.
Cristina Acevedo is a Youth Central volunteer, as well as a member of the TD Youth Earth Ambassadors. With a fantastic number of volunteer hours under her name, she has also started an environment club in her school. Cristina is consistently taking roles in special projects and sets a prime example for other youth volunteers in Calgary. I had the opportunity to ask her some great questions about her life with volunteering. Here’s what she said:
What do you find most exciting about volunteering?
The thing I find most exciting about volunteering is the knowledge that I’m helping someone, whether they are a person I’m volunteering for, or whether they are someone who will benefit from the volunteer work. I love the feeling of accomplishment that I get when I think about how I am one person who is making a difference, it may not be a difference that will completely alter the course of life as we know it, but it is a difference to someone, and that makes me happy.
What makes you want to volunteer?
I am driven to volunteer because I know that there are people out there who need help, and I am a young person who can provide that help. If I am capable of performing tasks that people need help with, why wouldn’t I help them? I just feel that I can help people out, so I should. I am also driven to volunteer because whenever I do it, I always encounter happy people. When volunteering, fellow volunteers are generally super happy, bright, positive people who brighten my day. I also love making people in need happy when I help them, their smiles and thanks truly make a person’s day!
Have you faced any challenges or difficulties in your projects? How do you deal with them?
Previous volunteering projects have been pretty easygoing, and I have yet to encounter a real challenge, but one time, when I was serving lunch at the Salvation Army, I got covered in beans due to a malfunction with the can opener, if that counts! That was pretty gross, but I was having so much fun that I just brushed it off, wiped off my shirt and arms, and kept working.
What is your favourite volunteering project so far? What were the highlights?
To date, I think my favourite volunteering project was painting the mural with TD Youth Earth Ambassadors. We painted a mural at West Hillhurst Community Centre, and although I’m not usually very into artistic things (with the exception of music and band) I had a lot of fun doing it! It took a while to finish, and was definitely quite a bit of work, but the finished product was so worth it. The highlights of that project would’ve been both seeing it when it was finished, and how great it turned out, and also painting with the other committee members. I got to know a lot of them better, making me love that committee even more than I did at first!
What was your initiative for beginning an environmental club in your school? Do you think the club is effective in its goals?
I decided to start an environmental club at school because of a few reasons, one of the first being that I have learned so much from being part of the TD Youth Earth Ambassadors, from both the members and the projects we’ve done. I wanted a place to share what I am learning with people who are really interested, who may become inspired by the ideas presented at our club meetings. The second reason is that I become increasingly more passionate about spreading the word that we need to think of the environment before we do things, that we are a part of the environment, rather than being something separate from it. We have to save it because currently we are doing damage that may be impossible to undo. I think it’s important for people to know these things, and by starting a group where I can share these ideas with people, the ideas will spread. Thirdly, I want to hear other people’s ideas regarding environmentalism, so that I can expand on my own. So far I do think the club has been able to achieve it’s goals. The club is fairly new, but we recently did a presentation to half of the student body. I feel that in that presentation we educated them, which was our goal, and I also feel that the members in the club are doing a great job to encourage each other to lead their peers positively towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Ultimately, our primary goal is to influence our peers to consider the environment when making decisions, and we are definitely on our way to making our impact in the school widespread. This does make me think that we have been achieving our goals so far.
What is the most significant thing that you have learned from volunteering? Has it changed your life?
The most significant thing I have learned from volunteering is that I can always help someone, and it has become important to me that I do just that. It is a special experience, volunteering, and it has taught me that it doesn’t matter the place I am in in my life, I can always make time to help people, and that will not only help others, but it will also benefit me. Volunteering has definitely transformed my life! I find that in time that I would have previously spent trying to find an activity to pass the time, I am doing things that will help someone. I feel like volunteering has made me a better person, because now, in my free time, I am always looking for a way to do help out, this makes me feel way better than whatever I did in the past ever did. I am definitely contributing more positively to society this way!
Where do you plan to take your volunteering path in the future?
I’m not quite sure where exactly I want to take my volunteering path in the future. I am definitely going to keep volunteering, and I’ll see where that takes me! One thing that I do want to accomplish is getting some people into volunteering, because I honestly think it changes anyone, and everyone’s lives for the better.
So many of us already know about IB, but for those who don’t, please excuse me as I lift up the rock you have been living under. International Baccalaureate is an academically enriched and challenging program that presents rigorous and innovation provoking learning continuum of education. In other words, its a program that lets you know your limits of procrastination and the quality of work you can produce on an assignment that is done two hours before its due.
So here are few things that are pretty interesting about IB:
1.) 1,172,000 students take IB (you are not alone, my friend)
2.) If you are not doing IBDP (full IB), you have to pay a few hundred dollars to do CAS- 150 hours of Volunteer, Theory of Knowledge, extended essay (extended to 4,000 words)
3.) If you Google “IB interesting facts” right now, the third option is about National Puppy Day
4.) In 1980, some governments saw IB as a national threat (to their education system)
5.) Kim Jong-Un has a an IB Diploma Certificate: he is the supreme leader of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also known as the dictator of North Korea
Writing can help yourself, others around you and the world at large.
There will always be an excess of readers in the world, but not always enough people to tell the stories. That’s where writers come in. They have the wonderful skill to manipulate words to convey their message, whether it be recounting their awesome experiences, giving helpful advice and tips, or even stating their opinion about an important social issue. Writers are the first step to getting the word out to the world – literally.
The first reason we need writers is to help ourselves, how do we do that though?
I believe everyone has anInner Writer, a voice inside their head that just wants to express themselves. For me, I didn’t find that Inner Writer until I was 13, when I started my own little blog. I didn’t have a clear motivation in mind besides wanting to figure out who I was. When you start acknowledging your Inner Writer and nurture it, you’ll discover a lot about yourself:
Writing can help archive your personal memories so you can look back many years later
Writing can help convey your ideas on paper, that you can’t as easily say out loud
Writing can help find wisdom in your daily lives through introspection
Memories don’t last forever and it’s valuable to archive it somehow for future reference. Sometimes it’s through words, but it can also be through pictures, video and so on. Now that you’ve converted that intangible memory into something physical, you can always reflect on it and relive the precious memories of your younger self.
I am bad at talking. If you’re like me, you might prefer to jot your ideas on paper and present it that way. You can explore your ideas deeper that way and you have time to edit and refine, unlike when you’re speaking it. It’s a good way to develop our Inner Voicebeyond our regular voices.
Our lives are awesome and sometimes not so awesome. Regardless, I have realized that writing about your own life helps to celebrate your own achievements, but also gain wisdom from the challenges you face. Every day is like a new page in the story of your life, but sometimes they go unwritten. There is something to learn each day if you look closely.
Through words, writers have the power to help those around them, how though?
The above painting is actually something my wonderful friend created because she was impacted by my writing. The words come from one of our conversations where I was talking to her about her significance to me. Although some may view writing as squiggles and dots, I have realized that writing has the ability to be a helping hand during times of need:
Writing can help provide advice and support for those going through tough times
Writing can help people escape their worries by jumping down the rabbit hole
Writing can help make others think and feel
Cheer up, life will get better. No matter what stage of life we’re in, there will always be struggles for us to overcome. You may not realize it, but when you’re giving your close friends some words of advice, you’re actually doing a form of writing. You’re converting your inner thoughts and projecting it out to help others. Sometimes a simple “Hello” or “I’m there for you if you ever need it,” goes a long way.
Writing can unlock the door to other worlds. The great writers out there have the magical skill to create a whole new world from their imagination. I’ve ventured through the lands of Middle Earth, roamed the halls of Hogwarts and fought for my life in the Hunger Games. Through words, you also have the ability to whisk others away from reality and to forget their worries for a while.
What is life? My friends often joke about how I am so philosophical, always pondering about the world around me. Asking these types of questions through writing is a way to get the gears turning in someone else’s mind. Are you happy? What’s wrong? Why? On the same topic, writing can make people feel. Words can move people to tears and make them laugh – that’s why it’s so powerful.
Amnesty International’s “Write for Rights”
Lastly, writers can make the whole world a better place for everyone, how though?
If you haven’t discovered your Inner Writeryet or even if you have, I’m going to provide some ways for youto use writing towards good. Above is a poster for Write for Rights, an Amnesty International campaign that encourages people to write letters for change . Each of the above portraits are of cases of people who had their humans rights violated. As a writer, you can voice your opinions against these issues and Amnesty International will relay them to the appropriate government officials. It is with this collective teamwork that these issues are resolved and the world is made a better place.
How else can writing help the world at large?
Writing can help inspire those around you to take positive action
Writing can help save people’s lives
Writing can help get the word out about what’s important to you
Write for Rightsis a prime example of that, but certainly not the only one. I read lots of inspiring literature each day that motivates me give back more to the community. One of the blogs being 11-year old Hannah Porter’s Blog: www.callmehannah.ca, where she writes about her experiences being a Free the Children speaker. I’m sure you can find some inspiration too from hearing about this young advocate.
It may sound cheesy, but I believe can save people’s lives. I have been in situations where I have been the deciding factor between people continuing down a dark path in their lives and for them to see the light. There are many writers out there who have done incredible things to help others. One that sticks out to me is the story of The Freedom Writers: The real life tale of a teacher connected with a class who didn’t even like school – how? Through writing.
Writing gets the word out about important topics. The whole Youth Are Awesome website is a treasure trove of articles that provide information, celebrate achievements, and analyse the world around us. It’s wonderful to see other young writers who are so passionate about their craft and trying to connect with the world around them. Everyone has a story to tell and things they care about, why not write about them? You too can start your own blog on this online platform: wordpress.com
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We need writers because writing can help yourself, others around you and the world at large.
If you’re already a writer, I urge you to continue writing!
If you’re not a writer, perhaps today is the day you start sharing you story with the world.
