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The Mortal Threads

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Attention all of your Mortal Instrument Series book lovers out there!

First off I would like to apologize, my witty title making skills are lacking in the humour department.

The American clothing store Hot Topic is releasing a clothing line inspired by the book series by Cassandra Claire. They will also sell merchandise such as tattoos, dolls, bookmarks etc. for the movie coming out this summer. The line and merch will be available in the next few weeks, online or in store, for a limited time only.

mortal_instruments_movie_poster

You can click the link below for the designs of the clothing and a more in depth article:

http://tmisource.com/2013/04/18/first-look-at-hot-topics-mortal-instruments-inspired-clothing-line-coming-soon/

And you can click the link below for information on this AMAZING book series:

http://www.shadowhunters.com/mortalinstruments/books.php

And finally a trailer for the movie of the first book, City of Bones. In theatres August 23rd:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4CiTvQ-YE

Just please read the book before watching the movie.  In a previous article of mine, From the Page to the Screen, I had mentioned that the books are amazing but the movie doesn’t look up to par, at least if you’ve read the book.

I leave you now with a quote from City of Bones.

“What’s this?” he demanded, looking from Clary to his companions, as if they might know what she was doing there.
“It’s a girl,” Jace said,recovering his composure. “Surely you’ve seen girls before, Alec.”

– City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Kids = Super Hero?!?!?!!

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As a child, or even as a teenager, we’ve always wanted to be some sort of super hero. Batman, Spiderman, or Super Man were our role models, people who we looked up to and fantasized we could be like. I mean, flying is pretty awesome, isn’t it?

But we’ve grown to recognize that we can’t be those super heroes. We can’t go around saving people in distress and receiving fame. Or can we?

ConnecTeen_logo_colourConnecTeen is basically the super hero headquarters. Inside, there are volunteers — super heroes that save people in distress. ConnecTeen is a confidential peer support service (by actual teenagers who understand what teenagers are going through). Their service is confidential, anonymous, and non-judgmental.

However, ConnecTeen has recently collaborated with ZEDS to create a comic called “A Call for Help.” To celebrate the release of the comic, there is a launch event on April 24th, at the ING Cafe, 600 6th Ave SW, Calgary AB. The artists, along with the ConnecTeen (superhero) volunteers that helped to create this comic will be there at the event.

You can find an online version of the comic here. Take a look — it’s amazing!

 

Want to know more about ConnecTeen? Click Here! They offer peer support for everything that you find difficult to open up to with your friends or family. No problem is too big or too small for them. And in addition to that, it’s confidential!

Check out more information about the launch event here! It’s a truly amazing event for an amazing cause. Plus, it’s completely free!!! I would love to see you there!

 

 

The Importance of College Campus Visits

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By now, most grade 12 students have already received decisions from the universities that they have applied to. The long wait extending from the moment when you first clicked that submit button until now is finally over, and yet, a new problem arises: which of the schools that has offered you admission should you register at?

To answer this question, most of us begin by scouring the internet for online opinions, student experiences, college rankings, and other online sources of information pertaining to the university. Many students can make a decision based off of the information that they have gathered through online sources or the advice of friends and family members, but there is one crucial factor that is often missing: The campus visit. Reading about the experiences of others, and listening to the advice of close friends are definitely helpful in gaining insights into the university, but at the end of the day, these experiences and advice are merely the experiences and opinion of others. Not yourself. Factors such as the rigor of courses, campus feel, social interactions, and enjoyment at a particular university are highly subjective, and will range tremendously from one individual to another.

Recently, my parents and I flew out to one of the universities which had admitted me to get a feel for what the student body and campus life is like. This particular university had been, in fact, near the bottom of my list of universities that I was intending on registering at, but the campus visit proved to be all that was required to completely change my opinion. In short, I fell in love with just about everything that I saw while I was physically at the university. Many hidden aspects of the university that I simply could not experience through online forums were made available to me, and shortly following this trip, I enrolled at this university.

Of course, not everyone will have the means and opportunity to visit each of the universities to which they have been accepted to. In such circumstances, the internet is truly your best friend. However, for those who have the means to make a short visit, I highly, sincerely, imploringly suggest that you make the visit for it will truly leave a lasting impact on your image of the school.

Deciding on a university is the equivalent of deciding where you will spend the next four years of your life. It is arguably one of the most important decision that you will have to make in the entire course of your life, and as such, every effort should be exerted to make the best decision possible. A college campus visit is definitely one of the most important steps that you can take in making the “correct” choice for the life that you wish to lead for the next four years!

From ‘cross the world a sacred inner space – the study of a Mandala

Wentao
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An intricate mandala, while utilizing plenty of other shapes, forms unity in a circular fashion with often radial balance, like you saw in that video by blackfamesofmystery. In fact, mandala is loosely translated to “circle” in Sanskrit. This scared concept is significant in role in both Hinduism and Buddhism; it was also a form of expression we touched on in Art class.

The natural flow of thoughts carries the process of creating a unique mandala, an element of mediation. This form of art is a spiritual essence; personal symbolism is conveyed through the ideal symmetry, images, and composition. Individuality is emphasized.

Tibetan Buddhists use sand-painting to create mandalas collaboratively, only to be deconstructed in a ritual as soon as it is completed. As the sand used is released into a stream of water, the “impermanence of life” is portrayed, seen in the documentary “Wheel of Time”.

Here’s another quick time lapse at the process in a video from TaylorTazJohnson –

Growing out of traditional roots, the concept of mandalas have reached across the world – an example is how high school students in Mt. Prospect, Illinois were eager to engage in this concept:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzmLBwfpus

Through creative usage, mandalas have formed the basis of several art showcases:

InterACTIVE – Finally, with all of these examples and individuality in mind, what would you display though your own creation? What symbols would you use in your mandala? Shoot me a comment 🙂

This is what came out of my Art 10 assignment; I have to admit I really haven't grasped watercolor paint techniques, but this piece did turn out decent. :) Plus I got the enthusiasm and motivation to showcase mandalas around the world, so it's a win.
This is what came out of my Art 10 assignment; I have to admit I really haven’t grasped watercolor paint techniques, but this piece did turn out decent. 🙂 Plus I got the enthusiasm and motivation to showcase mandalas around the world, so it’s a win.
From spiderchain.com, a fine example of a wire mandala right here 🙂
(http://www.marieflaherty.com/)

 

What we would see without light

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With our cities so well lit during nighttime, it’s hard to appreciate the world beyond our busy lives. What better else than electricity to light the way to success on a late study night? What would we do without the soft glow of our cell phones that enables us to connect to those who we love? Even from a literary and cultural standpoint, “light” is often portrayed as hope and inspiration; without light, there would be chaos. Photographer Thierry Cohen takes us on a journey like no other to explore the real world beyond our own… what we would see without light.

New York, United States of America

New York

Shanghai, China

Shanghai

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong

São Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo

San Francisco, United States of America

San Francisco

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Praia de Copacabana no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (Copacabana Beach

Rio

Paris, France

Paris

Lights on… lights off

The Broken Bus, another of life’s beauties

Lauren Morris
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This weekend my family and I went to Fernie B.C. I love the beauty of the mountains and the landscape of B.C. so I decided to go for a walk and take pictures of it. Of course, instead, I got hung up on this cool, derelict old bus thats been planted in a field next to the train tracks for as long as I can remember. I had every intention of continuing on to photograph different things but my camera decided to die instead (I suppose thats what I get for neglecting it’s battery for six months), here’s some of what I got before it did:

Glass

 

Broken glass can be so beautiful. It just goes to show that even in destruction some beauty can be found.

rusted

 

I love how there’s even some moss growing on the rusted end of the bus, in an environment where civilization decays nature flourishes.

taillight

 

Apparently the people who decided to smash up the bus were pretty angry people; all the windows, lights and mirrors on the bus were all like this.

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Did I mention there’s also graffiti covering the bus? Although it’s vandalism, it makes the bus look like an field art installation, rather then a forgotten piece of the past, especially with all the smashed windows and considering how cool and old, “retro,” the bus is. Who needs an art gallery when you have everyday life?

Photo of the Day: Penguin Walk

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A couple weeks ago, I was able to catch a glimpse of one of the last penguin walks of the season.  The King penguins at the zoo actually come out and “march” for spectators if they are feeling up to it: the temperature must be perfect, not too hot and not too cold.  If you go to the zoo during Youth Week, you can claim a special 2 for 1 admission deal by emailing youthweek@youthcentral.com!

Check out some of the shots I got:

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One of the King penguins in the lead, during their customary walk

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A Humboldt penguin enjoying the lovely spring sunshine

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A King penguin curiously assessing all the visitors

Hair Chalking

Malika Daya
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Looking for new inspiration? Or something funky to do with you hair, well this is the next new thing in style! Whether you have dark hair or blonde hair chalking is easy, effective, and comes out easily and quickly. We all know the dip-dye hair colouring is what everyone is in desperation to get! But If you are like me and are afraid to permanently bleach your hair, chalking is a quick and removable way to get what we want! Here is what you need to do but first these are a couple items you should have before beginning this procedure:

MATERIALS: 

-Soft Pastel Chalk     

-Spray Bottle Filled With Water

-Flat Iron or Curling Iron

-Rubber Gloves

-Old shirt you don’t mind getting dirty

Hair Chalking Blog

Here are four easy steps in chalking you hair: 

Firstly: Spray the strand of your hair you want to colour with water.

Secondly: Pick a pastel a colour you hair! (If you have dark hair, try a lighter colour.)

Thirdly: Wait for the pastel to soak into your hair and dry.

Lastly: Use either your flat iron or a curling iron and go over the strands you have chalked. (If you do this, the colour will have a lasting effect.)

How-to-chalk-hair

(It may last up to a week, longer or shorter but chalk your hair at your own risk)

I know I am definitely going to try this technique over the weekend. Let me know how it works out for you but commenting below.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Photo of the Day: Frozen in Time

Ivonne
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snowflake

 

Such a delicate and fragile photo of a snowflake before melting. Perfectly acceptable seeing as spring should be making a late entry right around the corner, right? (fingers crossed)

Alarm Clock Sleep Sounds Pro-the best alarm I’ve ever used

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Are you tired of getting waken suddenly by your sharp alarm clock sound every morning? Well, you should be. Researchers have shown that being woken up suddenly like that can be very harmful to your health in long term.

Then, you may ask, what is an example of a healthy way to wake up?

Researchers say that the best way to be woken is to wake up naturally. There are a few ways to achieve the “natural” effect, such as the smell of a nice breakfast, the chirping birds outside, or sunshine gradually filling up the room. This app uses brainwaves with ambient sounds of your choice to gently but actively wake up your brain, to get you energized and ready for a brand new day.

Set your alarm as per usual. Notice that you should set your alarm time around 30 minutes earlier than your normal alarm time, as it is when the brainwave starts and it takes time to wake up your brain.

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This is what I like the most about the program. You have many types of waves to choose from (the waves shown below are just the first page) in order to achieve different results. So cool right?

psb

This is the main screen. If you want to wake up, click the sun. If you want to fall asleep, click the moon.

psb (2)

 

A fairly large selection of ambient sounds.

psb (3)

Similar functions to help you fall asleep.

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Try this cool app out and tell me what you think in the comments! =)

Be inspired by the Calgary Spoken Word Festival!

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2013-pass175Do you love poetry? performance? Do you love talking? listening? Creatively expressing yourself out loud? If you like anything creative, expressive, and inspirational, than the Calgary Spoken Word Festival is for you!

You’re probably wondering what the heck this festival is. My words couldn’t justify it, so check out the website here. I will, however, somewhat explain spoken word. Essentially, this art combines all types of oral performance. Poetry, sounds, stories. It has the power to inspire with words, rhythms, sounds, beat, language, music. Magic.

 

 

 

Why is spoken word so awesome? Quite simply, you are combining poetry and performance. Awesome + awesome = super duper amazingly awesome! Two of my favourite things to do are write and perform, so spoken word is perfect! And the good thing is, if you just like poetry, spoken word is for you, and if you just like performance, spoken word is for you too!

Poetry lovers: think of it as sharing your creations through your own voice, or if you’d like a passive role, experiencing the magic others have formed.

Performing lovers: think of it as performing your own creation. Embracing words and taking them to a whole new level. In a way, spoken word can be like a monologue, but with rhythm, a more creative structure, and deeper intention.

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If this sounds at all interesting, than I urge you to check out some of the events at the 2013 Calgary Spoken Word Festival! This year, the theme is “X-dream thinking“. Sheri-D (the director) explained her intentions for this theme at one of the events I attended, and I highly suggest going yourself and exploring this world of creativity and self-expression!

Workshops, performances, slams, and talks are abundant from April 6-29! I went to the Youth Slam, and I am definitely planning on checking out some more events!

For more information:

Check out the website: http://www.calgaryspokenwordfestival.com

Or go to Shelf Life Books, or Pages Books!

Or go to their facebook page (Calgary Spoken Word Society / Festival)

 

See where poetry and performance takes you.

Be expressive. Find a new way to be creative.

Whether you try it yourself or observe others’ work, I hope you enjoy 🙂

 

 

Images from: 

http://www.calgaryspokenwordfestival.com/tickets.php

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calgary-Spoken-Word-Society-Festival/126264765179?fref=ts

 

Express your Calgary in art

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Youth need the ability to express themselves – doing this is an important part of growing up. The Mayor’s Youth Council has begun to contribute to this by creating the Mayor’s Youth Council Art Contest, a contest which allows youth to explore what Calgary truly means to them.MYC Art Contest

The contest simply asks the question “What is your Calgary?” and lets young artists work from there. The prizes are numerous, among them being the opportunity for your artwork to be shown to all of Calgary, with the best pieces being placed in the Wall of Windows, a display in the City Hall LRT Platform. The great part of this contest is the broadness of the topic, as it truly allows anyone to express themselves in the way that they feel closely relates to the relationship they have in Calgary, and to put those ideas into art form. You’re free to use whatever media you like, so long as it measures less than 24 by 30 inches (60 by 76 cm). If you’re worried that your art is too personal (and even if it isn’t), be sure to attach an artist statement with your work, explaining just what you’ve done and what your Calgary really is.

If you want to learn more about the contest, check out the Mayor’s Youth Council’s youtube video about it here. If you want more specific details or just want to submit your entry, visit youthcentral.com/art. The deadline is May 2nd, so start working!

What’s your Calgary? Mayor’s Youth Council Art Contest

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Feeling artsy? Calling all aspiring artists and passionate doodlers, the Mayor’s Youth Council wants to see what makes Calgary your home. You can show us with pencils, paints, in color or in black and white, we just want to see your artistic expression. We also want to know what your art means to you, so just include anything under 200 words in your artist statement. Just remember, the deadline is May 2nd and we’re taking submissions online submissions through our email myc@youthcentral.com. The winner gets to have their art displayed at the Transit City Hall Showcase. For full contest details, check us out at youthcentral.com/art. But hey, I decided to include all the contest details and rules in this blog anyway so keep checking it out.

MYC-ART-CONTEST-POSTER

Rules

  • Artwork must be no larger than 24 inches by 30 inches. Do not mat or frame artwork. All media are accepted.
  • Only one entry per student per year, and each entry must be the work of only one student.
  • All artwork must be the individual student’s original creation. Duplications are not accepted.
  • In consideration for the opportunity to enter the Youth Art Contest, participants agree to allow Youth Central to use their names and photographs for promotional and publicity purposes.
  • Forms and artwork must be received by or before 5pm on May 2nd for all entries.
  • Artwork should address the theme:  What’s Your Calgary?

Eligibility
Art from two age-group categories will be judged separately: grades 7-9 (10–13 years old) and grades 10-12 (14–18 years old). An artist younger than 10 years old may still enter the competition, but he/she will be judged along with children 10–13 years old

Prizing
Winning submissions will have their art showcased on the City Hall Wall of Windows, dynamic window displays at the City Hall LRT platform.

Submission is Electronic
Artists must submit all artwork electronically to myc@youthcentral.com

A complete submission will have:

1. An entry form that includes:

a      Photo of Artwork and Contact information

b       Artist’s Rationale (250 words or less)

The Artist’s Rationale is a very important part of the submission. It is the artist’s chance to provide information to help judges to understand, appreciate, and evaluate his/her art.  The statement should include the motivation, storyline, and/or messages of the art. Artist can also indicate materials used.

* If an electronic submission absolutely cannot be provided, please contact myc@youthcentral.com to determine whether it is still possible to enter the competition.

Disqualifications
Artwork can be disqualified for either:
1) Falsification of any information on the forms submitted, including plagiarism or use of copyrighted material without permission or documentation of effort to obtain permission as per the rules for a given artwork category.
2) Use of profanity, nudity not representing the human body in a positive way, substance abuse, or violent images.

If an artwork is disqualified, an artist will not be eligible for any award, certificate of participation, or display of his/her artwork. The artist will receive a brief note regarding his/her disqualification.

“Silk Stocking” Milk Tea from the “Pearl of the Orient”

Wentao
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Literally translated as the “Fragrant Harbor” in Chinese, Hong Kong enjoys high economic status in Asia as a metropolis.

(chinatourselect.com)

That’s not without the period of rapid growth under British colonization. With this growth came a fusion of Western elements in the local cuisine, improvising many British staples.

Instead of regular milk in the black tea British people, Hong Kongers used evaporated or condensed milk.

It’s best served hot… (goldenmoontea.com)

 

But also yummy when ice cold (thelunchbelle.com)

And so according to my title, afternoon tea was where pantyhose played a role in cuisine.

…………DID YOU REALLY THINK SO? Shame on you.

Okay, I admit that this namesake is a little bizarre at first glance, yet it’s where the charm of this preparation method is.

(The Apple Daily)

Don’t worry, that’s not a real stocking. Hong Kong-style milk tea is nicknamed the “silk stockings” milk tea (絲襪奶茶 in Chinese) due the resemblance the filter used to separate tea leaves has with those stockings after going through this process multiple times. These “stockings” are attributed for making the tea smooth and milky.

(chaxiubao.typepad.com)

I wish that writing an article on this creamy drink would actually help my craving, but I guess not. *shrugs*

A street booth with personality it is, that place that invented this drink –

I’m that fellow who doesn’t get the point of noble High Tea versus having a pineapple bun from a Chinatown bakery and using that powder in your pantry (not as great as the real deal though) to make Hong Kong style milk tea and call it a feast. It’s a “street drink” that rivals the everyday status of coffee to those who live by it.

By the way, I know it’s not affordable to buy a plane ticket to Hong Kong for this, but you can find this signature in any Hong Kong-style cafe nowadays. The Chinatown here in Calgary is a good place to start.

On that thought, if you aspire to head to Hong Kong one day like me (geez, too much Cantonese TV dramas), we can go together to that little restaurant, sipping that tea like no other. 🙂

Lastly, watch this competition on who can make the best “silk stocking” milk tea!

Yay or Nay, School Dissections

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So today my class and all the other grade eight classes did a dissection of a cow’s eye, we split into groups of two or three to examine the different parts of the eye. In some of the other classes people were crying and some even vomited at the sight of the eye, in my class all was well but it brought up my attention. My teacher is respectful of people’s feelings towards the dissection, you got to choose if you wanted to dissect, help or just watch and you did have permission to leave the classroom if you felt nauseous, sick or just plain did not feel comfortable doing the dissection. I am not sure if this is the case for any other schools or if it is the regulations among the Calgary school board.

You see I am not one to be excited over opening up a dead cow’s eye to take a look inside, so I just watched. I did not want to be in the room because I am not very comfortable knowing that a cow has been killed for these purposes however, I did know that it was a pretty rare experience and still part of my science curriculum so I managed through it. That was not the case with others I know, some did not watch at all.  So this got me thinking, what are your opinions on dissections within school?

In my opinion, what my teacher did is the best thing you can do, you shouldn’t have to ban dissections but you shouldn’t force people to do them. It should be an optional  learning experience with a milder side project if you choose not to do the dissection. I am talking though the bigger dissections such as frogs and cow eyes, not ones such as owl droppings or things like that.

Please feel free to express your opinions in the comments about school dissections or even argue with mine, it is for the love of science after all!

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