YOUTH ARE AWESOME
Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth. YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them. Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.
Any views or opinions expressed on this blog belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people or organizations that the blog may be associated with, unless explicitly stated. All content is for informational purposes only.
Is there anyone who is taking biology or interested in our cardiovascular system??
I had a hard time when I tried to memorize every confusing situation that happens in our body. But I found really nice song that was made for memorizing the cardiovascular system!!!!!
[youtube RlRuKa1xj1I]It’s that time of the year again. The smell of love is everywhere and chocolates and roses are selling like crazy. But what if you don’t have a partner to be with? How would you spend this Valentines Day on your own?
Aries
Aries is a very enthusiastic constellate, so it’s difficult for them to be alone. On Valentine’s Day, it would be a joke to walking on the street by themselves with love songs everywhere. So it is best for them to find several lonely friends and party until the next morning. This way, they can temporarily forget the grief that they are alone, and sneer at lovers who are spending their Valentines Day together.
Taurus
Valentine’s Day? What about it? Purely pointless and a waste of time. On this day they would play missing, where they turn off all of their communication tools. If not, they would walk alone, and take a close look at Mother Nature, enjoy the sunshine. Being a bachelor is good, this is a way to save money! But actually, Taurus bachelors are more uncomfortable than anyone else.
Gemini
Gemini would think like this: I am the cutest person in the world, and I am alone on Valentine’s Day? No way, those people are blind. So for today, I’ll just get the best out of it. There is one hair cut I never had time to do; today is the day. There are cool clothes which I usually did not dare to wear; I will wear it today. Even though today I am alone, I will never feel lonely.
Cancer
Cancer will not be any different from usual. On this day, they would be really nice to their family and friends. They will go out for dinner, and hand out roses and chocolates to their mother. After all, she is the woman who gave birth and made Valentine’s Day possible.
Leo
Most of the Leos cannot handle to not have a lover on Valentine’s Day. But if they are alone, they will go out to hang with their friends. Maybe they would meet someone who is also alone and they may start a relationship.
Virgo
Snort. Why would I want to give flowers and chocolates to anyone on this particular day? This is just another way for those companies to earn more money, and I would not fall for that. I would only buy flowers and chocolates for myself. Even know they might think this way, but they are pretty lonely on the inside.
Libra
Libra is really good at self comforting. They would smile about it and just let it go. They would stay in their house, drink coffee, watch TV, or go chat online with someone that’s also alone. After all, they only have themselves to spend this Valentine’s Day, so why not a happy one.
Scorpio
The truth is, Scorpios feel embarrassing if they are alone. So to avoid the embarrassment, they would bury themselves inside packages of snacks or taking a hot bath in a tubful of essence oil. The next day you see them, they would be full of energy and they would not be decadent like you imagined.
Sagittarius
If Sagittarius’s is alone, they would say to themselves: “I had way too many lovers before, so today is a day for me to relax.” They will call their friends and walk in the mall all day just to kill time. They can also turn on the music really loud and dance until they are too tired to move. If someone ask them: “What did you do on Valentine’s Day?” Sagittarius’s would clap their hands and say: “Yesterday was Valentine’s Day? Oh, I have forgotten all about it.”
Capricorn
Sigh. I have way too many jobs to do. My boss is still waiting for my presentation, and another customer wants me to go over there to take a look at his product. Valentine’s Day? I think not, I am too busy. Not everyone is like those lovers that have nothing to do. This is one excuse Capricorn use to avoid Valentine’s Day.
Aquarius
I am not like the general public; Valentine’s Day is too ordinary for me. I am waiting for the one that can change my life. You guys can be crazy all you want, but I am going to stay at home and eating popcorn. Take a cold shower at night and the next day I am a fresh person.
Pisces
Are you kidding me? A gentle and kind person like me doesn’t have a lover? This must be a test for me to see if I can handle it. Shortly, my luck would change and there will be one beautiful/handsome sweetheart waiting for me. We would have a perfect relationship.
Hello interweb!
National Volunteer Week is coming up and it’s a great chance to take a look at the bigger picture about volunteers in Canada. Watch this awesome YouTube video that gives a deeper look into volunteerism in Canada. Did you know all the bloggers on Youth Are Awesome are volunteers and donate their time to write about the awesome things youth are doing in their community?
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to reflect on the great country we live in, where more than 10 million people are volunteers!
Have you ever done this awesome activity? It seems very dangerous but looks interesting.
[youtube fq_fkHESF0c]I really want to base jump sometime in my lifetime!
If you want to get some more insight on Youth Are Awesome, the volunteers that blog on it and Youth Central, check out this article in The Calgary Journal!
The Calgary Journal is a local newspaper published by Mount Royal University Journalism students. They publish weekly on the internet and monthly in print. You can find their journal on newstands across the city or read it online at www.calgaryjournalonline.ca.
Here’s a safey video I made with a friend for Work Safe Alberta. Enjoy!
[youtube zmEW4TX1D90]
We often hear of stories from rags to riches, from the garage to the world stage, from musicians who have made a big impact in the world of audible art. Yet rarely do I come across an artist as inspirational to me as Melody Gardot.
Melody was born in New Jersey in 1985 and was largely raised by her Polish-immigrant grandparents. Her mother worked as a traveling photographer and they moved around frequently, often having only the possessions in her suitcase to live off of. She graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia with a degree in fashion. In 2003, when she was about 18 years old, she was hit by a Jeep while riding her bike in Philadelphia. She suffered severe damage to her brain and spinal column, as well as her pelvis being broken in two separate locations. She stayed in the hospital for about a year.
Her vision became highly sensitive, which required her to wear sunglasses at all times. Her short-term and long-term memories were in shambles as she often wakes up without any sense of time or purpose. Simple tasks such as talking and walking became extremely difficult for her due to the nervous system damage. However even with these major hindrances, Melody started to compose songs, particularly ones dealing with her experiences and pains. As thoughts turned into hums and hums into songs, Melody started to write songs not only to help her rehabilitation, but for her love of music. To this day Melody still requires physiotherapy and a cane to walk.
Today Melody is a Grammy-nominated singer and a recipient of the VSA International Young Soloist Award and she is constantly trying to evolve her sound into something even more sublime.
Melody’s music has a lot of various influences. Like George Gershwin and Stan Getz, her music has often has a very integral, emotional, and smooth string ensemble accompaniment (not to mention the other jazz instruments are used to great effects as well.) Also in her music is an element of the blues; a very down-toned, sorrowful, and realistic outcry to the world for its misfortunes. To me she is similar to Frank Sinatra in that her range is relatively diverse and her strong yet mellow and soft timbre resonates across to the listener a profound depth of emotions. For any lovers of jazz, easy listening, or if you are just curious about her unique voice visit her website at http://www.melodygardot.com/
[youtube _qphknagXqA] [youtube HLFKKY5RHxc]With valentines day coming up, it’s extra sweet to take time and effort into making your own little gift. If you are not celebrating valentines day then this is still a great recipe that you can make for yourself! In this video, the intro is slightly long and she chews with her mouth full, so to get straight to the tutorial, click on 1 minute and 18 seconds. It also has a lengthy conclusion of talking and footage so feel free to exit out when the tutorial is over!
The City of Calgary has just launched a video contest for their after schools programming.
Film a short video with your friends about Calgary AfterSchool and you could win great prizes;
This contest is for 6 to 16 year olds and an entry can be submitted by an individual or by a group of up to 5.
For more information please click here.
[youtube MrWvml9o0Fo]I love to laugh. I don’t know about you, but YouTube is a great way to find game shows from Asia! They’re those kind of videos that you can’t help but show all your friends and type “LOL”…and actually laugh out loud! So I hope you enjoy my collection of Crazy, Weird and Funny Game Shows.
“Human Tetris” – I’m sure you’ve heard or seen this already. Technically it’s not tetris, it’s basically a wall coming at a person with a shape/hole in it. The goal of the game is to get through the shape in any way possible. Even Ellen Degeneres tried something like this on her show!
[youtube 64mX9kfJn3Y]Library Game Show – What’s the number one thing you can’t do in a library? Make a lot of noise! Imagine a game where you have to contain your laughter due to insane acts of torture (as in practical-joke kind of torture). And imagine you were picked to be tortured because some card said so! Yeah, it’s really hard to stay silent in a library.
[youtube cjEjPYqMFRs]Takeshi’s Castle – I’m not sure if this is still on Spike TV or not, but it’s a hilarious game show with hilarious commentary from…well, hilarious hosts! Just think of ‘Wipeout: Japan version’ and you have Takeshi’s Castle!
[youtube qYm6HniB_J0]Marshmallow Game – Yet again, Ellen did something like this on her show–both videos are equally as funny! You’re trying to grab a marshmallow with your mouth…but there’s a twist!
[youtube 9U2a9xw]Flash Mob – Okay, so I don’t think this is a game show…but it’s hilarious! Just watch.
[youtube cPYiS5ebGgk]That’s it folks! I know there’s a TON more, but I’m sure you can find them on your own 🙂 And if you have a lot of time, you should find some videos with the most ridiculous/stupid game show answers ever (Japan game shows AND North America). It’ll keep you entertained for hours!
Remember the DJ I talked about last time, Masa. Well, now he just got a brand new mix of k-pop in 2010. This time he mixed 60 songs together in one, itsn’t that amazing?
[youtube Zz2Fgdbj9lc]Here is the list of songs that are featured.
2AM – Like Crazy
2PM – I’ll Be Back
2NE1 – Clap Your Hands
2NE1 – Can’t Nobody
4minute – I My Me Mine
After School – Love Love Love
BEAST – Beautiful
BEAST – Soom
BoA – Hurricane Venus
Brave Brothers – I Want To Cry
Co-Ed – Bbiribom Bberibom
Co-Ed – Too Late
Dalmatian – Round 1
DJ DOC – I’m A Guy Like This
E.via – Pick Up Chu~
Fcuz – Midnight Sun
FT Island – Love Love Love
G.na – I’ll Back Off So You Can Live Better
G-Top – HIGH HIGH
Ga-In – Irreversible
Girls’ Day – Nothing Lasts Forever
Girls’ Generation – Hoot
GP Basic – GAME
Infinite – Come Back To Me
IU – Good Day
Jay Park – Nothin’ On You
JYJ – Ayyy Girl
Kara – Jumping
Miss A – Breathe
Miss A – Good Girl, Bad Girl
Narsha – BBI-RI-BOP-A
Nine Muses – No Playboy
NS Yoonji – Just Dance
Orange Caramel – Aing~
PSY – Right Now
Rainbow – A
San E – Delicious San
Se7en – Better Together
Se7en – Digital Bounce
Secret – Madonna
Seo In Young – Into The Rhythm
SHINee – Hello
SHINee – Lucifer
SISTAR – How Dare You
Son Dambi – db Rider
Son Dambi – Queen
Super Junior – No Other
Supernova – On Days That I Miss You
Supreme Team – Then Then Then
Taeyang – I Need A Girl
Taeyang – I’ll Be There
T-ara – YaYaYa
Teen Top – Clap
Touch – Me
U-KISS – Shut Up!!
Untouchable – Make A Fuss
VNT – Sound (YeYeYe)
Wheesung – I’ve Thought Of Marriage
Won Bin – I Love You, I Love You
ZE:A – Level Up
I am amazed by him everytime since his mixes are all so good!
Here is another mix featuring Lady Gaga and 2NE1, the Bad Nobody
[youtube OWowNcML5hw]
Continuing onward with my foray into the realm of casual gaming, for today’s game of the day, I present to you: Minecraft. Though intended as a casual game, players such as me would argue that it is anything but. As with other games which share the ‘craft’ suffix (Warcraft, Starcraft, etc.), Minecraft consumes ungodly amounts of time.
The game itself is based upon a simple premise, harvesting and placing blocks to build anything you can imagine, and, depending on your difficulty setting, defending yourself from the monsters that spawn at night. I’ve often heard Minecraft referred to as “lego for adults” as well as “Minecrack”, and I would have to agree with both sentiments. Upon starting the game you are placed in a virtual world, not unlike our own planet. The main difference being, this world is entirely comprised of cubic blocks which you can harvest to create your own magnificent creations. The types of blocks correspond with real world items, i.e. wood, stone, dirt, etc. These blocks can also be crafted into other items via your inventory editor (pickaxes and the like). There is even an integrated type of block which allows you to form your own circuits in-game, just google redstone. One person has even created a massive in-game computer!
After you play for a little while, you probably won’t be satisfied with simply building a small hut. You might progress to making a house, a castle, a mountain fortress, or an ocean palace. That is what makes the game so stellar; the possibilities are quite literally endless! There is a huge online community for Minecraft, and it grows ever larger every day. If you tire of playing alone, you can also play on multiplayer servers, the vast majority of which are free. I even host a server myself, so feel free to comment if you have any questions about starting one up. The game runs on Java, and is quite small. It can be purchased for about 20 dollars, but there are also free demos on the website! Here is a video of Minecraft in action:
Happy Gaming (I’m not responsible for any subsequent addictions)
http://www.minecraft.net
A recent audition on American Idol Season 10 touched the hearts of many. Chris Medina, a 26-year old male came into the audition room to sing for his fiancée, Juliana Ramos. They have been together for eight years and engaged for almost three years. After their engagement, they planned to get married two years after. However, this plan was ruined because of an accident that happened on Oct. 2, 2009. Sadly, she was involved in a terrible accident that caused a traumatic brain injury. Even though the doctors said there seemed to be no way she would wake he continued to have faith and believe she would come back to him. Luckily enough, she woke up a month and a half later. Even though she is awake, her body is in a wheel chair and seems to shake from time to time, an action she can’t control. The great thing about this story is that even through all this, Chris Medina has stayed with her to care for her. In sickness and in health. Have a listen to his audition and see if it touches your hearts, like it did to many others.
[youtube gqBEVRx78FI]Pursue your dreams no matter what obstacles that may come across it.
Exercise is an important activity in life that everyone should factor into their schedule. However not everyone is doing it correctly. I catch myself and many other people not warming up or stretching before activity. There are far more benefits to warming up than there are negatives. A few reasons why you should warm up are because it helps avoid the body from unnecessary sprains and injuries. Warming up loosens stiff muscles and works on muscle elasticity so in the case of an injury your body is able to recover and walk away with little to no severe damage. Likewise, stretching throughout a work out is also very important because it reduces the cramps and soreness of the muscles, all while helping enhance your body’s ability learn and perform skilled movements.
Warming up and stretching has so many benefits, but so many people do not make time for it and pay the price. I myself have paid the price for not properly warming up and stretching. A couple injuries include severely rolled ankles, and sprains that could have been avoided with simple stretching. However there are more chronic conditions I have developed that I have greatly regretted. For instance, patellar tendonitis on both my knees has been due to the pressure excessive jumping has put on them. As a result both of my knee’s require a jumpers knee strap to reduce pain and inflammation whenever I am involved in activity.
My advice to everyone is to properly warm up before working out, because if you don’t the problems will hunt you down in the long run.
The art of Chinese hurdling.