No Morning Fix this week guys, as I’ve been working on a super-awesome video project that I’m very excited to show you! Hopefully I’ll be able to get a short trailer ready for next week, but for now, here’s a touching story of perseverance.
[youtube jU4oA3kkAWU]Soul Surfer is an amazing rendition of inspiration, hope and endless possibilities
One of the best adaptations of a true story, Soul Surfer is based off the 2004 non-fiction book Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Figthing to Get Bakc on the Board by Bethany Hamilition. Portrayed as the very same character in the movie, Benthany Hamiliton’s left arm was bitten off by a shark when she was only 13 years old. In the movie, Bethany Hamilition, played by AnnaSophia Robb, is an outgoing and champion surfer until she suffers from a horrible shark attack. Amazingly, as she fights the emotional and physical rollercoaster of living with only one arm, despite the trauma, Hamiliton is determined to “get back on the board.”
A feel-good movie overall, this movie was definitely moving and was quite amazing to watch as the audience watched the rather dramatic events of a die-hard surfer suffering through the trauma of a shark attack. The movie astonshingly displays the intense thrill of surfing, the sound of rising waves, the smooth carve of a board on the water – it’s what Bethany Hamiliton craves and loves. Soul Surfer incredibly draws in the audience into her life of living by the ocean, her life revolving around the pure escapist joy she gets from surfing. The main characters all wonderfully portray the struggle that is accompanied with hope, possbility and love with the support of family and friends.
As expected, the movie contains quite a few cheesy lines, I must say. I personally felt that though this is one of the best adapations of a true story, as very few people can re-enact the pains and emotions of what the actual families and invidividuals had gone through. This movie came quite close. One of the most memorable moments of the movie was actually watching the whole journey of Benthany Hamilition rising from despair to the magical moments of surfing, especially after the film where footage of the actual Bethany Hamilition flashed her actual journey to get back to surfing.
I highly reccomend watching this movie if you enjoy inspiration coming from unexpected places and a personal story of overcoming pain and suffering to unbelievable trumiph. 9/10
When you go to McDonald’s
Try to order like this:
[youtube gjSZ1k4hT3U]Video of the Day: We are Going to Die
This is a truly amazing video where Richard Dawkins explains in a powerful speech how lucky we are to be alive.
[youtube IOXMjCnKwb4]Canadian Federal Election!
What are the perks of being of legal age? Other than the “partying” privileges and whatnot? VOTING! That’s right. Who’s excited for the election on May 2? And this is the big one, it’s the one that determines who the new Prime Minister is. This is the first time Canada has ever experienced a non-confidence motion (when the parliament has no confidence in the appointed government). Exciting stuff; I’m sure you’ve heard about it on the news.
So instead of piling you with information about the election and party members, I will present with you a very cool and informative link, where, directly taken from the site:
“Vote Compass is a free educational tool developed by political scientists. It asks you for your opinion on a number of political issues and then shows you how your views compare with the platforms put forward by each of the political parties.
It only takes a few minutes to complete and no information is collected that can ever be used to personally identify you.
Vote Compass can also tell you which parties are running a candidate in your constituency. If you don’t know the name of your constituency, you can enter your postal code to have Vote Compass determine it for you.”
I’m sure a friend has posted this link on Facebook or Twitter, so this may not be new to you. This is a great time to join a party and help them out with things like advertising! Mayor Nenshi had a lot of helpers and guess where that got him? A huge victory in the municipal election! You know, Apathy is Boring, and if you have time you should support a party! Anyway, that’s all for today, folks! Enjoy watching and reading the news–pay attention for more political slander news!
Toast and Jam 2011
The City of Calgary Community & Neighbourhood Services alongside some of the best in the music industry have put together a program like no other. Toast ‘n’ Jam 2011 is all about the bands.
Successful applicants will not only perform live on stage, but also participate in a series of Industry Sessions. These sessions take the successful Toast ‘n’ Jam 2011 applicants through a series of experiential visits with local music industry professionals. Designed to augment and develop their skills, these Industry Sessions give bands the knowledge ranging from promoting and booking gigs, to caring for equipment to how to make money in the music scene.
Toast ‘n’ Jam 2011 is presented by The City of Calgary, Community & Neighbourhood Services in partnership with AERA Creative, AXE Music, the Beach Audio, Industry Images and the New Black Centre for Music & Art. The Toast ‘n’ Jam 2011 band performances are taking place on two nights – Thursday Aug 18 and Friday Aug 19, 2011.
If you have any questions about Toast ‘n’ Jam, check out the www.calgary.ca/toastnjam or find us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/toastnjam
Video of the Day: Cover Tune Grab Bag – “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
Today’s Video of the Day brings you an amazing apartment complex cover of a famous Beatles song. Enjoy!
[youtube i6BKhvhSehc]Bach, Beethoven and Brahms are magnificently revived through the mastery of the CPO
“Is it true that the greatest composers of music all had names that started with the letter B ?”
[youtube vlkiKhWQsAg&feature=related]Of course, these classical giants that Andeas Delfs, guest conductor, and Michael Hope, one of the bassoonists in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra smilingly refered to in the pre-concert chat were none other than Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. Hope and Delfs both delved into the history, the emotions and recognizable sounds of a the various pieces to be played that evening, and the amazing guest artist, Ingrid Fliter on the piano.
Most familiar with Beethoven, (being personally my favourite composer) Bach and Brahms were delightful new experiences that simply invigorated my musical palette, and as always, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra must be praised for their uplifiting and ear pleasing reneditions of these wonderful pieces.
| Bach (arr. Webern) | Ricercar from Musical Offering | |
| Beethoven | Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 | |
| Brahms | Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 |
In the start of the concert, the harpist for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra cheerfully greeted the audience and explained the curious and special opportunity she had with the orchestra that evening. The harp was considered a rather mediveal and primitive instrument in the times of these composers, and absolutely none of the composers this evening, save Bach, with only one piece had seriously considered incoporating the harp into their pieces- but the one composed by Bach was not even on the program! Thankfully, Ricercar from Musical Offering, arranged by the Austrian composer and conductor Anton Webern, did include a part for the harp in the piece and had sucessfully accentuated its lyrical and divine potential.
The first piece, Ricercar from Musical Offering by Bach (arr. Webern), was born from an invitation to attend Frederick the Great, King of Prussia at court, and was provided a theme from the music-loving king, which Bach improvised a small piece that had garnered great recognition. In Leipzig, Bach created a multi-facted composition, the Musical Offering, that would include two ricercars, 10 canons and a sonata for the flute, violin and continuo. This piece provided a modern twist on Bach’s original composition, a majestic opening with the clear rings of harp cords, as the piece’s surprisingly brilliant departures of various intstruments, enchants the audience in a stimulating enrapture. I personally alluded the piece to lightly dancing on one’s toes through a forest meadow, as the strong strings, light scales played by the harp and the sounds of trumiph grandly resonated the audience.
Video of the Day: Angry Birds Trailer
Yes… the famous iPhone game has been made into a movie trailer.
[youtube 2matH4B9bTo]K-pop In A G6
Do you like K-pop (Korean pop)? If you do, you will definitely like this video. DJ Masa mixed some K-pop songs into “Like A G6” by Far East Movement. Check it out!
[youtube dlhQTCu6mhA]The list of songs is below:
2NE1- Can’t Nobody
4minute – MUZIK
Narsha – Bbi-Ri-Bop-A
After School – Bang
TaeYang – I Need A Girl
U-KISS – Shut up!!!
TVXQ – Keep Your Head Down
GD&TOP – HIGH HIGH
Far East Movement – Like a G6
BoA – Hurricane Venus
BEAST – Soom
Rainbow – A
Seo In Young – Into The Rhythm
Girls’ Generation – Hoot
Site of the Day: Brightstorm
I am a student at Bishop Carroll, and I love my school. It’s self directed, and while some people feel they would not do well in such a setting, I believe that the independent learning environment is extremely beneficial. Students take initiative for their own learning, and this makes the lessons learned more valuable. We learn scheduling, motivation, study habits and a large variety of other skills that will not only help us in post-secondary schools, but in life.
One aspect of the self-directed system is learning to teach yourself in fun/effective ways. I took Physics 30 last semester, and struggled because I really disliked it. However, I had to learn to find ways to enjoy it. I particularly loved the University of Colorado at Boulder Simulations, and I mention it because it makes learning the sciences more visual and hands-on. Not only did these simulations help me with Physics, but they could help students in Biology and Chemistry as well. Here are some of the “Sims”: Atomic Interactions, John Travoltage, Glaciers, and The Greenhouse Effect. And they’re all free!
The site that I’d like to mainly feature today is Brightstorm. As their slogan says, Brightstorm offers “Thousands of Free Math and Science Videos.” They’re basically short lessons on video with accompanying question and answer blogs. The videos are helpful because I really liked the teachers for the topics I studied, and I feel that all the teachers on brightstorm are likely very good.
The Math section features Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus and Calculus, and if you aren’t sure where your area of interest fits, you can easily enter it into a search bar.
The Science sections feature Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. My Physics textbook did not explain one section very well, and this site was suggested to me by a friend. I love it, and I think it’s a great resource for those who want to teach themselves (maybe to prep for a course they’re taking later, or out of interest), and even for those who don’t have the best teachers. It’s also great for review on topics you don’t remember well.
As it is based out of the United States, this website might not have every topic we cover in Alberta curriculum, and may have extra material we don’t need, however, math and science principals are universal and extra understanding never hurts.
There is also a handy question box, where registered users can ask the Brightstorm teachers questions, which is really beneficial if you register at the beginning of your semester and ask questions as you go along.
While this is all free, you an also pay for any of four U.S. test prep programs, including an SAT prep course.
As I was preparing for my Physics 30 Diploma, this website helped me to gain understanding and confidence in a time of high stress.
Scary Movie Review #8: Mirrors
Well let me start off by saying this movie is pretty weird. It is about this night watchman at a museum that is being done up. One night, he mysteriously kills himself by slitting his throat with a piece of broken mirror.
The museum then hires another night watchman to fill the shift. He then also figures out that he is not the only one there…there is someone or something in the mirrors. He explores the museum looking for evidence to figure out what is really going on, since he has been having many strange and frightening hallucinations that he could not explain.
One night he saw that the mirrors engraved a name into themselves when the watchman asked what they wanted from him. After doing a lot of research he found out that the museum used to be a mental hospital, and there was a girl that used to go there that was very crazy. And HER spirits haunted the mirrors.
Once the watchman’s family became a part of this haunting, he knew he had to do something about it, so he went and found the girl–who is now a Nun. He knew that only she could stop the spirits.
The whole movie is not super scary, but they do have offensive language. There are really only two scary parts: at the beginning when the first watchman is killed, and when the Nun gets her spirits back. Personally this movie is okay, but it is the type of movie that really depends on the person if you like it or not. Make sure to have a parent with you if you are going to watch this movie. Check it out if you want!
Soul Surfer movie blows us out of the water
[youtube isjY34VD5jE]
To tell readers the truth, I didn’t have high hopes for this movie. I had never heard anyone speak of it before, nor did I know what kind of story I was in for. Was it going to be like Jaws, or more of a generic incident-struggle-accomplishment movie? Luckily, it was neither of those. I was blown out of the water (pun definitely intended) by the way Soul Surfer made me feel; I felt right at home with the family, as if I had known them forever. I understood the pressure the main character was feeling, and I could almost feel the elation of carving through the waves the way the actors and actresses did. I felt an almost instant affinity for the main character, and what she felt, I felt. This movie sweeps you along in waves of feeling, sculpted by moments of intensity, tenderness and hope, and then deposits you softly on the beach at the end of the movie, feeling very satisfied. When I stood up to leave my seat, I was very impressed by the directing and film-making, but even more so by the actual story itself. That’s when the words “based on a true story” flashed on screen, and footage of the actual surfer started playing. Needless to say, it blew me away to think that this had all really happened to one person.
One more aspect of the movie that really impressed me was the selection of music. Unlike the trailer, the movie itself doesn’t actually use Top 40 pop hits. I had never heard of any of the songs before, but I really enjoyed them and would listen to most of the soundtrack again.
Final verdict: An amazing true story that is an exciting and refreshing take on the whole “personal journey” genre.
My rating: 9/10
Out in theatres April 8th, 2011
Song of Serenity
[youtube GqHBuUAyve8]
I found this while looking for piano covers or normally heavy songs. It struck me as very peaceful and serene. The piano cover evokes a serene state of mind; it is akin to a blissful silence. Thought I’d share it with all of you.