The Nutcracker (Personal Additions #30)

Friday night my cousin, my aunt, my mom and I were able to see The Royal Winnipeg Ballet perform The Nutcracker. This ballet is a classic Christmas story about a young girl, Clara who receives a Nutcracker for Christmas. The ballet continues in her dream as the nutcracker comes to life as a handsome prince and they fall in love.

I really enjoyed the show personally, I could see how for people who aren't familiar with ballet to find it repetitive but I was able to really appreciate the artistry and physical abilities of the dancers.

It was an amazing show that was truly inspiring to all performers! Well done RWB! 

http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/images/Snowfalke%20Dance%202012%202%20Bruce%20Monk%20620.jpg http://wfpquantum.s3.amazonaws.com/images/photostore/large/16250901.jpg
http://www.rwb.org/photography/mice3.jpg
http://www.straight.com/files/styles/popup/public/files/images/wide/ART_Goh_Nutcracker_2296.jpg

Daily Grace (Personal Addition #29)

I don't keep myself updated on a lot of Youtube Channels, however one that I really enjoy is Daily Grace. She posts videos 5 times a week on various topics. Everyday of the week she has a different theme. My personal favourite is Thursday because she teaches you how to do something. In this particular video she teaches you how to listen to Taylor Swifts song Trouble in a new way.  Hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1imoz980J40

New York City gifs (Personal Addition #28)

It has always been a dream of mine to travel to New York City.  Much like how I feel about Toronto I believe there is such an energy there that you can't compete with. Also, as a performer myself, the variety of opportunities to see different shows would be so amazing. I came across these gifs by Jamie Beck of New York City that reminded me again of why I would love to travel there. The fact that these pieces of art are gifs rather than still pictures makes me love them even more. Since they are gifs they show movement which one of the main factors that contribute to the energy of a metropolitan city.  I instantly fell in love with these gifs and hopefully one day my dream will come true and I'll have the privilege to visit New York City.

http://thewondrous.com/miraculously-amazing-new-york-cinemagraphs-by-jamie-beck/

Christmas 6 word memoir (Personal addition #27)

In my community, December is a month filled with anticipation. All in preparation for the 25th, Christmas Day. So many advertisements and decorations are put up just for that one month to prepare for the joyful exchanging of gifts that most people participate in. The thing about Christmas I find so funny, is the fact that after Christmas Day, everything stops. We live in this holiday facade and no matter how the day goes on the 25th, it's over on the 26th. My brother and I were talking about it today, saying for the whole month of December, having a Christmas tree in your house is so exciting and then after the big day the tree seems merely a waste of space. Christmas Day is so worked up in our minds and by media that the actual day is... kind of a letdown. Don't get me wrong though, Christmas is always a good time to spend with family and celebrate the joy in our lives. It just seems though that Christmas is much more worked up than needed. 

That's why I wrote this memoir, "and just like that, it's over." because I thought it was a good summary of how I (and probably lots of people) are feeling now that Christmas is over. I chose a comma for punctuation because I thought it was a good break in the phase. It gets you thinking of what "all that" is around christmastime. I chose the period at the end because it makes sense as Christmas is over and so is the idea of the phrase. The font and colour were more practical decisions, as the font is thick enough and the colour bright enough to clearly read the words. The picture I chose was of my Christmas tree because that's what gave me the motive of writing this memoir due how my brother and I feel about our Christmas tree right now. 

Uplifting Story (Personal Addition #26)

Tis' the season to be jolly! And what could be more jolly than hearing a tale of people doing good things for others? While on Stumblupon, I saw this article about a stray dog finding a home. As a dog lover myself, was instantly hooked the second I read the title. This is the story of a golden retriever named Bran, who lived on the street for 3 months and then finally found a loving home. 

Meet Bran!

Read his whole story at http://www.rsvlts.com/2013/12/18/bran-the-dog-rescued/

Grooveshark (Personal Addition #25)

If you're like me, you are constantly listening to new music and get easily bored with what's already on your iPod or computer. That's why there's a great website called Grooveshark, where you can add multiple songs to a queue and listen away! It's a great way to have constant music on, instead of going song by song on youtube. Give it a try at http://grooveshark.com/#!/ or get the app!

http://2a56b976980e0793ddee-5cc5435fcbc367bb03f9a415e7067a97.r91.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Groovesharklogo.png

Ammonia (Personal Addition #24)

One of my favourite parts about musical theatre is the edgy contents of some of the songs. This song, Ammonia is a great example. Written by Joe Iconis, this song is about a married woman who feels trapped in the mundane routine of her life and what she does to find alleviation. I found this song during the summer and automatically fell in love with it and learnt all the lyrics.

Performed by one of my favourite Broadway actresses, Krysta Rodriguez at Broadway Stands up for Freedom 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuZkV9MhGyw

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Personal Addition #23)

I figured for this personal addition I'd talk about one of my favourite blogs, a sing along blog to be exact. Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is a movie written by Joss Whedon and Jed Whedon during the writers strike of 2007-2008. The goal was to write something that could be professionally done yet inexpensive while the strike was going on. The movie is about 45 minutes long and is about Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) trying to make it into the "Evil league of Evil". It shows the lengths that he will go to make it into this league while still trying to win over the girl (Felicia Day).

You can watch the full movie on Youtube at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5vZjRfAno

Shrek the musical (Personal Addition #22)

At the beginning of the month our school put on a production of Shrek the Musical. I was in it and lucky enough to receive the part of Princess Fiona. The musical follows the classic Dreamworks cartoon movie with the music written by Jeanine Tesori and the book/lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire.  I really had a blast putting this show on because it was a real audience pleaser and was suitable for all ages. Plus, our amazing cast became one big family and we were able to play off each other on and off stage. I have participated in all of the musicals throughout my high school career, but this one is definitely a highlight!

This is the trailer from the production in London to show what the show is all about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdulPHjKSz4

Here's a collage of our school's Production

Photo cred: Madelaine Lapointe

Check out more of Maddy's photos at: http://madelainelapointe.blogspot.ca/

Creative Emergency Kit (Personal Addition #21)

A few weeks ago I went to go see my brother's play for is Honours class, "The Killing Game". And as I was standing in the lobby of the Gas Station Theatre, I noticed this piece of art (That's actually on sale!" called an "Art Emergency Kit". This one is specific to women, but it's the concept that I found really intriguing. Everyone has gone through creative droughts so this is the perfect kit to help you get back on track. This kit includes some wine, lipstick, chocolate, band-aids, ear plugs an iPod and much more. This just made me chuckle because I use quite a few of these things if ever I need a creative pick me up.

What do you use when you are going through a creativity drought?

This artwork is credited to: Alerry Lavitt Carpentry by David J. Lane

My Logbook (Personal Addition #20)

Over the past month, I have been keeping track of everything I've done and made it into a book. Looking through it now, it's cool to see what I've been up to over the course of a month. I find it interesting to look back on some days where I had several activities going on versus some days where I only had a couple things to do. A couple challenges I encountered while making my logbook was pictures, if you were to look through every page, you'd find some days there are no drawings and some days there are lots. That probably had to do with whether I was busy or not and had time to come up with mini doodles for each activity. Another challenge I faced was deciding whether an activity was significant enough to add. Lots of my life is spent working on projects or practising for a performance of some kind. Things like that that are routine and daily I often did not add. Also whether I was practising piano or doing calculations for chem I added that in as "homework". I just found it was simpler than actually specifying what I was working on at which points in time of the day. 

This also got my thinking, wouldn't it be really cool to make another logbook in a few years time and when it's done compare it to this one? It's amazing how on a day to day basis you don't notice a lot of changes that happen in your life but they drastically change the activities you participate in. I think I will have to do that, just to compare my current life to my future life. 

Anna Netrebko (Personal Addition #19)

On Friday at my voice lesson, my teacher told me to look up a soprano named Anna Netrebko, and I was sure glad I did!

Here's a video of Anna Netrebko singing O mia babbino caro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0diDwHtATw

Notice how as she sings every note so effortlessly? It feels like every note she sings is from the same place because she has just such good technique. She is quite the singer and is a newfound celebrity to me. Watching her sing gives me so much inspiration to work hard at how I sing now so one day perhaps I could sound something like her. 

Eavesdropping write-up

For this assignment, my friend Maddy and I had to go around the school to eavesdrop on other peoples conversations. We went around the hallways of our school to try and pick up on some of the daily conversations that people were taking part in and came across some pretty strange topics!

1. Talk about the process of eavesdropping: 

a. Where did you go?

We went in the hallways of our school because all the kids that skip class have fairly weird conversations.

b. How long did you listen to conversation?

We listened to about two minutes of each conversation (before they found us suspicious).

c. Who was it between?

Most of the conversations were between about two guys and one girl.

d. How did it feel to be recording the conversation?

We felt like undercover spies!

2. What insights did you gain about the way people speak? 

We listened to two groups containing a couple boys and a girl and another group containing a couple girls. We noticed during the conversations with the boys and girls that most guys are willing to start conversation with girls ( knowing the girl will continue the conversation). They will continue talking even if they aren't interested in the topic. It was funny to see how the guys quickly lost interest but pretended to listen. The difference between the all girls conversation was that sentences were more cut off and it was more fast paced.

3. How can you apply this to your writing?

What we noticed is very typical to conversations between girls and guys. The conversation is slower and the girl is the main focus. Conversation between a group of girls is faster and harder to keep track of the topic because the topic is always changing. ( I now understand why guys tune us out!)

4. How is personality and character revealed through conversation/dialogue? 

We noticed that your personality can be portrayed through the choice of wording you use and how intense your tone is. For example, these two girls were talking about their love for music and you could tell the one girl was a little more tough than the other girl. She was swearing while describing how much she loved music and how she HAAAD to pick up some new beats to have a deeper experience with her music. The other girl was a little more gentle with her words and seemed happier. This reflects their characters as people with only a few words.

5. What happens when more than two people participate in a conversation?

When more than two people participate in conversation, we noticed sentences aren't always finished. The more people there are, the more other people begin to interrupt or add in on conversation. We also noticed that the more people in conversation, the more the topic can change because new ideas are being brought up. Between two or more girls the conversation is harder to follow, but when there is a guy and a girl the guy usually ends up listening.

6. What was the most surprising thing you've learned about the way people converse?

I suppose one thing that really surprised us was that people (high school students specifically) can have long conversations about the most random, general topics. Ones we heard today were music and socks. We know that sometimes we're like this as well when we converse with people, but that just goes to show that as teenagers, we don’t always have a whole lot of interesting topics to talk about on a daily basis. Especially since we talk to the same people everyday. Conversations begin to resort into talking about random things such as socks. (Believe us... they talked for a good 10 minutes about their socks!)

7. What are the differences and similarities between written and spoken conversations?

In our opinion, the biggest difference between written and spoken conversations are that most written conversations are not only more planned out, but have more of a purpose. I know that lots of the things we say do not always have a purpose and sometimes it’s just about the experience of interacting with another person. Usually in a story or wherever else you’ll find written conversation, the author will omit conversations that do not further develop the character or plot of the story. However in spoken conversations in life, one cannot simply omit a useless conversation. Also in a spoken conversation there is more of a visual aspect because you can see the person actually talking and read their body language.

dialogue picture

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/post/20902086011/465

"Well, would you look at that," Randy said, as he held his camera to his eye.

"I still don't see what's so interesting about a few rocks,"Sandy said.

The two of them had been walking all day, outside under the hot sun. The only thing Sandy wanted to do on her vacation was wander around the air-conditioned resort. But Randy wanted otherwise. 

"It's a magnificent testament to human power!" Randy exclaimed, "Or at least that's what the book says."

"You and that book," Sandy said under her breath as she held her head in her hands. She didn't see the need in beginning an argument. She was way too tired.

"Why don't we go back and have some dinner at the resort?" Sandy suggested. 

"Maybe in a while," Randy said, "Why don't we explore this trail some more?"

"Alright, fine, but were going to go eat after this," Sandy agreed reluctantly. 

Three hikes later nothing had changed. Randy found interest in every hike under the hot sun and Sandy trailed slowly behind him. All she wanted to do was go back and rest her swollen feet. 

"There's nothing like a good old hike!" Randy said. Whether it was due to her swollen feet of dehydration, Sandy finally exclaimed,

"I WANT TO GO BACK!"

Randy looked puzzled, but replied, "Alright, we can do whatever you want! This trip is all about you!"

And the two of them made their way back to the air-conditioned resort. 

        = Dialogue

        = Non-verbal body language 

Imagery paragraph

The Fault in our Stars

John Green

Pages 18 & 19

I glanced around and saw that a tall, curvy brunette girl had Isaac pinned against the stone wall of the church, kissing him rather aggressively. They were close enough to me that I could hear the weird kissing noises of their mouths together and I could hear him saying “Always” and her saying “Always” in return.          

___

His hand reached for her boob over her shirt and pawed at it, his palm still while his fingers moved around. I wondered if that felt good.

    = Visual

    = Auditory

 __= Kinesthetic 

1. I chose this passage as an example of imagery because I thought it had multiple types of imagery. They all add descriptive aspects and you are really able to mentally visualize being there when Isaac and Monica are kissing. It creates a very awkward position for the reader and obviously for Hazel, the narrator. 

2. I feel as though visual imagery is most commonly used in this passage. There are two examples, when Hazel describes what the girl looks like and how they are kissing. This passage also paints a vivid image when Isaac is feeling Monica up. These are both two very effective examples of visual imagery.

3. I think the best snippet of imagery in this passage is: " Isaac pinned against the stone wall of the church, kissing him rather aggressively." Which is an example of visual imagery. I feel like the key words that make this so effective is "kissing him rather aggressively". This is very descriptive and allows the reader to imagine two teenagers making out and it being a very awkward moment for those standing by. 

4. I don't know if I could call this imagery positive or negative, I'd say it's more a neutral description of what's going on. I feel that this is representative of how Hazel feels at this moment. She isn't extremely disgusted as perhaps an older, more mature narrator would be, but it's not like she is enjoying the scene she is witnessing either. The narrator's tone toward this scene is very unprejudiced; not specifically negative or positive.

5. The mood that is being created throughout this passage is that they are creating a very awkward moment. Even if Hazel's tone is neutral in this passage, us as readers are feeling as though we just walked into something we shouldn't be seeing. An example of how this happens is the sentence: "I could hear the weird kissing noises of their mouths together." This shows us, as readers, a very uncomfortable position, as this isn't something that anyone wants to watch or hear.

6. I feel like the purpose of this imagery is to show the very classic depiction of teenage hood. The reason that this is being portrayed is because this classic scenario is not something that the main character, Hazel participates in. Her life is very different, living with cancer, and even though this is a very awkward scene for most of us as readers, Hazel looks at it almost with longing. The only thing she wants is just to be a regular teenager; to partake in regular, normal teenage activities (much like making out with people in public places) but can't due to her physical health. 

dialogue picture

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/post/61377693601/763-dorothy-vs-alice-update-the-image-is-by

Holiday Spirit (Personal Addition #18)

With the snow falling, it seems as though winter is in full swing. And nothing says winter and the holiday season like the classic Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is You. 

Here's  a quick way to get into the Holiday Spirit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

Mars bars Rice Krispie cakes (Personal Addition #17)

Needing a quick and easy dessert recipe? Then this is perfect for you! Mars bars Rice Krispies are very easy to make and only require a few ingredients. Although the best part is that they only takes 10 minutes!

Here's what you'll need:

-2 cups of Rice Krispies

-4 Mars bars

-1/2 cup of butter

-1 cup of choclate chips

-8x8 pan

Step 1:

Melt butter and mars bars in a frying pan on medium-low heat. 

Step 2:

Once melted, take the frying pan off the element and add the Rice Krispies.

Step 3:

Put the mixture in an 8x8 pan.

Step 4:

Top it off with the chocolate chips and put it the oven on broil for 30 seconds. 

Step 5:

Spred the melted chocolate and place it in the fridge. 

Step 6: 

Let it cool, and there you have it! Simple and delicious squares for everyone to enjoy!


Find this recipe at: http://www.food.com/recipe/mars-bars-rice-krispies-squares-no-bake-72608
And find many more delicious recipes at: http://www.food.com

Imagery- Island

Finally I was released from the bumpy basement of the boat and the power of the sun engulfed me. The beaming rays of the sun had never made me feel so overwhelmed before. It just kept shining down on me, punishing me with it's heat. Even though I didn't know where I was, the smell of sulphur reminded me of the vacations I had taken in my former life. I kept reliving the times I had spent on the beach, drinking tart margaritas while basking in the sun. The wind was faint, so I could hear the crashes of the waves bursting onto the island. As I listened, the calming effect they had had on me in the past was called to mind. But not anymore. Everything has changed.

http://www.frasercheam.com/2010/09/picture-of-week-fraser-river-island.html

Quickwrite- Candy

file:///C:/Users/t.wichenko/Desktop/tumblr_mcqg42itxN1qee12to2_1280.png

Halloween is a time that every candy bar hopes they are able to experience. Their whole life is spent getting ready for that one day. It all begins the day they are born. They are made in a factory where they are only with the same kind of candy bar. Then one day they are separated and put into boxes with a variety of different kinds of candy. This is a sad day, because they are leaving their family, but they realize that this is a necessity so they can soon bring joy to people. They spend a lot of time in the box getting to know all the other candy bars in the box and hearing their stories. Then finally, the big day has arrived, their box gets opened and one by one each get chosen to be given out to kids going trick or treating. They are graciously put in a bag which now holds even more of a variety of candy. Oh the stories each piece of candy hears! Then after they ride in the bumpy bag for a few hours the candy finally gets placed in a home. Then, one by one the candies get picked over and are finally eaten by a person. The pieces of candy are very happy to finally have fulfilled their life long purpose to be eaten. It is a good day for all.

Quickwrites-Minions

I would love to have a set of minions for a week. I would use my minions to be the chorus in a musical I would star in. Not sure which musical, maybe The Wizard of Oz so they could be Munchkins! It would be a busy week, learning everything and then performing. When the minions and I are not rehearsing we would just hangout and have parties. My week with minions would be a fun, and busy week.

\

file:///C:/Users/t.wichenko/Desktop/tumblr_mvjte4E1se1rpb27ao1_1280.png

Point of View Tweets

The Fault in our Stars

John Green

Page:153

http://blog.yellowdoggdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/twitter-logo.jpg

Newspaper Blackout Poetry

A trio of poems on the theme of Deceit.

The words aren't visible, so here's what they say.

My Life Story: An eventful life is a false life.

Shift: I've lived my life ready to soak it all in. Then it was all forged.

Players: flirting with her, avoiding his wife despite its best efforts, not good enough to win her over.

WIMIUL (Personal Addition #16)

I'm not going to lie, I had some difficulties trying to think of something to talk about for this weeks personal additions. My brother Hugh, told me I should advertise his mens ultimate league he's playing in. So I decided I would do just that. 

WIMIUL (Winnipeg Invitational Mens Indoor Ultimate League) is exactly how the name describes it as. They play every Thursday night at the University of Manitoba soccer complex. Game times start anywhere from 8:45pm to 10:45pm.

If you are at all interested in Ultimate, it would be very worth your while to watch some games!

Check out WIMIUL on Facebook, Twitter, and watch the game of the week videos on Youtube!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WIMIUL
Twitter: .https://twitter.com/WIMIUL
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3zk8nz25ZPbxDshPvoiNmQ/feed

Remembrance Day (Personal Addition #15)

Remembrance Day is a very important day for all citizens of Canada. This is when we remember and appreciate those who are or have served in the Canadian Forces. We thank them for risking their lives to make Canada a free country and remember them and their families. Attending a Remembrance Day service or even wearing a poppy is a great way to show that the lives of the soldiers will never be forgotten.

http://smartcanucks.ca/remembrance-day-november-11th-2012/

Lest We Forget

Improv Everywhere (Personal Addition #14)

Improv Everywhere is a group situated in New York that pulls off pranks and things in public places in  New York City. The pranks have included, movies in real life, spontaneous musicals, no pants subway rides and many more. One of my personal favourites is a prank where 80 people went into Best Buy wearing a blue polo shirt and khakis. The employees of Best Buy were so rattled and called the police to try and get them out. The reactions of the public is what makes their videos so incredibly funny!

Check out more of their pranks at: http://improveverywhere.com

Here's the video to the Best Buy prank:

WE DAY! (Personal Addition #13)

This past Wednesday I had the privilege to participate in We Day Manitoba 2013. I went actually as a volunteer, and my job was a "crowd pumper". My job as a crowd pumper was to cheer and help set the tone for each performance. It was an amazing day and was so rewarding.

Here's the promo video for We Day itself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPvGuv3e4Tc

After the event was over, there was debate over Facebook and a couple of radio shows talked about if We Day is worth it. Does it actually do anything or is it just a frivolous concert that doesn't empower youth to act to create a better world? This was something I did have to consider, it is a lot of money to have We Day tour around, and it's not like youth purchase tickets. However, the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with We Day's intentions. 

First of all, just to attend the performance, everyone has to commit to doing one local and global action of good. That right there in Manitoba alone is more than 30,000 actions. 

Also, it's so overwhelming when you want to make the world a better place but don't know how and  it's such a comforting feeling when you know others are in the same position as you. We Day provides that, and shows you that there are millions of people in the world trying to do the same things you are. This also helps people realize that the impact you are making to the world, big or small adds up and can amount to a big movement. 

Another aspect I thought about, was We Day shows that volunteering and doing good things doesn't have to be a chore. It's about finding your passion and using that to help reach others to get them to do the same. It is also about helping other people; globally and locally not by only writing checks to organizations.

This year a really great concept that they have added is an app called "We365" where you can participate in challenges that help social change and you can log all of your volunteer hours. This is a way that you can continue to work with the energy that was created at We Day. 

The annual We Day in Manitoba is something I look forward to every year, it promotes such a positive energy to help make the world a better place and I truly believe is such a unique and effective way of empowering youth.

http://www.electrovoice.com/pressrelease.php?id=1379, http://umanitoba.ca/news/blogs/blog/2012/10/29/not-you-or-i-or-us-but-we/, http://www.straight.com/blogra/photos-we-day-vancouver-packs-rogers-arena-youth-and-celebrities, http://www.weday.com/what-is-we-day/our-story/

"We Day is the movement of our time"

Ultimate Frisbee (Personal addition #12)

This past weekend I participated in the 20th Annual Hold Back the Snow ultimate frisbee tournament. This was my first time playing in this particular tournament as my first season was last spring. Ultimate is a really good sport to play, and you don't need much experience if you're wanting to start. Some people play to win, but lots of people just play for fun! There are no referees in the game, its all based on the spirit of playing. If a situation occurs where a foul is called, the player can either contest or not contest this foul. The idea at the tournament is that spirit prizes (a mini disc) are given out to one player on the team for each game who demonstrates good sportsmanship. Your always moving and always socializing with lots of different people. It's a great way to make new friends and acquire some skills in a sport.

I had an amazing (and utterly exhausting) weekend and I cannot wait until the spring for the next tournaments!

Globe Genie (Personal Addition #11)

This is a very interesting website I came across, while on Stumbleupon. It's called Globe Genie and it is a satellite of the whole world. This is much like google maps, however you can get it to show you a random place in the world by clicking the "teleport" button. As a travel enthusiast, this is quite a cool way to see all the cool places over the whole world. You also have the option to pick specific continents in which you'd like to see. With so many places to travel, this is a really cool way to see every nook and cranny of the world!

http://www.globegenie.com

Dalai Lama Quote (Personal Addition #10)

I was on Stumblupon when I came across this quote and it took me a couple of times before I could connect with it. I understand and agree the whole health/wealth component but its really the future/present part that really intrigues me. At this point in time of my life, with grad and post secondary education, I really am anxious about the future. I'll admit, sometimes I find myself wishing I was at a future time in my life already. This isn't the best thing to do as you cannot simply fast-forward time. It's important to me that I don't constantly want what I can't have and be waiting for the day I have more. I am really going to try to do is just sit tight and enjoy what I have at the moment.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1cGFJO/:GW$4fW.9:bkGUVryQ/cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/March-02-2012-01-41-35-thedalailamawhenaskedwhatsurprisedhimmostabouthumanityansweredmanbecausehesacrificeshishealthinordertomakemoney.jpeg/

Reading tweets

An Abundance of Katherines

John Green 

Page:170

1. To call or not to call, that is the question #dumpee 

2. Yea, I really shouldn't have called... #lessonslearned 

3. Prodigy; I'd go pry, dopey rig, dog I pry #anagrams #sorrynotsorry 

4. Heartbroken. #alwaysthedumpeeneverthedumper 

5. This is much more difficult than I had anticipated #theorem 

6. Will these fugging roosters ever cease to squawk? #countryliving 

7. I suppose in Gutshot quail and bullets are a delicacy? #ew 

8. So close to fixing my theorem #fromprodigytogenius 

9. This is much more difficult than I had anticipated... #relationshiptheorem 

10. I prefer girls with no makeup. #unpopularopinion  

11. My theorem will honestly be so helpful when it's done #quadraticfunctionsftw 

12. #TBT to when I tutored you in French. #thegooddays 

13. If only you felt the same way #iwish 

14. Did you know in Qatar in 1963 the average person emitted 100 tones of CO2 per year? #fascinating  

15. I suppose I just don't get hunting... 

Quickwrite- Happy Ending

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/image/63427266856

Mother duck had been trying for ages to get her ducklings to learn how to fly. Everyday she would try to teach them, but it was no use. They were too scared. Once day when they went out for their daily waddle, (they had to waddle because they couldn't fly) they passed by a sewer grate. Mother duck didn't realize her ducklings couldn't fly and would slip through the holes of the grate until she was off the grate. She looked down into the grate trying to see if her ducklings were okay, but she heard an answer behind her. Her ducklings had taken the leap of faith and were able to fly over the sewer grate. Now all they ever wanted to do was fly. Sometimes it just takes that moment of fear to accomplish something you never thought you could do.

The end.

Quickwrite- Robot

My future robot servant would teach me how to do anything I wanted to do. It would look like a person, but not too realistic as to confuse anyone. It would only look like a person enough to be able to teach me the things I wanted to learn, other than that, it would look like a robot. The voice it would have would sound digital, like your typical robot, but wouldn't be choppy, because I would need to be able to understand it. My robot would be my go to resource and I would be able to accomplish anything I wanted to do.

CO2 Emissions Throughout the World (Personal Edition #9)

This past Friday, in chemistry class, we were able to have the privilege to have a short presentation by Mr. John Murray, Science Consultant from Kindergarten to grade 12 from Manitoba education. Basically what he showed us was this very interesting thought provoking graph that I felt was very important to share.

The graph is of CO₂ emissions throughout the world from 1820-2011. On the x axis it shows average income per person per year and the y axis shows the average amount of tonnes of CO₂ emitted by each person per year. The size of the circles is showing the relative size of the population and they are colour coordinated by their geographical region.

Before Mr. Murray showed us the graph, he talked about where would be the ideal place would be on the graph. The entire class agreed that it was the bottom right hand corner, where income was high and CO₂ emissions are low. However we learned once we saw the graph that this ideal isn't a reality.

What is really cool about this graph, (I think so, at least) is that you can select which countries you want to see, and try the graph again with as many countries as you like. Another interesting aspect of this graph is that you watch the span of 190 years over 30 seconds. This allows you to watch for the significant events in history that were related to CO₂ emissions. For example, there was a significant drop in CO₂ emissions in Canada and the United States from the years 1928-1935 during the great depression. And then throughout the 60's a significant increase in CO₂ emissions as this was the Baby Boom years.

This is an example of a graph:

http://www.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=chart$is;shi=t;ly=2003;lb=f;il=t;fs=11;al=21;stl=t;st=t;nsl=t;se=t$wst;tts=C$ts;sp=6;ti=2011$zpv;v=0$inc_x;mmid=XCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1jiMAkmq1iMg;by=ind$inc_y;mmid=YCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1gkNuUEXOGag;by=ind$inc_s;uniValue=8.21;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1NHPC9MyZ9SQ;by=ind$inc_c;uniValue=255;gid=CATID0;iid=pyj6tScZqmEfbZyl0qjbiRQ;by=grp$map_x;scale=log;dataMin=294;dataMax=76977$map_y;scale=lin;dataMin=-1.2196;dataMax=26$map_s;sma=58;smi=1$cd;bd=0$inds=i37_t001800,,,,;i44_t001899,,,,;i212_t001950,,,,;i76_t001802,,,,;i104_t001927,,,,;i114_t001950,,,,;i239_t001800,,,,;modified=6

In this graph I chose to view the following countries:

•               Canada (yellow)

•               United States (yellow)

•               China (red)

•               France (orange)

•               Kenya (navy blue)

•               Iraq (green)

•               Sri Lanka (teal)

What we noticed on the graph is that there is a pretty direct relationship between income and CO₂ emissions, which makes sense, as the more money we make, the more we buy, which increases CO₂ emissions.

What is really important to learn from this, is what were seeing on these graphs are very much non-sustainable. Mr. Murray explained to us that in 50-75 years,mhumans could notice some serious repercussions from this global warming. It's very important that we start to change our habits and start moving our country to the ideal bottom right hand corner of the graph.

There are very simple, easy ways to do this such as:

•               Drive less or take public transportation

•               Buy your food from local growers

•               Limit your purchases (don't buy useless things)

•               Recycle and Re-use

Find these and more ideas at: http://bravenewclimate.com/2008/08/29/top-10-ways-to-reduce-your-co2-emissions-footprint/

I found this graph very fascinating and really appreciated the presentation that Mr. Murray did for us. Hopefully this can help raise awareness and then eventually leads to change!

Discover the CO₂ emissions throughout the world and more graphs at: http://www.gapminder.org/