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Perspective Pt. 6: Creating on the Fly

TheGentlemanScholar
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To start off, I’d like to express my disappointment at the turnout for the photography contest. Aside from one of my friends and myself that entered, there was only ONE other entry. Sadly, this means the contest is over. You can all feel free to post to the Flickr group at any time if you like, and stand-out photos may be featured in a post, but there is no longer a posting limit or specific topic.

On a happier note, congratulations to user cmmcn, who won this contest with this picture:

By cmmcn(If this is you, please check your Flickr inbox!)

For this week’s topic, I thought I’d try out a neat little app for the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, made by architecture and design giant Autodesk, called Sketchbook. After using it for a while, I am very pleased with how it works, and decided it’s worth the review, even if it isn’t strictly related to photography.

Opening Screen

The first thing you’ll notice about it is that it’s a very professional app. Even the icon is formal.

Yes, I spend way too much on apps...

After the title screen, there’s not much to see. You are literally presented with a blank slate, save for one all-important button at the bottom.

From this button, you have full access to any drawing and editing tools you may want: from transform tools to brushes to colour pickers, they’re all under that one button.

To start a project, just choose a brush…

… Choose a colour…

… and away you go!

To check out the full-featured app, click here.

To get the free version, click here.

Happy doodling!

blue.sky.

Cindy
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If you are feeling down

Then please look up

Into the sky

Into the blue

The sun shines

Towards you

But so are you

Shining towards the sun

Youth Week is Coming Soon!!!

YouthWeek
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Basketballll!!!

 I am so excited for the Youth Week events starting this weekend!  I hope you guys have been checking out all the cool events that are coming up pretty soon. If you’re into basketball and the NBA or WNBA, make sure you go check out Hoops Extreme! which starts  TODAY (6-10pm) and continues on Saturday April 24th (12pm-8pm) at Bishop McNally High School. Register your team of 3 for a 3 on 3 competition against other good bball players. If you’re not good at basketball, you can come watch. What a great event to go along with the basketball playoffs. Thanks to YMCA for pulling this off!

The Final Stretch: 1 — It’s Striking!

eva
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Do you remember the track and field unit in gym class? You know how you’re supposed to try your hardest during that last part of a race or so to cross that finish line? Well, I’m here to tell you that isn’t the case for senior year (grade 12)!

Grade 12 is more commonly known as senior year down in the states than here in Canada, but I assure you, senioritis still exists! (And no, that isn’t actually a serious illness.)

Senioritis!

Senioritis is when students display a lack of effort or motivation towards their studies in their final year, whether it be in high school, university/college or graduate school. You probably wouldn’t think that is the case, since grade 12 is the year when your marks really matter for post-secondary (your other marks are important too though!). But recently, my friends and I have really experienced senioritis.

Whether it’s because of the nice weather we’ve been having here in Calgary, because of all the talk about graduation or otherwise, it’s a serious issue! If senioritis strikes you hard enough, your marks might start slipping due to your lack of studying or your attendence record starts to suffer due to the fact you may start skipping classes (skipping classes tends to lower your marks in general since you miss out on things…don’t skip!). If things get really bad, the post-secondary institutions who extended an offer of admission to you just might take them back! Scary thought much…

According to Wikipedia, the thought that “only students that take advanced placement classes are the ones affected by senioritis” is a common misconception! I’m not entirely sure why that would be the case though. I can assure you that amongst my friends, both students taking normal classes and IB classes have been afflicted. =P

Anyways, in a nutshell, I’ve been taking  advantage of the good weather and staying out later than I should have in the sun…which doesn’t help since the sun sets rather late in Calgary now. I can’t wait for summer… ♥

In next week’s post, I’ll hopefully be able to let those of you in senior year know how you can deal with senioritis if you’ve been feeling the effects of it too. This post is to just get the word out about this (oh-so-serious crippling) disease! Between now and then, try your best to work hard! =]

Happy Earth Day!

Sarah K
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I posted previously about a number of events going on throughout Calgary to honour Earth Day. Well, today’s the day, and while you’re out hugging trees you may as well take advantage of these other cool happenings as well.

Higher Ground, an awesome café I’ve also blogged, is offering free coffee (or tea) for anyone who brings in a reusable travel mug, and will be selling their own travel mugs for nearly half-off. They’re also participating in the David Suzuki Foundation “Earth Week Book Swap” and will have a table set up from 6PM-8PM for anyone wanting to leave a book and take a book, and free coffee and tea for those who participate. Finally, as it’s a Thursday, they will be having their third Vegetarian Night of this month. Part of the menu tonight: “Pumpkin cake with chocolate-hazelnut ganache & organic cinnamon coffee sauce”. If that doesn’t get your mouth watering..

In any case, enjoy your day and your surroundings, and take it upon yourself to show the trees some love.

Everything You Need To Know From: Hopeless Romantic Jel

jessica
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HRJLast Friday (April 16th to be exact), Hopeless Romantic Jel released his CD, “Angel’s Touch” and celebrated with a CD release at The House Coffee Sanctuary. I was fortunate to be able to be part of the large crowd that had packed themselves into the very warm coffee shop for a night of local talent; all organized by Jel Gonzales. The night opened with performances by friends including Brandon Wight, Victoria Noelle and Francis Catolos with Travis Presbitero and even a mashup of childhood television theme songs by Andrew Lumapas (a mashup I soon won’t forget). HRJ opened his performance with a cover of Jay Sean’s radio hit Down ft. Lil Wayne. But before the stage beckoned him, I took HRJ outside for a breath of fresh air instead of the stuffy air in the coffee house and snuck in a few questions of course.

YAA: How did you record your cd?

HRJ: During open mic a lot of people were jamming and one of my friends came up to me and said hey I have a recording studio if you want to record with us and make a cd, give us a call. So I called him up and we recorded some songs and he helped me fix the volumes and stuff.

YAA: What do you mostly write your music about?

HRJ: Love obviously. Hence the name, Hopeless Romantic Jel; my friend called me that one day and I thought hey that works. Haha. Basically just teen crushes.

YAA: When did you first start playing music?

HRJ: When I moved to the US in 2005; I wrote my first song about a girl.

YAA: On a scale of one to ten how nervous are you?

HRJ: Is it possible to go to a 100? Or times that by ten? Haha. I don’t have butterflies in my stomach, they are more like cheetah’s running around like crazy.

YAA: Why did you decide to incorporate your friends tonight with the show?

HRJ: Cause they always want to perform at open mics and they never get the chance too. I thought hey I’ll give them a chance to perform with me, and it makes me more comfortable to have them performing because they are one of my main inspirations to keep going with music.

YAA: Have you played a lot of open mic nights at The House?

HRJ: I’ve played open mics for 4 years and now I’m one of the co-hosts during the Thursday night open mics.

YAA: What is your favourite type of cheese?

HRJ: All kinds. I once mixed them all together in a sandwich it was delicious. Best sandwich of my life. It was just cheese, a grilled cheese sandwich.

If you want to check out Hopeless Romantic Jel your best bet is to swing by The House, Thursday nights for Open Mic Night. And now you know everything about Hopeless Romantic Jel.
HRJ Music

SE S500i vs LG KF350

eva
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Over spring break, yours truly managed to break her phone! It was actually quite a funny story of how it happened, but I’ll spare you the details. I am still rather upset about it though…but thankfully, my friend had a spare one! Hurray for not being phoneless! Proud phone/text addict right here… =]

So since I’m not quite over the loss of my phone (trust me, I was so attached to it…I think I even named it Simba), I decided to write a review of sorts for my ex-phone (RIP) and the borrowed phone I’ve been using for the past few weeks. I’ll base it on four categories (or just the functions I use on a phone), but since I’ve only been using this new phone for a few weeks, my knowledge is rather limited…so my disclaimer for any bias you may find about these phones is right here! ; )

First off, the SE S500i is a Sony Ericsson phone. As far as I know, it was never widely released in North America (I got mine in Taiwan). The LG KF350, also know as the Ice Cream phone, is a flip phone from LG. Yes, both do come off as rather feminine (the Ice Cream especially with its soft colours), but they’re pretty neat.

Next, photos/random info for both!

SE S500i Purple

SE S500i Ice Purple

So as you may or may not have noticed, the S500i phones are slider phones. They were not designed with a particular function in mind, like the Walkman for music or the Cybershot for photos. It was just meant to be an overall average phone that looks pretty spiffy (and awesome). And yes, it does look very similar to the Walkman series, but I definitely prefer the layout of the keys (and the colour choices) on this series over the Walkman ones.

Continue

‘lettuce sandwich and make my bun wheat’

alice
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Fast food; convenient, cheap and pretty delicious, what’s there not to like? Spring break has ended and the routine of going to these places for lunch and after school continues. As a student myself I know how appealing fast food restaurants are. After some time away from the burgers and fries I decided to treat myself to some and my body did not feel too great after. Later some quick nutrition research (yay Google) I was shocked at what I had been feeding my body all this time.

Keeping the burger simple with no ‘double’, added bacon or cheese, and reasonable choices people would usually make–let the battle of burgers begin! Think the Big Mac from McDonalds is bad with 540 calories? Think again. The Angus Burger from McDonalds and Mozza Burger from A&W both win it with 600 calories and 39g of fat. But beating them all with the 730 calories, 47g of fat and 1400mg of sodium is the DQ quarter pounder Flame Thrower Burger. Ladies and gentleman we have a winner.

[youtube nWTYyx6PLZY ]

Now with the nice weather what great time for ice cream treats? The small chocolate milkshake from A&W is loaded with 127g of sugar! A small Oreo McFlurry contains 500 calories and small DQ Oreo Blizzard contains 630 calories. On the bright side, it is 35% of your daily calcium intake.

What do you get at Arby’s? Why their famous curly fries of course! I usually get a regular size of the curly fries which has 540 calories and 1230mg of sodium. Mmm, next time the small size?

Don’t be fooled, the ‘healthier’ choice on the menu may not be healthier for you. The sneaky add-ons and salad dressings can all add up! Without the dressing the Mighty Caesar entrée salad at McDonald with chicken has 410 calories with a lovely addition of 1190mg of sodium.

So occasionally indulge in these foods but keep in mind what exactly you are putting in your body. Check out the nutrition value on their website or some fast food chains have them printed on the other side of the menu.

Love yourself. Be kind to your body.

eU: Ep3 – youngest solo sailor in the making

Bo
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Jessica WatsonJessica Watson is taking on the challenge of the many sailors before her, to sail solo, non-stop, unassisted across the world’s oceans. She is not the first youth to sail across the world, in fact, there are numerous other sailors such as Zac Sunderland and Michael Perham who sailed before they turned 18. Jessica is going one step further, by doing the challenging sail earlier and longer than the sailors before her. She is planning on finishing her sail sometimes mid-May this year. I’ll keep you updated.

Here is her awesome journey so far:

Watson sailed out of Sydney Harbour on 18 October, 2009

On 13 January 2010 she passed Cape Horn, having sailed around 9,800 nm in 87 days. This was 11 days ahead of the planned 100 nm per day schedule. Soon after her parents flew over her in a small plane in order to witness the passage.

On 23 January 2010, several days after passing the Falkland Islands, she suffered four knock-downs in a severe storm with 10-metre waves and 70-knot winds. The storm caused minor damage to her boat and her emergency beacon was accidentally activated as the mast hit the water.

On 25 January 2010, her 100th day at sea, she passed the halfway point on her voyage, 11,500 nm based on the original calculation of 23,000 nm sailing route.

On 15 February 2010, she crossed the Prime Meridian, crossing from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere.

On February 24, Watson passed the Cape of Good Hope and reached Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa, crossing from the Atlantic Ocean into the Indian Ocean.

From southern Africa, Watson sailed more than 5000nm towards Western Australia.

On 10 April, Watson arrived to the Australian economic zone. There her parents and media flew over her in a small plane in order to welcome her.

On 12 April, Watson passed Cape Leeuwin in southwestern Australia. She has approximately 2,500nm remaining as she sails south of Tasmania and returns to Sydney to complete her circumnavigation.

She is expected to complete her journey early May, well ahead of schedule, and shortly before her seventeenth birthday.

To learn about Jessica, visit her website.

Youth Week Calgary 2010

kaitlin
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Have you heard about Youth Week?

[youtube vtSYeZk08iM]

Youth Week is based on an international initiative meant to celebrate…well YOU (or, in more formal terms: youth empowerment, achievement and involvement throughout the year). 

From April 24 – May 2, 2010, different businesses, agencies and organizations around Calgary come together to host events, projects and offer free services during a week long celebration of youth.  There’s tons of events – we’re talking youth nights, concerts, sports tournaments, and tons more – happening during Youth Week that are super cheap or free.  Plus, word on the street is that you can win cool prizes at many of the events.

Want to know more?  Look up or to the side – Youth Week’s online home is on YouthAreAwesome.com!  Go to the Youth Week page to check out all the events that you can go to and other cool things happening during the week.  New events will be added almost every day leading up to Youth Week, so make sure to check back often!

Poverty and Hunger

kaiz
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Hey everyone,

I’ve decided to continue on this poem streak with some other poems, this time not written by me. My friend Alex Dias from Newfoundland puts together some pretty sick rhymes, so I’ve decided to feature him on YAA!

To find more information about poverty and hunger, especially in Africa, click here.

Born in a refugee camp,
Torrential ruins, suffocating and damp,
A small child newly born,
Raised on minimal corn.

Right out of the crib,
Malnutrition has caused withdrawn ribs,
Wracked by surroundinmg death and disease,
Grimly stolen, the mother, seized.

Now his fate lay in others’ hands,
A small brick in a wall so grand,
Nonetheless, death of an innocent child,
Thrust into a greedy world, ruthless and wild.

Without our help, death is inevitable,
While the developed countries live in a fable,
Conveniently ignoring the death around,
The ipods, tv, facebook keeps us all bound.

Satisfaction from one life saved,
Outweighs our needless product waves,
So help once, and live in satisfaction,
For thou hath lengthened God’s innocent creation.

By Alex Dias

Churchill’s Got Talent (4)

katty
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This is the last post of this series and this one is really good! This chinese boy who has an amazing voice performed Vitas “dedication” and if anyone likes Vitas they would knew he’s famous for his incredible high dolphin songs. Dolphin songs are really hard to reach and this boy did an excellent job on it. For sure he won most of the cheering. Isn’t he amazing or what?

[youtube -GVVjxXcqrM]

Poetry Moment: Robert Frost’s Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

zeeyaan
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Right now in Language Arts at school I’m learning about poetry. Robert Frost is an a great poet and I’ve read a few of his poems. This post, I want to share one his poems with you. Take a look below to read the poem:

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

1923

What do you think of his poem? Do you like it?

5 random things to do in your spare time

clerissa
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Spending your nights bored? Can’t think of anything to do? Here’s some awesome activites that you could take part in to fill some of your spare time! 🙂

1. Learn a new instrument— whether it is at school with band or with an instructor, learning a new instrument is an awesome way to spend your free time and then you can show off your new skills to your family and friends!! If you dont have the money to spend the big bucks at a guitar studio or store for lessons, then see if you have a friend or someone at your school that knows how to play and that might teach you for free or even for really cheap! You could save a lot of money, but make sure that they are serious about it or its all a waste!

2. Start a sport— Whatever your into whether it be hockey, soccer, tennis, rugby, track and field, swimming.. etc. sports are a great way to stay fit and keep you occupied! You can play on sport teams with your school, or look up clubs in your community.

3. Volunteer— If your the type that wants to spend their time helping others but doesnt know where to start, there are plenty of places to find volunteer oportunities, for all different types of people! First place to look is usually the volunteer website for your city for example Volunteer Calgary… where you can find many different types of opportunities in your city. Or if you even wanted to volunteer Internationally something you might find interesting would be Habitat for humanity, which offers many programs most to do with building houses for people all over the world.

4. Learn a new recipe— if you are the cooking or baking type and you feel like trying something new, google something youve always wanted to try or go through your recipe book to see if there is anything interesting. Take a stab at cooking or baking it and maybe invite some friends over to have dinner 🙂

5. Photograph Scavenger Hunt— set up a scavenger hunt in your community or with a group of friends. Take pictures of an object and on the back write a sentence giving a clue to where it might be. Spend a day or an afternoon  with your friends hunting for the clues and even have a prize for the winner!!

Any other ideas on things to do with your spare time?

Young Blood’s Week–Save a Life!!!

YouthWeek
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That’s right, guys! You have the chance to save a persons life–in fact, you can save three people’s lives. People suffering from cancer or car accidents are depending on blood from donors. Think about it: one hour of your time can add years to another person’s life. The CBS Youth Week Event is called Young Blood’s Week. It takes place between April 24th and May 7th. Be sure to check it out!

If you are 17 or older, you can donate blood now. Check out the video posted below for some information about donating blood. The Canadian Blood Services building is located at 737 13th Avenue SW. If that seems too far, don’t worry. They have lifebuses to take people to the clinic.

[youtube c0pW1asT-tY]

P.S. Keep checking back for another awesome and informative video that virtually takes you through the entire process of donating blood.

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