SaM’s Serving of NeRd: superHEROES
ATTENTION: all artists and t-shirt lovers! Looking for something to partake in this Youth Week? Check out this awesome event! đ
The HEROES T-shirt Design Contest is a project of Impact Society, which provides youth with the opportunity to build confidence, character and integrity by introducing them to themselves â the person they are inside, the person that has unique strengths, gifts and abilities. They are looking for a t-shirt design that visually displays the HEROES program and what a HERO isâŚ
Impact Society defines a HERO as someone who uses their gifts and abilities to make a positive change in themselves and others.
Submit your HERO t-shirt design by visiting www.impactsociety.com and clicking on the Submit a T-Shirt Design Link. Submissions will be taken throughout and just after Youth Week, April 23 â May 8, then reviewed and selected. Winners will be contacted and awarded a $50 gift certificate to Southcentre Mall! WHOO HOO! đ
So unleash your right brain and get designing!
Cost: Free
Ages: 12-18
For more info: Call 403-280-1856 ext 16
email jaralyn@impactsociety.com or visit www.impactsociety.com
How to Lose With Dignity in Scrabble
My sister is a master with words, and, it seems to go without saying, kicks butt at Scrabble. We often play this popular board game and get quite competitive with our own rules and standards. However, with developments in technology, the game of Scrabble can now be played on the iPhone and iPad. There is an iPhone App for Scrabble. However, for those that don’t want to pay $3, there’s a knock-off app called Words with Friends, which has a free version. There’s also a version for Android. I’ve downloaded both, and I prefer the Hasbro Scrabble version. It has more features, a better design and feels more like the traditional boardgame. However, the fact that Words with Friends has a free version means that I have more friends I can compete with on it.
When I was travelling in Brazil I was able to play Scrabble with my sister at the hotel over wifi instead of having to pack the boardgame.
With these apps comes some internet humour. I got the following comic posted on my Facebook by my sister today:
Here’s hoping we can lose with dignity in an age where playing Scrabble with friends is as easy as texting.
Video of the Day: “It’s so fluffy I’m going to die!”
This video of a Toy Pomeranian (yes, that’s a real type of dog) will bring a smile to your face! Not only is this video adorable, but also intriguing through the various interactions the dog goes through. See for yourself!
[youtube 7Vc059JwCUU]Top 10 Youth Volunteer Corps Volunteers!
Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer. â Anonymous
In celebration of National Volunteer Week, Youth Central would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of our volunteers. Whether you volunteer on a project site, in your school, on committees or give back in any other way to your community we appreciate all you are and do. Please find below a list of some of the amazing volunteers who have inspired us with their sheer dedication to help out as much as possible. Since July 1, 2010, these volunteers have completed close to or over 200 hours of volunteer time.
Horace Lin â 515 hours
Andy Kuan â 285 hours
Eric Kuan â 285 hours
Oi Sue Kuan â 276 hours
Medha Patki â 231 hours
Bohan Li â 227 hours
Henry Lin â 212 hours
Ekroop Nijjer â 200 hours
Sandy Desta â 194 hours
David Hall â 189 hours
Along with these volunteers who have given so many hours of their time are the volunteers who are always flexible, willing to jump in and help, and sometimes take on the leadership role. Within Youth Central we have six major committees that meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Thank you to all committee members who put so much time and passion into what they do.
We also involve over 25 schools, where every week, youth are asked to take on a leadership role, volunteer, and make a difference at their school and community. Youth Central would like to extend a huge thank you to both the students and teachers who put in so much time to expand volunteerism throughout the city and in their own communities.
Throughout the year last year, Youth Central volunteers completed over 39,000 hours of volunteering with over 2,500 different volunteers. Youth Central would not be the organization it is without you and neither would the over 120 not for profit agencies you have impacted.
Video Game Music Orchestrated?!
If you love playing video games, then I’m sure you love listening to the soundtracks. If you love music, then I’m sure you like orchestras and just epic songs in general! Well, what I have a treat for you music/video games/video game music lovers! Video Games Live is performing at the Jack Singer Hall on April 17 at 7 p.m.! This year, the VGL Canada Team has got a lot of treats for you.
Video Games Live was created by the talented Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico. They have had thousands of concerts around the world, trying to dispel the myth that video game music are “bleeps” and “bloops”. Come on, people! Times have changed, and video games have gone a long way. Especially the music; professionals would die to create music for a well-known video game much like how most of you want to be pop singers or rappers.
On the Video Games Live Facebook page, there’s a lot of updates and contests available for you to enter. As a member of the Calgary team (yay!) we have distributed some flyers around the city as well as put up some posters. If you would like to help advertise or have any suggestions for contests then feel free to comment below! We have DVDs, t-shirts, tickets and other cool swag to give away!
What better way to celebrate Youth Week than to attend a concert? These days, a lot of youth have no idea how amazing orchestras are. We should support the Arts or eventually we will become like some American schools–all about the athletics while cutting funding on the Arts. And I’m not bashing athletics, but I’m just saying that we need a balance of everything in life! Video Games Live is a great opportunity to listen to the beauty of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as well as have a good time. This was the first concert I have ever attended and boy was I missing out before then. I never knew how amazing live music can be, and the intensity of a huge orchestra sent shivers down my spine! If you’re afraid that orchestrated music is dull, then at least give VGL a chance. I’m sure you have a favorite video game or two, and I’m also positive that it will be featured on Sunday!
P.S. I’ve been to the concert every year and they keep getting better. They make awesome references to popular video games, and it’s totally worth your time!
Insidious Movie Review
Last weekend I got to see the horror film Insidious with my friends. I donât know why we keep watching horror films at the theatre; none of us actually enjoy being scared out of our wits.
Insidious follows a family of five that just moved into their new house. All is going well until one of the boys slips into a coma. The doctors canât explain why heâs in a coma because other than being unconscious he is completely healthy. Three month later, the parents brings the still comatose son home to take care of him on their own. Then abnormal events begin to occur.
The idea behind insidious is that itâs not the house that is haunted but the son. His spirit is trapped in another realm and evil spirits/demons are trying to take over his body. This allows the movie to do everything we see in a haunted house without the obvious solution (just leave the house).
The first third of the movie was really creepy as paranormal events begin to occur. “I don’t like when he walks around at night” is a quote that still gives me goosebumps. In the second third of the movie, things escalade from paranormal activity (pun?) to a full-out haunting. At which point, I stopped describing the movie as creepy and start using scary. But then comes the final third which was basically âlow budget haunted houseâ the movie. I think they should have tried to do things Blair Witch project style for that part and made it a lot more subtle.
Bottom Line: the acting was good and the first two thirds of the movie were fantastic, but the last third ruined it. They didnât seem to know how to end the movie so they went over the top with everything. I give this movie a 7/10.
[youtube E1YbOMDI59k]Sarah Kay: Spoken Word
In my English 30-1 class, my teacher use to show us TED talk, which is a talk-show of interesting people. The one that touched me the most was the speech by Sarah Kay. She is an American poet and does what is known as a spoken word poetry. I saw most of her speech the last few days and I realize how she improved since she first started as a poet. Though I am not really interested in poetry, her voice and passion of poem impressed me. I would like to share her speech with all of you.
The Final Scene Trailer
As promised, I managed to finish the trailer for my upcoming short film, a rendition of the final scene on Othello. Please watch in HD, and let me know what you think đ
[youtube DE89D5y2r1Y]Opportunity for a Mock Federal Election!
Is your school participating in the Student Vote? Well if not, ask a teacher and start a committee dedicated to emulating a real election. And if you’re lucky enough and are of age by May 2, then be awesome and vote! It’s important to go out there and cast your opinion on the candidates; countries are at war, struggling to achieve what Canada has achieved.
So don’t take voting for granted and vote!
Need a job over summer? Read!
The City of Calgary Youth Employment Centre’s 2011 Summer Hiring Fair is just right around the corner! And it’s one of the first events for Youth Week, which officially runs April 23 – May 1.
Key Information:
TODAY! Tuesday, April 12, 2011
1:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Big Four Building – Stampede Park
Free for ages 15-24
I will be going, dropping a few resumes. “Hopefully” I’ll grab a few interviews and review the effectiveness of this hiring fair!
Update: Roll up the Rim, and Tim Horton’s Coffee Prices!
Unfortunately, my chances of winning are still poor, and I have only won Roll Up the Rim 7 out of 87 times. Yes, 87. However, the updated winners on the Tim Horton’s site still show that there are 45 3D TVs, 14 cars, a little less than 4,000 bikes, 635 grills, and roughly 18,000 Tim Horton’s gift cards to be won. But don’t be fooled, many of those are merely unclaimed prizes. For instance, a friend of mine has a Tim Horton card win stashed away, ready to be mailed out.
If you are not aware of it, already many of the Roll up the Rim cups are running out at Tim Horton’s around the city. Many of the locations are running out of XL’s first and still have some larges and mediums. However, a quick piece of advice is that if you are planning to get a XL or a cup they have run out of, make sure you ask if you can have a double cup with Roll up the Rim. Most of the time, they offer anyways.
Another tiny bit of information that I heard on the radio is that starting today, the prices of Tim Horton’s coffee will be going up in price. Which is cruel because they have just hooked millions of new caffeine addicts to their coffee because of Roll up the Rim and now they are making them suffer by raising the prices. It is unknown at the moment as to what we are going to see for a price hike at Tim Horton’s, but it is expected that a large coffee is going to be 7 cents more; which is so useful considering $1.71 doesn’t make it any easier to make exact change for from the previous $1.64 price.
Lesson learned, never spend over a hundred dollars in coffee in less than a month… gambling does strange things.
Quick side note: While looking at some images, a clever individual created a device which rolls up the rim for you in a matter of seconds. Tim Horton’s should quickly buy this guy’s idea and sell it at their stores for next Roll up the Rim season. They would make millions (not that they need it).
Under the Skin delivers a breathtaking performance of modern dance
Highlighting two cultures, China and Canada, and two fantastic dance companies, Wen Wei Dance and The Beijing Modern Dance Company, Under the Skin brings dancers from Canada and China to explore the questions of personal identity, culture, and gender roles. Through the invigorating and abstract movements of dance, the powerful and expressive dancers reveal that it is human experience that unites us all.
“The basic context of what we love, what we hate, what we need, what we want- those are all the same. We have two different colors, the West and East, but under the skin we are the same.” – Wen Wei Wang
Performing at the Theatre Junction Grand, “Calgary’s culture house for contemporary live arts,” I was drawn to the distinctive body of contemporary dance, requiring no storyline, and engaging the senses through sound and dance. I did know what to expect, but at the end of the night, I left completely enthralled.
Wen Wei Dance work’s earns a reputation of reflecting startling performances of the social experiences, and our underlying social, cultural, and personal development. With a highly individualist style, the artistic director, Wen Wei Wang, fuses precise choreography and provocative and amazing visual design and music to make for a unique creation.
The Beijing Modern Dance Company is a leader of professional modern dance in China, integrating the dazzling traditional culture of China and global influences. Gao Yanjinzi, the artistic director and one of the founding members of the Beijing Modern Dance company, and her innovations are influenced by her Buddhist upbringing, with her dancers moving with a harmonious flow of energy, yet abrupt surprises push audiences to question what really is “traditional or modern.”
Video of the Day: Things are not always what they seem – Supernaturals in India
Today’s Video of the Day brings you a brief glimpse into the heavily superstitious areas of rural India. In the video, a man garbed in orange, posing as a “god man” (swami), performs a multitude of seemingly magic tricks, procuring money out of thin air, spawning holy water at will and even exorcising a possessed women from a neighboring village. Of course, his godly powers come at a price, and for some petty magic tricks, he sure is able to collect a great deal of money from gullible villagers. At the end of the video, he is exposed as nothing but a simple bank manager. The whole thing was set up so as to educate villagers about the nature of this scam. Unfortunately, instances such as this are far from uncommon in areas of India, Pakistan, and Africa. More often than not, entire family fortunes are tossed away upon a whim in order to receive some sort of imaginary blessing. It is a sad reality that faces many parts of the world today. Consider it the Indian equivalent of the door to door snake oil salesman.
[youtube Z2Kz8FzruvQ]So remember, question everything.
Cheers