Have you ever wondered how beautiful Canada is?
Well it’s beautiful.
This is Cammore…
And my trip…
Canmore
Everywhere and anywhere
SCENICAL
Perspective Pt. 5: And Now We Wait…
This week in our Perspective series, we’re going to try to do the opposite of last week! Don’t remember what that was? Click here!
Instead of taking pictures really fast, we’re going to take them very slowly. The main use for this is most likely night shots, but I has many uses. With a little practice, you’ll be creating masterpieces like these:
Neat, eh?
The technique to a long exposure is astoundingly easy, and yet it yields such beautiful results! Here it goes:
- Make sure it’s dark out 😉
- Set up a tripod or stable surface on which to put your camera.
- Go to either Full Manual of Shutter Priority mode on your camera
- Take a picture with a 1 second shutter.
- If it’s too dark, go up to 2 seconds, and on and on, etc.
- Make sure that you’re not touching your camera when the shot is taken; set a timer before the shot.
- Experiment and have fun with it!
Happy Spring Break! – The Gentleman Scholar
Boys Like Girls, Stereos and HEDLEY, oh my!
This past Sunday, I attended my first concert ever and I must say that I was not disappointed.
The show started off with FeFe Dobson, whose opening act got the audience on their feet. She was very energetic and played a new song that was about to be released. As never having heard her music before, I was pretty impressed, as was the crowd. And her guitar player Steve definitely had some major fans!
Next was Stereos, who made an excellent stage presence, but sounded WAY different live than on their CD. My friends and I joked that they sounded like they were on helium… sad but true. Their show was very lively, nonetheless. They played “Turn It Up”, “Throw Ya Hands Up” and “She Only Likes Me When She’s Drunk”. During the intermissions, the band walked around signing autographs and enjoyed being flocked by fans.
Boys Like Girls. Opened with “Love Drunk” and closed with “The Great Escape”–my two favourite songs :D. In between, they played “Hero/Heroine” and “Two is Better Than One”. The lead singer was so into it, he even got a “boo-boo” on his forehead… “war blood” as he called it. They must have been in the midst of a different show, as they thought Faber Drive was there too, haha. Maybe he hit his head a bit too hard ;).
And of course, last but DEFINITELY not least, the crowd welcomed Hedley. They started off with a video introducing the band members as they made their trek into a cargo truck which said “to Calgary”. A sudden blast of sound, and they started singing “Cha-Ching” with the audience on their feet and screaming. A bunch of their new songs were played, including “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “Scream”, “Hands Up” and “Perfect”, complete with piano! Hedley classics like “321”, “Gunnin'” and even “Saturday” were incredible. Not only did they sound great, but their performances–an acoustic campfire skit for “Gunnin'” (complete with a glowing campfire and Boy Scouts blankets) and an Anchorman spoof leading up to “Scream”–were a great addition. To top it off, they played an unreleased song for us, which was astounding! The concert ended with everyone singing “Sweater Song” and one of the guitarists throwing his shirt into the audience.
As a concert first, I absolutely LOVED it! I would definitely go and see Hedley perform again, they put on an amazing and entertaining show. I had an awesome time 😀 ♥
Tuesday Nights British Invasion
On Tuesday evening, CYFC volunteers were treated to one of the most anticipated concerts of the year. Kids Up Front was gracious enough to donate a box suite to the volunteers of CYFC and YouthAreAwesome, and we cannot sing their praises enough. (Check out a previous post about the awesome work Kids Upfront does.) Kids Up Front provides opportunities for children and youth to attend local events such as concerts and sporting events. They were kind enough to give some youth volunteers something special, a night they won’t soon forget. That’s for sure!
When Muse’s single Uprising hit the radio, it dominated and naturally it was the song they opened with Tuesday night. The ten of us were up on our feet singing along, fists pumping in the air taking in the spectacular show. The three performers each had their own platform which raised and lowered for various songs, and at one point the drummer, Dominic Howard and bassist, Christopher Wolstenholme, performed on a revolving stage. The lighting was absolutely spectacular and is something unlike I have ever seen before, the whole ‘dome was lit up with rotating green lasers. At one point giant balloon eyeballs fell from the rafters and when they popped, there were explosions of confetti!
One of the attending volunteers, Isabella Skuplik, had to say this about the evening, ” I was so excited when they played my favourite songs, Starlight and Time is Running Out. It was brilliant! Muse is awesome and I have been raving to my friends all week about how I couldn’t wait for this. Thank you so much Kids Up Front!” Speaking of their trademark song Starlight, it was definitely a crowd favourite and the band even had the crowd singing along.
The whole CYFC crew is completely in love with Kids Up Front for giving us the opportunity to watch lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, slide all across the stage in hot red pants, singing his heart out and playing his guitar like nobody’s business. Check out these pictures some of the volunteers were able to snap…
Community Garden Fundraiser & Other Great Events
If you’re looking for something to do this Saturday, consider dropping by the Community Garden Benefit Concert at the South Calgary Community Hall. For $10 you can enjoy performances by local artists, refreshments, and a silent auction, all in the name of locally-grown food and community building.
For more local events promoting positive social change in Calgary, check out the Facebook page.
Compostable Chip Bags?!
So the other day I went out and got some chips. Feeling somewhat healthy (yeah you can’t be that healthy from eating chips), I decided to pick up a bag of SunChips. To my surprise, the bag was ridiculously loud. And I mean ridiculously. There was no way you could have been subtle while eating from that bag of chips. So I checked the label on the bag and found out something really neat about it…
It’s compostable! In just 14 weeks, it can be fully broken down! The picture below is of a bag in the process of decomposing…
Being an environmentally conscientious individual, I was quite happy to find that I could reduce the amount of garbage I produce. This caught my attention so I looked up the bag and found out that SunChips currently has a campaign out to reduce their environmental impact. In addition to compostable bags, they also have started using solar power to power their chip producing plants. I like the fact that SunChips is contributing to environmental sustainability. Yay SunChips! 🙂
(Although the bag is still ridiculously loud and annoying.)
The Best Kept Secret in Canada – Oups.
I will start off this blog by simply telling you about a summer enrichment program in Canada that strives to inspire the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in the next generation of high-potential youth: this program is known as Shad Valley.
Before your eyes start drifting away as you scan below at blocks and blocks of text, stop. Shad Valley is literally the best kept secret in Canada, and you could possibly be missing out on the greatest experience you can have in your entire high school career if you choose to ignore this amazing opportunity!
Shad’s mission statement states in short that they want to find the best, and make them better. To sum it up in my own words though: 52 amazing youth in high school across Canada, stuffed into the residence of a University for an entire month, with a whole lot of laughter, and tears (Tears? More like a waterfall, but just keep reading).
The most important part of that statement though, was those 51 other unique and amazing individuals who shared the Shad experience with me, because at the end of Shad, it’s about the people you meet, who all have inspired you to become a better person – just because it’s the Shad way.
Even though 8 months have passed since Shad, there still hasn’t been a day where I have not thought about it, or had it not affect my life in some way. My Shad program leader had said at the beginning that by the end of Shad, you would be, “a changed person forever,” and of course me being a skeptic, I didn’t believe him – and now I’m forced to eat my own words.
I’ve told you a lot so far, but I was never a telling sort of person, so I guess I will show you some of my own experiences that I had at Shad so you can see for yourself.
The most amazing things I did for Shad are hard to pin down, because I can say without a doubt that there was not a single day I had that I regretted (Although sleeping in a mosquito ridden tent during a camping weekend comes close ^_^;).
One of the first things I remember doing was spending Canada day in downtown Ottawa. Have you ever been in Ottawa for Canada Day? Because I don’t think I have ever seen so many people concentrated in one area in Canada, ever.
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution… The new Revolution
Born in the small town, Clavering, Essex, of England, Jamie Oliver is a English chef with a vision to change the way we eat. For the past decade, Jamie has launched numerous campaigns in United Kingdom raising awareness about the importance of eating healthy food. Now, he has extended his vision to change people’s habit of eating junking food in North America.
Earlier this year, he received the TED “prize wish,” and the theme of his wish is to teach American children about food, nurturing a generation who is conscious about the food they eat and in time, make Americans healthier, and help them live longer. With the passing of America’s revolutionary health care bill, Americans are hopeful about their nation’s future health. It is one thing to provide the medical care patients need; it is another to ensure all people are taking preventative measures to get out of clinics and hospitals. In his TED “prize wish” talk, Jamie showed us the staggering statistic about the cause of death of most Americans: over a quarter are caused just by heart diseases alone, and another quarter by cancer, while less than 5% are caused by homicide. Why have we only been informed about that 5% of the death? Aren’t those other 2 causes of 25%, total more than 50% of death, more preventable? Jamie believes, by having people eat more nutritious, fresh, homemade food while injecting less factory-processed junk food into our system, we can easily lower that cause of 50% of death. The statistic could not be more convincing that healthy food isn’t just a choice, it is a need.
Sadly, there are still people out there eating junk food knowing the fatality that it brings, so why have we not been eating healthier??? Why have some people resisted such positive change???
Well, this is my theory.
Paper, napkins, towels, toilet paper?!
Remember your childhood of folding paper airplanes and shooting them across the classroom, or maybe you still do now. That is origami. Origami comes from two Japanese words, ori and gami, and literally means ‘fold paper’. This is an art form that takes ordinary paper to a whole new level, but origami is not restricted to just paper. From awesome towel animals in hotel rooms, napkin swans on dinner plates, and even origami on toilet paper rolls; origami is everywhere! Not only are they creative, but also very amusing to make and play with as well.
Basically any sheet material that can fold and hold a crease can be used for origami. Check out some amazing creations folded simply from paper! One could only wonder how much time and effort that goes into each of them. My personal favourite is the big white dragon.
[youtube YCgnFIk5Acg ]Instead of reading a book, magazine or the newspaper in the washroom, why not take your toilet paper roll and fold it into something unique.
[youtube jRHU_r9LFK4 ]Whether it is paper or toilet paper, there are many origami books and tutorials on YouTube so go try some out. Happy folding! 😀
March. Yes it’s March.
Now that March is almost over, things are beginning to be wrap up.
Places that I’ve been through, things that I’ve seen are all so memorable to me. These are the things that I see, yet so hard to recapture off the top of my head. I wanted to keep them.
Some say, “there will always be a way.”
And yes, I did find a way.
PHOTOGRAPHY
I knew this could be IT
Darfur
I wrote a poem about the ongoing genocide in Darfur; let me know what you think in the comments section! If you want to learn more on what you can do to help or need more information, see 24 Hours for Darfur.
Innocence taken,
Righteousness faken,
The G-word mentioned not
the enemy will not be fought
the USA not stepping in
they don’t care if we lose or win
Discrimination, hate, and rape
Is it the people of Darfur’s fate?
How many lives must be lost?
They might gain land, but look at the cost
Everyone realizes but nobody acts
No lies, No mistake, these are the facts.
Some may have died, but the war is not over
Backward we retreat, Janjaweed blocked our way forward
Devils on horseback were their name
They’re sinking to hell, a bloody path to fame.
Churchill’s Got Talent (2)
Last time, I showed you a dance called “sorry sorry_super junior” danced by the E.L.F at the Churchill’s Got Talent contest at Sir Winston Churchill High School. This time, I’ve got two very talented singers for you to take a look at, and, amazingly, they only practiced the morning before the contest! The connection that existed between them was amazing and they both have very good voices. Hope you enjoy the song! There are two more performances to come!
[youtube foT8vlrAkEg]Like Yoga? Try Hot Yoga!
During winter break, I had done a week of hot yoga classes and found them to be so relaxing, calming, and fun. I recommend a hot yoga class to everyone! Hot yoga gives you an amazing feeling after each class. It’s perfect for getting away from everything and having some ‘you’ time. If you ever feel tense or stressed, consider taking a class. In Calgary, there are a variety of locations. Click here to find a studio close to you!
Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
Be More Chill is a novel by the author who wrote It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Ned Vizzini reminds me of John Green -another great author. I noticed a lot of
similarities in their novels, but Ned Vizzini’s novels have a more original plot.
This novel follow Jeremy, and – like most teen novels about guys – he is a social outcast. Jeremy is tormented by his peers and has only one friend. That is until one night when he hears about “the Squip”. The Squip is a fictional, edible, super computer. It enters the blood stream of the person who ingests it, then enters the person’s brain where it makes mental suggestions to the user. The Squip is as close to being “all knowing” as a computer can be. And our protagonist’s life changes when he finally gets his hand on one, but for better or for worse?
This is a great novel that I would recommend to all teen audiences. Unfortunately this novel has a very vague ending which is one of my pet peeves. Despite all that, Ned Vizzini is truly a great author and I hope to read more of his novels in the future. I give this novel a 4.5/5
Cross Country by James Patterson
Cross Country by James Patterson is a recent novel of the “Alex Cross” series. I had never read a novel from this series until I came across this one, but have heard a lot of good things about the series and of all the
novels written by James Patterson.
The first thing I really appreciate about this novel is the fact that I didn’t have to read the previous novel of this series to understand what is going on. I was able to jump right into the story without getting the feeling that I was missing something.
The novel starts with the lead character, Alex Cross, investigating brutal murders of two families in Washington D.C. one of the victims is Alex’s college sweetheart. The investigation becomes more and more personal, while more murders of similar fashion occur. This takes Alex to Africa in pursuit of the heartless killer… but things quickly turn for the worse.
This novel explores the brutality, corruption, and instability in Africa. It provides the reader with a realistic representation of certain regions of Africa, but at the same time it presents a more human perspective. When reading this novel I was constantly reminded of the movie “Blood Diamond”, the difference being that this novel more gruesomely follows a much more depressing plot.
Cross Country is an intense experience for any reader that can handle it, but I believe that it’s intended for readers above the age of 14. This is another great novel and I give it a 4.5/5.