Monday, 27 June 2011
On vacation
I'm going to be away and not blogging for 1 week. After this I will most likely be blogging normally for the remainder of summer.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Paying Attention to the Details
My favourite films, video games, and books all have one thing in common, and that is they all pay attention to the details. They pay attention to basic guidlines that they set for themselves and that are already set by science. Nothing annoys me more than when either a writer or a director goes against these rules without any reason.
Fiction or not I get annoyed when books and movies stray too far from reality. If they go against simple scientific concepts such as gravity they better have a good reason, and that reason should be well explained. In books and movies that include magic I like the limitations of the magic and how it is used to be explained. Exactally how much can be controlled by this magic? If there are no rules or limitations on superpowers in books or movies I end up becoming too frusterated to watch or read it the whole way through.
I dislike mystery novels and movies but at the same time I can tolerate them because they describe and show every bit of scenery. While I like descriptions mystery novels give the answers too often and don't leave enough to the imagination. In other words there is not always enough mystery in the mystery genre.
When it comes right down to it there are two reasons why people don't include details. It's either sheer laziness or greed. It's far less expensive to make a simple game with plain backgrounds than taking the time to add little trees and shrubbery. If it's a monty python video game, which would be cool, shrubbery would actually play an important role. What else would appease the knights who say Ni.
I just think that mmore people should put some effort in and add extra details, however meaningless they may appear.
Fiction or not I get annoyed when books and movies stray too far from reality. If they go against simple scientific concepts such as gravity they better have a good reason, and that reason should be well explained. In books and movies that include magic I like the limitations of the magic and how it is used to be explained. Exactally how much can be controlled by this magic? If there are no rules or limitations on superpowers in books or movies I end up becoming too frusterated to watch or read it the whole way through.
I dislike mystery novels and movies but at the same time I can tolerate them because they describe and show every bit of scenery. While I like descriptions mystery novels give the answers too often and don't leave enough to the imagination. In other words there is not always enough mystery in the mystery genre.
When it comes right down to it there are two reasons why people don't include details. It's either sheer laziness or greed. It's far less expensive to make a simple game with plain backgrounds than taking the time to add little trees and shrubbery. If it's a monty python video game, which would be cool, shrubbery would actually play an important role. What else would appease the knights who say Ni.
I just think that mmore people should put some effort in and add extra details, however meaningless they may appear.
Doctor Who Quote
An interesting quote from the very first doctor.
Barbara: Is it frozen?
The Doctor: No, impossible at this temperature. Besides, it's too warm.
How To Dress Like A Time Lord
As I have mentioned several times before I am a fan of the hit BBC T.V series Doctor Who. A Time Lord is a super intelligent alien who can travel through time and space. They are originally from a planet called Gallifrey. Also when a Time Lord is killed they regenerate and essentially bring themselves back to life. There are many components of a Time Lord that are interesting, but one of the coolest things about them is their fashion sense. Here are some general rules to follow when trying to dress like a Time Lord or Lady.
1) Make Sure You Like Your Outfit: Time Lords rarely change their clothes and when they do it's usually only a silly costume or a different colour of the same original outfit. You should pick something versatile that will fit for various occasions, and is comfortable for running. You don't want to get a high heel stuck in the mud when a Dalek pops up.
2) Make It Practical: As I mentioned before Time Lords find themselves in many troubling situations so you need to be able to run. Comfortable foot wear is a key component to your Time Lord outfit. Don't worry your shoes don't have to match the rest of your clothes in fact it's better if they don't. Try to avoid long flowing outfits as they can become caught in ship engines and other such space items. Long scarves are an exception to this rule because their good qualities far out weigh the bad. They can tie up aliens, save a drowning victim, and be unravelled so as to find your way through a maze.
3) Don't Match Anything: You are an intelligent 900 something Time Lord so you're past the point of caring what other people think of your outfit. You like those lime green pants, but you also like your neon orange turtleneck just wear them both. Don't worry about how the different components look together just think about whether you like the different components separately then wear them together. Wearing colours that don't match may scream Time Lord but at the same time pay attention to rule 1. If you don't like miss-matched colours don't do it because whatever you choose you're going to be wearing until your next regeneration.
4) Your Outfit May Stay The Same But Accessories Can Change: When you wear the same outfit or variations of the same outfits it's fun to spice up your wardrobe with some neat accessories. The personality of a Time Lord can be stored in a watch so a pocket or wrist watch can be a perfect accessory. Time is in the title Time Lord so whatever time piece broken or not is fine. Accessories should have a purpose, for example a stick of celery that detects certain potentially poisonous gasses in the Praxis System. Once again it's all about practicality. If you are a Time Lady try some chunky or gaudy jewelry. Overly long necklaces and super thick bracelets can be a nice add on to an outfit.
5) Be Unique: Not everyone has the potential to be a Time Lord so not everyone should look like one. If you walk down the street you should not see others wearing the same outfit as you. Seeing as you travel through time and space simply wearing retro clothing will not guarantee individuality. You must wear something that has never been fashionable at any time or wear something that can not be found in stores. Avoid name brands at all costs. Wearing a shirt that says Tommy Hilfiger or Lulu Lemon is about the most UnTime Lord thing you could possibly do.
In summary be practical, be unique and most of all have fun with it.
1) Make Sure You Like Your Outfit: Time Lords rarely change their clothes and when they do it's usually only a silly costume or a different colour of the same original outfit. You should pick something versatile that will fit for various occasions, and is comfortable for running. You don't want to get a high heel stuck in the mud when a Dalek pops up.
2) Make It Practical: As I mentioned before Time Lords find themselves in many troubling situations so you need to be able to run. Comfortable foot wear is a key component to your Time Lord outfit. Don't worry your shoes don't have to match the rest of your clothes in fact it's better if they don't. Try to avoid long flowing outfits as they can become caught in ship engines and other such space items. Long scarves are an exception to this rule because their good qualities far out weigh the bad. They can tie up aliens, save a drowning victim, and be unravelled so as to find your way through a maze.
3) Don't Match Anything: You are an intelligent 900 something Time Lord so you're past the point of caring what other people think of your outfit. You like those lime green pants, but you also like your neon orange turtleneck just wear them both. Don't worry about how the different components look together just think about whether you like the different components separately then wear them together. Wearing colours that don't match may scream Time Lord but at the same time pay attention to rule 1. If you don't like miss-matched colours don't do it because whatever you choose you're going to be wearing until your next regeneration.
4) Your Outfit May Stay The Same But Accessories Can Change: When you wear the same outfit or variations of the same outfits it's fun to spice up your wardrobe with some neat accessories. The personality of a Time Lord can be stored in a watch so a pocket or wrist watch can be a perfect accessory. Time is in the title Time Lord so whatever time piece broken or not is fine. Accessories should have a purpose, for example a stick of celery that detects certain potentially poisonous gasses in the Praxis System. Once again it's all about practicality. If you are a Time Lady try some chunky or gaudy jewelry. Overly long necklaces and super thick bracelets can be a nice add on to an outfit.
5) Be Unique: Not everyone has the potential to be a Time Lord so not everyone should look like one. If you walk down the street you should not see others wearing the same outfit as you. Seeing as you travel through time and space simply wearing retro clothing will not guarantee individuality. You must wear something that has never been fashionable at any time or wear something that can not be found in stores. Avoid name brands at all costs. Wearing a shirt that says Tommy Hilfiger or Lulu Lemon is about the most UnTime Lord thing you could possibly do.
In summary be practical, be unique and most of all have fun with it.
Video Game Review
I have almost finished Kingdom Hearts for a second time, except this time it's on challenge mode. This game is associated with Disney and includes many of their characters, as well as some of my favourite characters from the Final Fantasy video game series. The graphics in this game are great although they can't beat God of War, but I'm pretty sure it was made before God of War. The storyline is enticing and makes you want to keep playing. While the regular mode is extremely easy the challenge mode is difficult for even experienced gamers. The battle style is similar to games like God of War but without the gore. The game stays appropriate and is therefore fun for a variety of ages. Even the mini games are entertaining. Usually I skip over mini games, but for this game I make an exception. I'm not fond of jumping around in this game but I only complain because I'm not too good at it. I am proud to award this game my first 5/5.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Why Is YouTube So Addictive?
I find it is extremely easy for most people, occasionally including myself, to waste hours of time on YouTube or just watching online videos in general. The site YouTube has addictive qualities about it, but videos are just overall an easy thing to waste time on. How many of you have lost track of the time while watching a screen such as T.V? I bet all of you have at least once. To make sure I don't ramble too much I will be talking about specifically YouTube videos today.
1) Special Effects: In videos you can add in actions and throw things at the camera in order to keep the watchers attention. In a blog post the best I can do is put in brackets (whip 14 foot scarf over head). You may get the gist of my action by putting it in brackets, but it would be far more interesting to actually see this amazingly long scarf whip majestically in the wind, which it does.
2) Appeals To More Senses: In a blog post all you can do is look at the words and maybe visualise what it looks like, while in a video you can see and hear exactly what it looks like. I can try my best to describe something to you, but if I'm bias about the object I'm describing you could end up with a faulty image of what I am trying to describe. Videos can help with some things that are indescribable such as a sunset. Honestly I prefer reading but I am aware that many people would rather see things for themselves instead of having things described to them.
3) It's Easier For Fans To Get Obsessive: To prove my point on this I am going to use the You Tuber Charlie is so cool like for an example. If you were a young teenage girl reading the sentence Hi, my name is Charlie written by him, your not going to think, "Wow, he's my future boyfriend, look at his writing it's so sexy." Now if you watch him say, "Hi, my name is Charlie", and hear his accent and see his cute face, then you may become a tad bit obsessive.
4) There Are Links To More Videos: You start off searching for one video and end up watching twenty because after every video there are links after as well as links in the sidebar that all relate to the current video that you are watching. The links have interesting titles that intrigue the viewers of the first video to find out what this other video is all about.
5) It's Used and Referred To Often: I have watched online videos in various classes at school and I have quite a few friends who watch and talk about online videos on a regular basis. With so many people watching and finding videos that they want to share the time being wasted tends to add up.
1) Special Effects: In videos you can add in actions and throw things at the camera in order to keep the watchers attention. In a blog post the best I can do is put in brackets (whip 14 foot scarf over head). You may get the gist of my action by putting it in brackets, but it would be far more interesting to actually see this amazingly long scarf whip majestically in the wind, which it does.
2) Appeals To More Senses: In a blog post all you can do is look at the words and maybe visualise what it looks like, while in a video you can see and hear exactly what it looks like. I can try my best to describe something to you, but if I'm bias about the object I'm describing you could end up with a faulty image of what I am trying to describe. Videos can help with some things that are indescribable such as a sunset. Honestly I prefer reading but I am aware that many people would rather see things for themselves instead of having things described to them.
3) It's Easier For Fans To Get Obsessive: To prove my point on this I am going to use the You Tuber Charlie is so cool like for an example. If you were a young teenage girl reading the sentence Hi, my name is Charlie written by him, your not going to think, "Wow, he's my future boyfriend, look at his writing it's so sexy." Now if you watch him say, "Hi, my name is Charlie", and hear his accent and see his cute face, then you may become a tad bit obsessive.
4) There Are Links To More Videos: You start off searching for one video and end up watching twenty because after every video there are links after as well as links in the sidebar that all relate to the current video that you are watching. The links have interesting titles that intrigue the viewers of the first video to find out what this other video is all about.
5) It's Used and Referred To Often: I have watched online videos in various classes at school and I have quite a few friends who watch and talk about online videos on a regular basis. With so many people watching and finding videos that they want to share the time being wasted tends to add up.
Business
Oi Becca guess what, I'm eight posts behind. Seeing as it's summer holidays for me I will be writing shorter posts. Also I may consider adding some videos on. Put some input in the comments.
Doctor Who Quote
A quote from the ninth doctor.
Mickey: I bet you don't even remember my name!
The Doctor: Ricky.
Mickey: It's Mickey!
The Doctor: No, it's Ricky.
Mickey: I think I know my own name!
The Doctor: You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?
Monday, 13 June 2011
On Vacation
To my avid readers, I regret to inform you that my next blog post will not be until after exams on June.23. Depending on my schedule and my amount of laziness I may put out a new post earlier. Feel free to look through the archive in the sidebar to read past posts.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Exam Cram
It's that time of year again when all the little boys and girls stay up late and cram for the exams that they seem to have forgotten about yet again. Twice every year these horribly long tests find out just how much information the students actually retained. Most of planet Earth, and I both dread this time of year, but it really isn't too bad if you're prepared. Seeing as they come around the same time every year they can't exactly catch us off guard, so students have no excuse for being unprepared.
What I like to start doing around a month before exams is briefly summarize my courses. For chemistry I separated my notes into Definitions, Concepts, Equations, and People. From there I separated it further into the different units. It takes time to make these kind of notes, but it isn't too difficult. All you have to do is re-read your notes and write down whatever you find unclear in your own words. This is a one person study method, but some people prefer to work in groups so what do they do.
Flashcards can be a fun, fast way to study with friends, but if you're willing to put some effort in Jeopardy is far more fun. Here is a quick tutorial on how to make a game board on Power point. Corresponding pictures are shown below the steps.
Step 1) When you first open PowerPoint there should be a toolbar along the top of the screen. Click on the insert tab and from there click on insert table (highlighted) and add however many rows and columns as you need categories and questions. Step 2) Add categories, by left clicking on a cell, across the top and point value below so points can be counted. (Whoever gets the question right gets the points, for those of you who haven't watched Jeopardy)
Step 3) Right click on cell and scroll down to add hyperlink. (I can't seem to get a picture of this)
Step 4) Click place in this document and choose slide with the question that corresponds to the original box that you right clicked on.
Step 5) Insert a slide under the home tab (This step should have probably been second) after the question with the answer to the question written.
Step 6) Continue Step 3-5 for all of the other cells in the graph. After you have finished Save(Highlighted) and play the PowerPoint for your friends by clicking from the beginning (Highlighted) in the toolbar under Slideshow.
For an extra added touch try adding music under the insert audio (you can see this in the Step 1 picture).
Now for the picture tutorial:
As much as studying is important I think the most important thing is to stay calm and don't stress yourself out too much. As my mom says, "If you overwork your brain you won't retain the information". Plus if you are stressed during the exam you will end up changing your answers which usually leads to more wrongs answers than right ones. To calm yourself during an exam try sucking on candy. Also people say do the easy questions first, I think the opposite should be done. Start with the difficult ones until they are starting to stress you out then switch to easy ones for a bit of a break. I know this strategy works for me, but it may not work for you.
All you can do is try your best. Study hard, keep calm and you should be fine for whatever exam comes your way. Good luck!
Business
This is Thursday's post. I owe you eight posts, and there is a strong possibility there will not be a post tomorrow. Before you post a blog entry you can add a location. Just to be weird I tried to say I was in the middle of the Pacific ocean, but it wouldn't let me. I'm a little disappointed.
Fun Stuff
I love having parties for the weirdest things. When my 19th birthday comes around I am planning on having a B.Y.O.L party. You have to bring something that starts with an L. I know some friends will bring liquor, but seeing as my friends are super nerds, I bet most will bring light sabers.
Fun With The Elderly
Most youth today find old people boring, and dread their visits to grandma or grandpa's house. They don't understand the buckets of fun they are missing out on. Seeing as the elderly have lived so long they have so much to tell us, and show us. Sometimes it can be a tad bit boring for a few when grandma goes on a tangent and a simple question goes into an hour long story, but that's no different then a couple friends of mine, so it's not just because they're old. There are many things to do with old people and here are just a few.
Learn A New Skill: We all have talents, but the older you are the more time you have to perfect that talent. For example my grandpa can play several instruments including piano and accordion. If you hum him any tune he can play it on both of the a-fore-mentioned instruments. Old people are much more patient making them incredible teachers. Find something your grandparent is an expert in and get them to teach you. It will be a great bonding experience that you can both share, and they may even start telling you their life story.
Hear A Tale: For some reason this is the part that a couple of my fellow teenagers find boring. They don't want to hear about the lives of the elderly. With the fading memories of age, comes ever-changing stories. While trying to remember what really happened they may come up with surprisingly entertaining stories, and even if they don't the amount they have lived there is bound to be something interesting. If you don't want to get bombarded with every detail of their life then lead the conversation. Direct it to topics that you're interested in and maybe discuss the difference between now and then. Personally I like asking about jobs. I once found someone that, when they were young, was paid to put puzzles together in order to make sure all the pieces were there. It's also kind of interesting to hear what the wages were then compared to now.
There's Always A Second Chance: Most old people have trouble hearing, which is a great advantage to teenagers who have trouble keeping swears in. If you mumble anything you will probably be asked to repeat it, this gives you the opportunity to think about your words a bit more and maybe change them up a bit. Just don't try to get away with mumble insulting them thinking they can't hear anything you say, because one it's rude, and two they can still see your lips moving. Being ancient they have had time to practice reading people's lips so be wary, their deafness may not always excuse swearing mishaps.
They Can Show You New Ways of Entertainment: They most likely have different taste in music and had fun in different ways then you when they were young. Give their music a try no matter how odd it sounds at first, you may start to like it. I started liking polka music, because of my cool grandpa. I also went to a roller rink because I heard it from an old person, don't remember who though. I had no idea roller rinks existed outside of movies before I heard an old person talking about them.
Overall they have so much to say and teach, all we have to do is listen. They may look different than you, but at one point there was a person there just like you, and that person is still a part of who they are today. If you look hard enough I think you'll find that you have more similarities than differences.
Learn A New Skill: We all have talents, but the older you are the more time you have to perfect that talent. For example my grandpa can play several instruments including piano and accordion. If you hum him any tune he can play it on both of the a-fore-mentioned instruments. Old people are much more patient making them incredible teachers. Find something your grandparent is an expert in and get them to teach you. It will be a great bonding experience that you can both share, and they may even start telling you their life story.
Hear A Tale: For some reason this is the part that a couple of my fellow teenagers find boring. They don't want to hear about the lives of the elderly. With the fading memories of age, comes ever-changing stories. While trying to remember what really happened they may come up with surprisingly entertaining stories, and even if they don't the amount they have lived there is bound to be something interesting. If you don't want to get bombarded with every detail of their life then lead the conversation. Direct it to topics that you're interested in and maybe discuss the difference between now and then. Personally I like asking about jobs. I once found someone that, when they were young, was paid to put puzzles together in order to make sure all the pieces were there. It's also kind of interesting to hear what the wages were then compared to now.
There's Always A Second Chance: Most old people have trouble hearing, which is a great advantage to teenagers who have trouble keeping swears in. If you mumble anything you will probably be asked to repeat it, this gives you the opportunity to think about your words a bit more and maybe change them up a bit. Just don't try to get away with mumble insulting them thinking they can't hear anything you say, because one it's rude, and two they can still see your lips moving. Being ancient they have had time to practice reading people's lips so be wary, their deafness may not always excuse swearing mishaps.
They Can Show You New Ways of Entertainment: They most likely have different taste in music and had fun in different ways then you when they were young. Give their music a try no matter how odd it sounds at first, you may start to like it. I started liking polka music, because of my cool grandpa. I also went to a roller rink because I heard it from an old person, don't remember who though. I had no idea roller rinks existed outside of movies before I heard an old person talking about them.
Overall they have so much to say and teach, all we have to do is listen. They may look different than you, but at one point there was a person there just like you, and that person is still a part of who they are today. If you look hard enough I think you'll find that you have more similarities than differences.
Business
I'm eight posts behind. Grr exams are coming up. Depending on how busy this makes me I may have to cut back on my number of posts.
Doctor Who Quote
The fourth doctor is an old person who can introduce you to the wonderful candy called jelly babies. For those of you who are unaware what a jelly baby is it's kind of like a gummy bear.
The Doctor: Guard of honour? You're not fit to guard a jelly baby! Would you like a jelly baby?
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Finding Your Own Writing Style
English courses in school are the perfect opportunities to find your own writing style mainly because they force you to write in different ways. For example last semester we studied the works of Edgar Allen Poe and then we had to write a couple pieces in the same style as him. Later we even had a competition to see who could sound more Poe than Poe. The English teacher would read a piece written by Poe that he knew no one had read and then he would take the best pieces written by the class and read them all out loud. The class would then vote on which one sounded the most like Poe. this is what young writers need to do in order to find their own writing style.
In an English course as much as your teacher insists that you are not writing the pieces for them, you are. Last semester my teacher enjoyed seldom used words, so I payed special attention to my diction and always kept a thesaurus handy, while this semester my teacher is more concerned with always proving a point with quotations, so I perfected adding quotations in to sentences. While diction is no longer an important technique for my grade this semester I still use it to some degree. This leads me to my point almost every time a writer goes outside their comfort zone while writing something from the experience stays with them.
In my opinion all writers should try a variety of styles and techniques and occasionally force themselves to write about things that they don't particularly care about. A good writer writes about things that have meaning to them, a great writer can write about anything and still make it sound meaningful. In school you are forced to write about subjects that honestly you don't care about, but you have to stick it out and try to find ways to add your own personal flair to whatever it is that you're writing. My latest English project is a descriptive essay of where I grew up and either how it is a microcosm of Canada or how it changed my life as a Canadian. To tell you the truth I don't really believe it fits either, and while I don't like to lie in my writing pieces I have now found myself in a position where I have to take a tiny feeling that in some way it may be a microcosm and stretch it out as f I avidly believe this idea.
While I think it's a good idea for a writer to write about things that don't necessarily mean something to them I believe this should be for practice and by no means for publishing. In a personal essay the feelings written should be true not made up or stretched. A writer should try to reach out to their audience and either teach them something or make them feel something, preferably both. If you cannot be emotional about topics you do not care all that much about then you should probably stick to writing topics of your choosing. While you may find yourself in situations where you have to write not from your heart, but from your brain know that it's an experience that will help you grow as a writer. It doesn't matter how old you are there is always something to learn, and the same goes for writing.
In an English course as much as your teacher insists that you are not writing the pieces for them, you are. Last semester my teacher enjoyed seldom used words, so I payed special attention to my diction and always kept a thesaurus handy, while this semester my teacher is more concerned with always proving a point with quotations, so I perfected adding quotations in to sentences. While diction is no longer an important technique for my grade this semester I still use it to some degree. This leads me to my point almost every time a writer goes outside their comfort zone while writing something from the experience stays with them.
In my opinion all writers should try a variety of styles and techniques and occasionally force themselves to write about things that they don't particularly care about. A good writer writes about things that have meaning to them, a great writer can write about anything and still make it sound meaningful. In school you are forced to write about subjects that honestly you don't care about, but you have to stick it out and try to find ways to add your own personal flair to whatever it is that you're writing. My latest English project is a descriptive essay of where I grew up and either how it is a microcosm of Canada or how it changed my life as a Canadian. To tell you the truth I don't really believe it fits either, and while I don't like to lie in my writing pieces I have now found myself in a position where I have to take a tiny feeling that in some way it may be a microcosm and stretch it out as f I avidly believe this idea.
While I think it's a good idea for a writer to write about things that don't necessarily mean something to them I believe this should be for practice and by no means for publishing. In a personal essay the feelings written should be true not made up or stretched. A writer should try to reach out to their audience and either teach them something or make them feel something, preferably both. If you cannot be emotional about topics you do not care all that much about then you should probably stick to writing topics of your choosing. While you may find yourself in situations where you have to write not from your heart, but from your brain know that it's an experience that will help you grow as a writer. It doesn't matter how old you are there is always something to learn, and the same goes for writing.
Business
All of the topics on this blog are of my own choosing and therefore they are things that I care about, well except for that one challenge post I did I was to excited about that one. I would also like to thank you, my audience for reading my blog. I am now getting new people from all around the world. I'm still 8 posts behind.
Book Review
Recently I have read The Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelly Armstrong. This series is about a girl who sees ghosts and can raise hoards of zombies, but is stuck in a mental hospital being treated for schizophrenia. I absolutely loved the writing style in these books. The main character Chloe Saunders in the narrator, making this series conversational, while at the same time descriptive. Some of the vivid details including maggots I wouldn't of minded being left out but it did add onto the book. It was obvious to me that the author was not writing this for money, because she could have easily made one more novel with all the loose ends she left at the end of the last book. The only real complaint I have with this trilogy is that compared to the rest of the series full of death, destruction, and drama, the ending was a tad bit sappy. For an ending that did not seem to fit the series I give this trilogy 4.8 stars. You were close, but not close enough for my first 5 rating.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Romance & Relationships
Today's post comes in two parts to make up for the lack of a post on Saturday. Part one: Past romantic customs, and Part two: Romance and relationships today. It's crazy how much difference there is in relationships between my generation and my grandparents.
Part One: In the past it seemed people put a lot more effort in romantic gestures. Romantic customs were a lot more complicated and defiantly more frequent. Woman were serenaded and had doors opened for them and yes feminists I know we have hands, but in my opinion the whole point of romance is putting your loved ones needs before yourself. Here are some of my favourite customs mainly from Europe.
In ancient Norway, single girl's would carry an empty sheath, and when a boy walked by he would put his knife in the girl's sheath. This seems a little sweet, but I still laughed when I read this. I couldn't help but wonder what happened if the boy had shaky hands. He might miss the sheath and end up stabbing the girl he was trying to woo. I guess this one would not work today, because it could turn gruesome and some people may find it strange to carry around knives. The next one could be used today as well.
In 17th century Wales, spoons were carved for loved ones. Whatever carvings the spoon was inscribed with would describe the love you had with the other person. For example, if you carved the picture of a vine onto the spoon it meant the love you have towards the person was growing. I don't find this custom overly complicated, so I don't know why it isn't used today, but a lot of the old customs were difficult to complete.
One custom we learned about in French class, was super complicated, but because I am not that great at French this may not be correct. From what I understood the guy would pick the first green apple that appeared on his apple tree. Next he would carve his loved one's name into the apple and then wait for the apple to turn red. Once it was red that meant their love was in full blossom. By then he should give the apple to his loved one. There was also something about a love letter, but I couldn't figure out if he was supposed to put the letter in the apple, or give it to the girl before the apple was given. Either way this custom takes time and is a tad bit tricky. You have to protect the apple at all times. I guess it's understandable why some of these aren't used today.
Part 2: Love and relationships have changed drastically from what it used to be. While in the past men tried to woo girls today most relationships start on the Internet. I guess people don't want to put much effort in today.
Most customs of the past take a lot of effort and time. In today's society we rarely even give a bouquet of flowers let alone put a jacket over a spill. Both chivalry and romance is hard to find today, not because people don't like it anymore, but because people are to lazy to put the effort in. When you look back at relationships of the past it seemed almost simpler with those customs. If you liked someone all you did was follow one of the customs and they would either decide to accept the gift or request or deny it. Today I seriously wonder if romance even exists.
Breakups are done over text or e-mail, and romance is reserved for apologies. Seriously people we need to put some effort in. As I mentioned before romance is all about putting someonelses need before your own. In a selfish society like today this can be difficult, but it's worth the effort.
In a world with almost no romance it's no surprise that the divorce rate is high. Just because you're married to someone for a while doesn't mean you shouldn't still have date nights. I know that being a teenager who has never dated I don't really have a right to comment on these things, but here I go anyway. Maybe it's me but it's pretty obvious that the key to a good marriage is to change up your routine and keep on doing occasionally romantic gestures. Don't do it on the same day of the week, or too often, because then it loses meaning. Just be sweet and think of your loved one's need as well as your selves and you should have a wonderful relationship.
Part One: In the past it seemed people put a lot more effort in romantic gestures. Romantic customs were a lot more complicated and defiantly more frequent. Woman were serenaded and had doors opened for them and yes feminists I know we have hands, but in my opinion the whole point of romance is putting your loved ones needs before yourself. Here are some of my favourite customs mainly from Europe.
In ancient Norway, single girl's would carry an empty sheath, and when a boy walked by he would put his knife in the girl's sheath. This seems a little sweet, but I still laughed when I read this. I couldn't help but wonder what happened if the boy had shaky hands. He might miss the sheath and end up stabbing the girl he was trying to woo. I guess this one would not work today, because it could turn gruesome and some people may find it strange to carry around knives. The next one could be used today as well.
In 17th century Wales, spoons were carved for loved ones. Whatever carvings the spoon was inscribed with would describe the love you had with the other person. For example, if you carved the picture of a vine onto the spoon it meant the love you have towards the person was growing. I don't find this custom overly complicated, so I don't know why it isn't used today, but a lot of the old customs were difficult to complete.
One custom we learned about in French class, was super complicated, but because I am not that great at French this may not be correct. From what I understood the guy would pick the first green apple that appeared on his apple tree. Next he would carve his loved one's name into the apple and then wait for the apple to turn red. Once it was red that meant their love was in full blossom. By then he should give the apple to his loved one. There was also something about a love letter, but I couldn't figure out if he was supposed to put the letter in the apple, or give it to the girl before the apple was given. Either way this custom takes time and is a tad bit tricky. You have to protect the apple at all times. I guess it's understandable why some of these aren't used today.
Part 2: Love and relationships have changed drastically from what it used to be. While in the past men tried to woo girls today most relationships start on the Internet. I guess people don't want to put much effort in today.
Most customs of the past take a lot of effort and time. In today's society we rarely even give a bouquet of flowers let alone put a jacket over a spill. Both chivalry and romance is hard to find today, not because people don't like it anymore, but because people are to lazy to put the effort in. When you look back at relationships of the past it seemed almost simpler with those customs. If you liked someone all you did was follow one of the customs and they would either decide to accept the gift or request or deny it. Today I seriously wonder if romance even exists.
Breakups are done over text or e-mail, and romance is reserved for apologies. Seriously people we need to put some effort in. As I mentioned before romance is all about putting someonelses need before your own. In a selfish society like today this can be difficult, but it's worth the effort.
In a world with almost no romance it's no surprise that the divorce rate is high. Just because you're married to someone for a while doesn't mean you shouldn't still have date nights. I know that being a teenager who has never dated I don't really have a right to comment on these things, but here I go anyway. Maybe it's me but it's pretty obvious that the key to a good marriage is to change up your routine and keep on doing occasionally romantic gestures. Don't do it on the same day of the week, or too often, because then it loses meaning. Just be sweet and think of your loved one's need as well as your selves and you should have a wonderful relationship.
Business
I owe you all 8 posts.
Doctor Who Quote
Nice attempt at a distraction from the fourth doctor.
Scorby: Okay, start talking.
The Doctor: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had perfect pitch...
Scorby: [referring to corpse] What happened to him?
The Doctor: Who, Wolfgang Amadeus...? Oh, him. Oh, he died.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Healthy Lifestyle
Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life, but some people take this to the extreme. I guess it doesn't help that everywhere you look the media is screaming be thin, and some people head this call. These people decide to count their every calorie and work out everyday. I'm not docking work outs or even watching what you eat, my point is that everything in moderation is a good thing.
It is a good idea to watch what you eat. Make sure you get all your food groups in and don't eat so much dessert that it makes you sick, but there is no need to calorie count. Eat what you feel like eating, and when you're full stop. It can be hard to eat sometimes when all of your friends seem to be trying to starve themselves, because they just don't seem to eat. Just because your friends are doing something, does not mean you have to do it to. Real friends won't judge you for that extra slice of pizza or second round at the buffet.
If you want to be fit not only do you not have to work out everyday, but it is also recommended that you don't work out everyday. Whether it's to lose weight or to become stronger you need to give your muscles time to rest. If you overwork your muscles you may end up injuring yourself. As my mom always says, "You only have one life to live, if your going to spend it miserable why bother. What's the point in being excessively healthy if you're not happy."
Seeing as my mom was the first person to show me how silly counting calories is I'm going to reiterate her main points for my conclusion. The whole point of dieting and calorie counting is to live a longer life, but if you can't enjoy that life, what's the point. The rest of her speech was pretty much saying how moronic it is and insert F word here, but the point still remains. Do what makes you happy. Eat what you want and exercise if you want to. As long as you can still do what you want to do and are mostly healthy then stop worrying. Over-working and under eating will only make you unhealthy so relax, sit back, and enjoy life.
It is a good idea to watch what you eat. Make sure you get all your food groups in and don't eat so much dessert that it makes you sick, but there is no need to calorie count. Eat what you feel like eating, and when you're full stop. It can be hard to eat sometimes when all of your friends seem to be trying to starve themselves, because they just don't seem to eat. Just because your friends are doing something, does not mean you have to do it to. Real friends won't judge you for that extra slice of pizza or second round at the buffet.
If you want to be fit not only do you not have to work out everyday, but it is also recommended that you don't work out everyday. Whether it's to lose weight or to become stronger you need to give your muscles time to rest. If you overwork your muscles you may end up injuring yourself. As my mom always says, "You only have one life to live, if your going to spend it miserable why bother. What's the point in being excessively healthy if you're not happy."
Seeing as my mom was the first person to show me how silly counting calories is I'm going to reiterate her main points for my conclusion. The whole point of dieting and calorie counting is to live a longer life, but if you can't enjoy that life, what's the point. The rest of her speech was pretty much saying how moronic it is and insert F word here, but the point still remains. Do what makes you happy. Eat what you want and exercise if you want to. As long as you can still do what you want to do and are mostly healthy then stop worrying. Over-working and under eating will only make you unhealthy so relax, sit back, and enjoy life.
Business
I'm eight blogs behind.
Fun Stuff
Two of the background on my computer are Doctor Who versions of IPod commercials. The first one shows a dalek with an IPod and inscribed above it says, "IPod. To awesome to exterminate". he second one has the outline of the David Tenant doctor on a blue background also with an IPod visible in the shadow. On this on it says, "IDoctor. Music for a new regeneration". My fellow Doctor Who fans should get a kick out of these.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Deja Vu T.V
You tune back to an episode of a television program you like after commericials and start thinking, "Is this a re-run?". Nope it's the same episode you were watching before it's just half of the show is recaps. Pretty much every episode on telivsion is repetitive, and if doesn't re-cap what occurred in the episode then it probably has similar and repetitive plot lines. It's incredibly difficult to find a series that doesn't get to repetitive that it gets boring.
I love WWE wrestling, because it's like a soap opera with fighting, but as my mom said you can watch the last ten minutes of the show and understand not only what went on in that episode, but what went on last week. I guess that's the main reason I stopped watching it as often. I understand that certain shows like Rich Bride, Poor Bride, and How Clean Is Your House need structure, but that's exactally what makes them boring when watched too often. Most of the time I don't even like hearing or watching the introduction of a show, because it's always the same (except for Doctor Who of course). There needs to be variety and the plot needs to change noticabbly with each episode.
I am a fan of the comedy channel, but I got so annoyed when I heard a comic repeat his routine, but on a different show. At first I thought I haad seen the episode before, but then I realised the backdrop was different and there were a couple new jokes. Still he had the audacity to go up there and repeat over half a routine that had already aired on television earlier that year. I think that if comedians are being filmed they should make an effort to do different material. Have a back up act or something, just make an effort.
There are other shows that give you deja vu not because there are recaps, or someone saying the same things, it seems repeatitive because the plot lines are so similar it's painful. Take the show House for example. Every episode someone gets sick with some odd disease that interests Dr. House. Then house teams up with his diagnosis squad and the original diagnosis is always wrong. Lastly House saves the day and they correctly diagnose the patient before they kill them by misdiaagnossing them constantly. I honestly do not understand how their hospital can be open even if it is fictional.
My message here is to the writers of television programs. Don't write for the money write something creative and inspiring. Change it up a bit sometimes and stop making the plots so darn predictable.
I love WWE wrestling, because it's like a soap opera with fighting, but as my mom said you can watch the last ten minutes of the show and understand not only what went on in that episode, but what went on last week. I guess that's the main reason I stopped watching it as often. I understand that certain shows like Rich Bride, Poor Bride, and How Clean Is Your House need structure, but that's exactally what makes them boring when watched too often. Most of the time I don't even like hearing or watching the introduction of a show, because it's always the same (except for Doctor Who of course). There needs to be variety and the plot needs to change noticabbly with each episode.
I am a fan of the comedy channel, but I got so annoyed when I heard a comic repeat his routine, but on a different show. At first I thought I haad seen the episode before, but then I realised the backdrop was different and there were a couple new jokes. Still he had the audacity to go up there and repeat over half a routine that had already aired on television earlier that year. I think that if comedians are being filmed they should make an effort to do different material. Have a back up act or something, just make an effort.
There are other shows that give you deja vu not because there are recaps, or someone saying the same things, it seems repeatitive because the plot lines are so similar it's painful. Take the show House for example. Every episode someone gets sick with some odd disease that interests Dr. House. Then house teams up with his diagnosis squad and the original diagnosis is always wrong. Lastly House saves the day and they correctly diagnose the patient before they kill them by misdiaagnossing them constantly. I honestly do not understand how their hospital can be open even if it is fictional.
My message here is to the writers of television programs. Don't write for the money write something creative and inspiring. Change it up a bit sometimes and stop making the plots so darn predictable.
Business
I'm eight post behind and there will be no post tomorrow. Quick warning spell check is not working for me so there may be a few mistakes.
Doctor Who Quote
Here's some funny quotes from the fourth doctor.
Romana II: Sounds like drilling. What do you think it was?
The Doctor: Underworld dentist?
The Doctor: [to K9] Say "aah."
K9: [in a very raspy voice] Aaaaaaahhhhhh...
The Doctor: Aaaah! Aaah, laryngitis! How can a robot catch laryngitis?
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