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Uh Oh… Exams Are Looming!

TheGentlemanScholar
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You all knew it was coming up, but hadn’t dared to peek around the corner, am I right?  To save you from stress, we have a few things to make preparation easy.

First off, here’s a link back to my original article on good study habits. This’ll be the biggest help.

Next, some great studying music!  Emancipator makes great instrumental, slow-beat songs that, played on low volume, make great background music for studying. Here’s a link for just the music player (no other distractions!) and here’s one to his website.

Eat some chocolate. I can tell your eyes just lit up there, but it’s true; cacao, the chocolate plant, has repeatedly shown in studies to increase blood flow to certain areas of the brain, boosting your cognitive abilities. Even so, this is just cacao, not the entire Mr. Big you just picked up. To really get some effect, you’ll have to eat a bar (or a piece) of pure dark chocolate, with a cacao content of around 80% or higher. You probably won’t enjoy it because it’ll be all bitter and no sweet, but a bite before you dig into your notes can’t hurt.

^Don’t let this scare you!^

Start preparing now, and save yourself a whole lot of stress in a month!

Folk Fest Line-up

Sarah K
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We’re getting closer to summer and the end of school, and that means festival season is starting up. Last night, the Calgary International Folk Festival surprised me by releasing their full 2010 artist line-up a day early, after 17 weeks of weekly artist reveals.

I had been anticipating this release ever since St. Vincent was announced to be playing one of the mainstage shows. The full list certainly hasn’t disappointed me. The 68-artist list includes one of my all-time favourite Canadian bands, Stars, who had seemingly skipped over Calgary in their tour this year, and who will also be playing a mainstage show.

The Folk Fest is one of the most affordable summer festivals, selling student passes for the entire weekend at only $85. But if that’s pushing it, there’s still time to sign up to volunteer and get free entrance to the shows.

Bay-gul or Bah-gul?

eva
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Personally, I say bay-gul. I don’t know many people who actually say bah-gul…if any at all! But however you say it doesn’t really matter. At The Great Canadian Bagel, a bay-gul or a bah-gul both taste awesome! =]

There is a TGCB store a block away from my school, but I only started visiting it a few weeks ago, despite having attended this school for the past three years. The place, in my opinion, could use a bit of a makeover, but it had a cozy, old school cafe feel to it. There was an entire wall decorated with autographs from all the people who’ve visited and the walls of the kitchen were the traditional black and white tile pattern. It doesn’t strike me as a place with a particularly amazing atmosphere, but the people there always seem so nice and so willing to help.

TGCB has a wide variety of flavours, of for both the bagel and cream cheese. There are normal cream cheese flavours, such as garlic and herb, vegetable, and original (duh). And then not so normal ones, such as chocolate chip, cinnamon, and strawberry! If you’re a fan of sweets, go for the chocolate chip bagel with chocolate cream cheese. My friend reccommends it immensely…from what I remember though, it was the weirdest thing ever to taste something sweet when you expected something salty.

The bagel I tried the other day was a jalapeno cheddar bagel with spinach and feta cream cheese. My verdict? AMAZING. Love love loveeeeee. ♥ I’ve also had bites of bagels with garlic and herb cream cheese. If you happen to love garlic bread, I definitely reccommend the garlic and herb cream cheese. The taste of garlic is so strong that you’ll probably never have to worry about warding off vampiers ever again…not that it’s a bad thing, as garlic tastes pretty good.

In addition to just selling bagels, they also serve breakfast foods for the entire day and this pretty cool drink called Fuze. I had a sip of my friend’s Peach Mango Fuze…it was pretty amazing, if you love fruit, you have got to try it. Did you know that there are only two TGCB stores in Calgary?! I find that rather shocking. One of them is located 248-4820 Northland Dr. NW (by my school) and the other is at 1919 4th Street SW.

Iron Man 2 & “Something” Update

alice
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After much anticipation Iron Man 2 finally hit the theatres. The sequel starts off close to where the first movie left off which makes the plot easier to follow.

Tony Stark revealed to the public that he was Iron man and the US government adamantly demands the technology used for Iron Man and use it for military purposes. Arrogantly Tony refused and assured the technology of other countries were at least 5 years behind and posed no threat.

‘ First person to single handily monopolized World Peace’ — Tony Stark

I enjoyed how the movie explored a personal and sensitive side of Tony that was beneath his cocky reckless exterior. There were more of robots, explosions, and action scenes than the first movie. I think Don Cheadale did an excellent job replacing and playing the role Lieutenant Colonal James (Rhodey).

I would have liked to see more development between Tony and Pepper though the movie. The plot was predictable but overall the movie was good for a sequel. It is worth it the time and money so go check it out. 😀

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****UPDATE****

As mentioned in my previous post to update on my something package, well I have finally received it! My something was a survival kit which was nothing short of random. I had no trouble with the billing or delivery. The order process and delivery took about 2 weeks which was to be expected.

This experience has been fun and entertaining. I will definitely try this again soon. Two thumbs up!

K-pop prince. Super Junior Come Back

katty
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After 1 year and 2 months, Super Junior finally have their fourth album called “Beauty-Bonamana”

Bonamana

This k-pop group that includes 13 members came out on November 06, 2005 and it has been almost 5 years now. They belong to S.M entertainment which is one of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea. In recent years, K-pop has become really popular through out the world and Super Junior is the most famous one among them all.  Super Junior’s fan club called E.L.F which stands for Ever Lasting Friends is existing all around the world, and because of the effort E.L.F Super Junior’s last album sold over 300,000 copies.

Unfortunaly, Super Junior’s 4th album only have ten memebers because three are absent. But this doesn’t effect the E.L.F’s love for them. Their 4th album is coming out on May 13th, 2010 and here is the video of their new hit “Beauty”.

[youtube tSOSxwEWFA4]

K’naan-strugglin’

william
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Here’s an awesome song from a great artist!

[youtube KVyz_X9nJGQ]

Spring Music Preview No. 2

Alexander
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The weather is warming (ignore the random dumps of snow), green is beginning to return to the trees and those with allergies are making sure they have plenty of their favorite antihistamines in store. Spring is here and with it is a host of fantastic new record releases I’m very excited about. Here’s what’s coming out May 11th.

The National:
High Violet

What really gets me about this Brooklyn-based band is the voice of Matt Berninger, their lead vocalist and lyricist. He lacks range but he makes up for it in personality. His lyrics are delivered in a deep baritone, in an almost monotonous voice. While the use of the words ‘personality’ and ‘monotone’ together sounds like an oxymoron, Matt’s style is perfect for conveying the contemplative nature of his lyrics.

High Violet is the follow-up to 2007’s phenomenal Boxer, one of my favorite albums of that year.

All of High Violet is streaming over at The New York Times where you can also find a fantastic article which provides a lot of insight into the dynamics of the band and their recording process. The album is also being streamed by NPR’s previously featured First Listen. Make sure you take a listen to the first single off the record (and my favorite song so far,) Bloodbuzz, Ohio.

The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations

admin
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We just received an email from our friends at Jubilations Theatre.  Their currently running a show titled Good Vibrations and it’s getting some good reviews.  Here is the description of the show:

Wilson is 16 years old and none too pleased about having to spend yet another boring summer at his parents’ cottage. Even with his best friend Terrance along for the trip, he’s convinced the summer of ’68 will be the most uneventful in history. That is until he meets his new next door neighbor, “The California Girl”! In an instant, he’s blown off his feet by “good vibrations” and deter-mined to win her heart. To succeed in getting the girl, Wilson is convinced he must become something he’s not. Lucky for him, his best buddy is an “expert” on how to be a 100% bona fide super stud, but will it work? Angst, awkwardness, innocence and an unforgettable summer of first experiences all set to the music of one of rock & roll’s most beloved bands, The Beach Boys.

Their also running a special Matinee on Tuesday May 18th at 1:00pm.  For $35.00 you get a ticket to the show and a 3 course meal.  For more information check out http://www.jubilations.ca.

Another Poem: Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

zeeyaan
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April was Poetry month, and since it is now May, I am ending this poetry streak with one last poem. It is called Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou. This is one of Oprah Winfrey’s favorite poems. I think it is feminist, and a great poem. Read it below:

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

What do you think? Do you prefer the other poems by Robert Frost or Shel Silverstein? I feel that the other poems had a different feel and some poetry is for different audiences, but what are your thoughts?

Rock the Homestretch!

admin
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This Friday, May 14 is the deadline for our ROCK THE HOMESTRETCH contest.

The Homestretch on CBC Radio One is searching for the best teenage rock band in Southern Alberta. If you’re 18 and under and in a rock band, they want to hear from you!

GRAND PRIZE:

– day-long recording session at The Beach music studios in Calgary. You’ll walk away with a radio-ready copy of your single

– National airplay on CBC Radio 3

– an interview on CBC Radio 3 on Lisa Christiansen’s show, Appetite for Distraction

– 7-inch copy of your single, courtesy of Saved By Vinyl and Saved By Radio

– photo shoot with professional photography, David Kenney

– a spot on stage at the Sled Island festival in Calgary this summer

ADDITIONAL PRIZES: The top three bands will get to perform in front of a live audience at the Plaza Theatre in Calgary on Friday, June 4th. The show will be broadcast LIVE across Southern Alberta on CBC Radio One. At the finale show, industry judges will give the bands feedback on their sound and performance, and choose the winning band.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO ENTER THE ROCK THE HOMESTRETCH CONTEST:

1) Go to http://www.cbc.ca/homestretch/rockhs.html and read through the contest rules and regulations. You’re going to want to make sure you’re eligible for the contest before you enter!

2) After you’ve read the rules, go to http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/profile/ROCK-HS and follow the instructions on the screen. You’re going to need to create an Artist Profile on Radio 3 and upload one ORIGINAL song and a photo of your band (don’t worry if you’re band doesn’t play music from the “classic rock genre,” because we’re accepting everything under the sun: indie, rockabily, grunge, alt-rock, punk, death metal, funk, etc.)

3) Every band MUST EMAIL US to let us know that they’re OFFICIALLY entering the contest. Our email address is homestretch@cbc.ca

4) You’re email MUST include the following info:

– your band name
– the name and ages of your band members
– what school you go to
– the lyrics of the song you’ve uploaded
– a designated person, email and phone number for your band

Deadline to enter the contest is 7 p.m. THIS FRIDAY, May 14

Perspective Pt. 7: KABOOM!

TheGentlemanScholar
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1

No, silly! We’re not blowing up pictures, we’re blowing out pictures! This is probably one of the easiest things to do in a shot, simply because you only have to adjust one setting 😀

See that button just above the menu/set button in this picture?

Every camera should have a button with that little black and white logo on it somewhere. That’s the exposure compensation button. What it does is let you lighten and darken your picture to get the best colour balance. The positive end of the scale makes the picture lighter, and the negative end, darker. (+/- EV)

All it takes is turning it up to around 1.5+ EV on my camera to turn a normal picture into something striking…

Good luck, and remember: if you take a cool picture and you really want to show it off, go ahead and post it in out Flickr group!

Thomas Tank Engine

irene
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Most people may heard the name, Thomas Tank Engine.
It was being famous all the time and even now.
Now, in Heritage Park, there is festival of Thomas Tank Engine for childrens.

The Thomas tank engine stories are based on the Railway series of books written by an English clergyman, Reverend W. Andry (1911-1997). Simple wooden tannk engine train named Thomas was created in the Christmas iof 1942 to entertain the Reverend’s son, Christopher who was confined to bed with miasles. The first book, The Three Railway Engines, was published in 1945 and this book only featured Edward, Gordon and Henry. Thomas was featured in second book, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Thomas is a cheeky and fussy little engine who wears number 1 on his side who lives on the island of Sodor. He has many adventures there and is joined by many engine friends who are all have different personalities. The goal for Thomas and his friends on the island is to have good manners, be hard working and to be very useful. That was the ultimate Steam Engine praise. Also, there was an engineer who called as Sir Topham Hatt. He came to the island as the engineer but later he became a director of the railway. Today, Sir Topham is the superintendent of the railroad where Thomas and his friends live. He is very proud of running an efficient railway and he makes sure to keep Thomas and his friends in prder.

Here’s some Quizes!!! How much know about Thomas tank engine???

1. What are the names of the coaches given to Thomas for being a very useful engine?

2. Which engine usually pulls the Express Train?

3. What is the name of the Chairman of the Railway?

4. What type of engine is Toby?

5. What is the name of the helicopter?

6. What is the name of the big station and which train travels there??

7. Who thinks of himself as a Really Splendid Engine?

ANS:1.  Annie and Clarabel   2. Gordon   3. Sir Topham Hatt   4. Tram   5. Harold   6. Knapford, where the express Train travels   7. James

[youtube hw522GIskVc] [youtube Joy7JwME9bg]

My Top 10 Novels

william
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I’ve always wanted to figure out what novel is my absolute favorite, but since I’ve read so many books, I always end up with a huge list and I just can’t seem to pick my favorite. So this week I decided to compile a list of my favorite 10 novels. The list is constructed in no specific order and series only take up one spot. So here it is.

-The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, (book 3 not out yet) this series is great for teenagers even who don’t often read. It is beautifully written, suspenseful, and exciting, both guys and girls will love it.

-His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, a genius series that involves science, religion, war, and politics. This is as epic as stories get and yet it is told mostly through the eyes of children.

-World War Z by Max Brooks, a detailed story about a zombie war written in the format of a bunch of interviews. It involves every aspect of war and is the best zombie novel I’ve every read.

-I am The Messenger by Markus Zusak, great youth novel that is realistic yet remains motivational and optimistic.

-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, kind similar to with “to kill a mocking bird” but also very different and extremely original.

-Paper Towns by John Green, a very funny yet extremely deep story, one that speaks to today’s teens.

-Looking for Alaska by John Green, a serious, deep and moving story. This story says a lot about life and mortality.

-Percy Jackson and The Olympians series by Rick Riordan, interesting novel that anyone can enjoy.

-The “GONE” novels Michael grant, a great interpretation of an adultless world, exciting and suspenseful.

-The Fade by Chris Wooding, beautifully imagined world, but perhaps the most depressing novel out there, but I still really enjoy it.

And that’s the list, not much else to say except that “twilight” was not included for reasons that should be obvious

Pearson’s Big Band Dinner – Pardi Gras

lisa aka "Mangomaru"
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I love the fine arts program at my school, especially Choir. After two news articles shamelessly promoting my school’s events, I’ve realized that when you become more involved in making the best of high school experience, one’s life can never be boring, and with the end of the school year looming near, fantastic performances and opportunities are always occurring one week or another. Last week, many people were invited to spend their Friday evenings and   ticket to Pearson’s annual Un-Dinner, with this year’s theme being Pardi Gras, splendid purple, green and gold decorations transformed my school’s cafeteria to a very large and festive New Orlean’s party float, minus the huge blown up mascots and tropical dancers. The performers were none other than our Jazz band and Vocal Jazz ensemble, with guest appearances of the women’s choir.

[youtube cf2QL__rbNo]

Encouraged to sell out the event and mandatory participation from concert choir (moi), that evening was definitely a memorable and highly energetic party for me. Imagine smooth, enthusiastic music doled out onto a large dance floor, tables spread out with coloured tables in purple, gold, and green, and teenage dancers with an assortment of coloured beaded necklaces swinging from their necks, as them themselves were jiving and swinging away in a compressed crowd, bustling waitresses and waiters ( moi, as mandatory volunteering choice) trundling trays full of assorted desserts, with mouth watering variety of cheese cakes and cream puffs,  and you have only a tiny sense of the delightful atmosphere created at the Pardi Gras Dinner.

My favourite performance at the end of the night was a song sung by two Vocal Jazz members, and fellow music classmates, the title “Taylor the Latte Boy.” I reccomend watching the video clip posted, because as the personnel at the beginning of the video announcing, you’ll will definitely be smiling, and perhaps laughing at the end of the songs performed. Especially watch if you are a Starbucks fan, however, you don’t have to be to fully appreciate the hilarity and smoothness of this piece performed.

[youtube 5_TFZ-XvBsQ]

Calgary zOo.

Cindy
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This is Calgary zoo

From the closest view

All these photos were taken from the Enmax Conservatory building.

It was cold outside so we decied to stay in the building for our whole trip. =>

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