Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas Lists

Mood: excited
Hating: that Robbie's flight has been delayed; hopefully he'll still make it here in time for Christmas...
Loving: THE HOLIDAYS =D
Lip-syncing: Kelly Clarkson -- My Grown-Up Christmas List

-------

Dear Santa,

My parents and I recently discussed our Christmas wish lists. It was a short discussion, because all of us said that we have enough stuff already, and we didn't really need or want anything else. Actually, I'm going to ask my mom to mend a few loose buttons on my jacket. It would take me ages, but she's an ace with a needle and thread. That aside, I'll be happy to enjoy a week with my family and friends.

I'll be honest, Santa, my cup of Christmas cheer has seemed half empty lately. With news stories about acid being thrown on schoolgirls in Afghanistan and terrorist attacks in Mumbai, it's easy to get discouraged about the state of the world. Of course, the one in six people living on less than a dollar a day don't even make the headlines. That's not “news” - it's “still happenings”. The Walmart worker getting trampled to death by a consumerism-crazed mob*, now that's news!
(*mob: noun, some regular folks whose enthusiasm for low prices cannot be contained by silly little things like electromagnetically locked doors)

So this year, Santa, I was thinking that it'd be great to leave the sweaters and toy dump trucks in the workshop and focus on some things that will put a smile on people's faces and leave their cup of cheer overflowing! It doesn't take any money to make a positive difference: bake cookies for a neighbour; study a world map with a child; write a handwritten letter; ask someone to teach you a skill they have; even just look a homeless person in the eyes as you pass. It doesn't even need to take a lot of time!

Still feel like you should spend some money on someone anyway? One of my friends wrote a blog a few days ago (*cough* check underneath *cough*) that really got me thinking. And I agree. Try making a charitable donation in someone's honour. It'd be a phenomenal gift! There are so many organizations doing such great work. Choose your cause: Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Heath, Environment, Poverty... the list is huge!

In fact, Santa, I discussed this idea with a friend of mine. And unlike me, he has his dream job of speaking to and inspiring people; he also has enough time to make an online wishlist and set an ambitious goal of raising $1000 from 50 donors to support my three wishes:
1.Canadian youth become engaged global citizens, committed to fighting poverty.
2.Canada's government becomes a global leader in the fight against poverty (instead of riding out a reputation of past good deeds).
3.Fair Trade products become a common consumer option for all Canadians, allowing people to support farmers from the developing world with their daily actions.

Obama's inspiring democratization of fundraising made it obvious that every donation counts. Whether it's $1, $10, $20, $100 or more, I'm asking YOU to be one of the 50 people who give the gift of opportunity. I'm kicking off the effort by donating $100 myself (Any gift of $20 or more is tax deductible).

Visit http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=1772106&msgid=56121&act=GG24&c=223122&admin=0&destination=http://www.giftofopportunity.ca/joel for more info on how you can help make wishes come true. And please, pass this letter on to your friends, family and colleagues. There's simply no better gift!

Thanks Santa, and have a safe and happy holiday!

Friday, December 19, 2008

December Never Felt Better!

While the weather outside may be frightful, I believe that this time of year is really all about warmth and companionship. I may seem hypocritical as I always write complaining about the materialistic mess that secularized Christmas has become.
Christmas shopping never seems like a daunting task to me, partially because I love to shopping. Many of my holidays are solely devoted to finding a new wardrobe for back-to-school, winter, summer, any excuse will do. In addition, I never find myself grasping for knick-knacks on December 24. Many ridicule me as I tend to do thing way ahead of time. Unlikely many people my age, I don't find myself procrastinating, but rather managing my time to fit everything into my somewhat busy schedule. It was November first, and I was already planning my ambush on the malls of Mississauga.
This year, my grandmother has stressed that she does not need anything. Nothing, at all... Years past, we ended up giving her a candy dish, or tickets to a show. Yet, how many of these ambiguous objects can one person get? At over 70 years old, she has simply realized than rather receive, she would rather give back. Sadly, the fortunate few do not realize that the amount of Christmas gifts we see under the evergreen is not the standard in every household. One in every eight children live in poverty in Ontario, not to mention the startling numbers overseas.
So while it may seem a bother to brave the malls this season, why not give a spin on the tradition present? With all "need" extinguished, many things that grace the lists of our friends and family members are fillers and wants. A suggestion to the traditional gift is to give to a significant charity in the person's name.
In grade nine, I was affected by my mother's breast cancer diagnosis. For our drama class' Secret Santa, my friend donated to the Cancer Society in my name. Although I didn't walk away with a sweater or a stuffed animal, the thought and meaning behind it was more than any present stuffed in a box.
Another great aspect to these gifts is that crowd-fearing shoppers can purchase these gifts online, over the phone, and in place (such as the hospital) where you aren't going to find a mob of people. While it is personal, the gift has an impact on the person on the receiving end, and at the same time sets an example to give back at this time of year.

December Never Felt So Wrong...

Mood: exhausted
Hating: that I'm still nauseous...hopefully it's a 24 hour thing...
Loving: that winter break is almost here! Christmas is in ONE WEEK!
Currently lip-syncing: Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson -- Winter Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUO0gd7cr9o&feature=related

------

It's such a shock to realize that you're growing up. Remember when you were a kid, and you thought reaching 10 years old was a huge deal? You're in the double digits now! Yeah, whoop-dee-doo. When you hit three digits, let me know.

Today, I had to stay late at school to help run a rehearsal. Which normally wouldn't be a problem, but I felt so ill that it was just a trainwreck from start to finish. After that disaster, I ended up having to go out shopping with my sister. I had forgotten I promised her I would start our Christmas shopping today.

So feeling nauseous and shaking uncontrollably, I was dragged from store to store to store. If I didn't feel sick before, the massive amounts of people taking advantage of holiday hours and sales would have done the job. It's insane to see people fighting over little boxes of chocolate, just because they're 75% off (they were those expensive seashell belgium chocolate things, but still...). My sister was picking things off the shelves left and right, throwing them into a basket (or cart, depending on where we were), whereas I was plodding along slowly. Partly because I was feeling like crap, and partly because I like to think about the gifts I'm buying.

This year, I optted out of buying Christmas cards and little trinkets for everyone. I just found that last year, it was just unnecessary work. I'd rather hang out with the person than just hang them a card with a candy cane. Not to offend those who do, of course. But I've tried it. And I don't think it's for me. My sister was outraged, calling me lazy and selfish, not wanting to give people little red and green coloured pieces of cardboard.

On top of that, while I started buying gifts today, I caught myself actually doing some math. That's a big deal, if you know me. But that's not the scariest part. I was calculating how much I could spend, how long it would take me to pay back, and adding in when my bills and such were due. To add more, I was also thinking about my laundry that needed to be done, other errands (like filling up the car with gas, picking up some lettuce, etc.) and my next shift at work. When I realized what I was doing, I literally froze.

It's crazy now that I think about it. Somewhere further back, I became a job-working, bill-paying, hard-working young adult.


Wow. Never thought I'd see the day.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

All Hope Is Not Lost

Mood: mellow
Hating: stupid ISU assignments from school...and the fact that I haven't started my Christmas shopping...
Loving: that we only have two more days of school!
Currently lip-syncing : All Time Low -- Umbrella

------

I have always considered myself as a fairly responsible person. Of course, occasionally I'll forget something here, misplace something there. Unfortunately for me, one of the things that I misplaced the other day were my keys.
Now, to be completely honest, I have never lost a pair of keys. I've lost cellphones, yes, but for some reason I've always managed to hold onto my keys. But yesterday, all that changed. I couldn't for the life of me find them! I searched left and right, up and down; they were no where to be found. I started having a mild panic attack then. You see, not only do I have my house key and an extra set of car keys, but I also have job obligations. Working as a (sort of) night manager for my store, I carried a key to the actual store, the vault (in the backroom) as well as a key to our cash till. So needless to say, losing my keys was setting me up for a massive heart attack.

I've never been a fan of our school, seeing as how it's 50 years old and is falling to pieces, but it's nice to know that the people inside make all the difference.

I had run in yesterday, panting and desperately asking the secretaries if anyone had turned in a set of keys. They replied with a non-chalant, "Nope!" without even looking up from the magazines they were reading (I know they were magazines because I saw the Cosmo logo on one of them, and a picture of Angelina Jolie on the other). Disheartened, I had left.
But today, I walked into the office to check my mailbox for the Student Activity Council. Just as I was riffling through some junk mail, one of the secretaries called out to me, "You lost a set of keys, right?"
Confused, I replied with a hesitant, "Yes..." and with a grin, she triumphantly held up my keys from behind the desk! I was so happy I almost hugged the woman. It definitely frightened her. When I asked who had returned them, the secretary simply told me a person had found them in the school doorway and turned them in. They hadn't even left a name.

Despite my happy exterior, I often find myself being extremely cynical. But today, having a person do a random act of kindness really melted my heart a little bit. Someone turned in some keys they found without seeking any sort of recognition, just like a good Samaritan. Maybe we shouldn't give up on humanity just yet, huh?

More on the topic of the Sex Phone Operator

This exact thing happened to me this morning and then as we were standing listening to the 5 minute long announcement about how the boys hockey team won their tournament over the last two days(which by the way 2 of my teachers are coaches for so for two days and two classes i did absolutely nothing!) Anyways as waiting for the announcements to finish consuming my life, not one but two teachers walked by! 2 teachers. Why are they allowed to walk around because they don't have class, but when i don't have class either i still have to wait and listen to Ben and the sex phone operator, stuffed in a tiny stairwell with fricken mrs. Laba standing there saying them allowed just in case we didn't hear them. God i hate this school

Sunday, December 14, 2008

"True Patriot Love"

I am the least patriotic person you will meet. Which is odd seeing as I am American- land of the free and home of the brave, or really a meeting place for ignorant flag-waving country-loving, pardon the generalization, hicks.
I have never liked standing for the national anthem, and I have always felt awkward singing along to the old ditty. This brings up my problem from Friday. Lets start out by saying I have a spare, first spare, excellent for those who like sleeping in, but if I get up ten minutes after the regular time, I feel like a slacker. So I went to school at 7:50, with only one hour and 36 minutes to kill. So before the lovely hurry up music started, I went to see my drama teacher. Being the wonderful student I am, I signed up to volunteer with the bake sale and went above and beyond by making signs (which I still haven't done, but am assuming will take 10 seconds to do so). By the time I got to my locker, our monotoned secretary murmurs something about standing for our national anthem. Its odd because our secretary has the voice of a phone sex operator, even those I don't know what they sound like, but that's how I envision they speak. After the song is done, I reach for my locker, clutching at my coat collar, which is collecting my sweat. (what a great way to start the morning :D) But no, because I am LATE (1 hour and 36 minutes mind you) i have to stand for the whole bloody thing. Announcements about our lame teams accomplishments, Man of the Match Honours goes to the same person for the 8 billionth consecutive game, and something about candigrams. My blood was boiling, and not just from the coat. I was be punished for being early!!! Whatever.

So this brings me to "national", in our national anthem... Whenever it is any sport season, people dust off their national flags which grace their cars, houses, jerseys, anything with a blank space... Notice how a minority of these flags are Canadians. We are a nation of immigrants (I am one too, so I can say that without sounding too insensitive) and its great. With the melange of cultures, we have great food, great music and great accents! Unfortunately though, many people keep their culture and do not assume ours. There is no Canadian. So why make these people stand for a song that they don't care about, nor do we even know the words.

Oh Canada, our home and (Native) land, true patriot love...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Don't Wanna Be a Canadian Idiot

Oh how proud I am that I am Canadian.

Governments and companies all over the world are working furiously to protect their citizens and assets. There are alliances between rivals, unheard of attempts at saving money, and billions of dollars being spent on bailout plans.

And what is the almighty Prime Minister of Canada doing?

Nothing.

Canada, at the moment, has no government.

During a time of economic crisis, where everywhere you turn, people are trying to save the world from implosion, Stephen Harper used the threat of a recession to destroy his opposition. With a bill that would remove tax funding for all parties, the Conservative Party tried to put on a facade of actually caring about the Canadian people by "saving money." Because each Canadian pays $1.90 in taxes that goes straight to government campaigns, Harper thought that would make a huge difference.
With the Conservatives receiving most of their money from private investors, it wasn't a huge deal. But for all the other major parties, it could turn into quite the blow.

So what did they do?

Outraged, the other three parties in the Parliament banded together to form a coalition. Translation?
They decided to hijack the government.
Barely eight weeks ago, we had an election, where about 300 million dollars was wasted on something most Canadians didn't even care about. This 2008 election had the lowest voter turn out in pretty much over a decade, yet the Conservatives did manage to win enough seats to become another minority government.
Although I may not like Stephen Harper, I have to admit that he has at least won over enough Canadians to become our official leader. What gives the Liberals, New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois the right to seize power away from him, without permission from the public? What kind of democracy is that?

What makes even less sense is that Stephane Dion, the leader of the Liberal party, would head this coalition. With a voice reminiscent of Kermit the Frog, no clear understanding of the English language and the charisma of a kumquat, who the heck would want him to lead an entire country? Under his reign, the Liberals lost so many seats that I don't even want to try and write some half-intelligent comparison. Yes, he may be incredibly eloquent in french, but let's face it. How much of the general public really follows the french debates? Most don't even remember their mandatory french classes from grade school. Dion can't even sway the province with the highest population of french-speakers. Instead, most people in Quebec support the Bloc Quebecois.
On top of all his ineptitude, Dion had already announced that he would be stepping down as the leader of the Liberal party in March.
So...becoming the leader of a hostile take-over in Parliament...

Last Thursday, there was a company off of the 400 series highway that made an interesting political statement. People who commute to work were use to seeing the large Canadian flag flying outside Dickie Moore's Rental, but it caused quite the traffic slowdown the other day. Flying the flag at half-mast and upside, the employees decided that it would efficiently embody their feelings towards our government. Well done. I think they've got the right idea.

But back to my point earlier...

Thanks to all of the political turmoil, the Governor-General had to end her European tour earlier and return to Canada. Granting Harper's request, the House is now in recess. That's right, during a time where three of the biggest North American car industries are almost going under, where consumer spending and tourism is at an all time low, and people left and right are desperately trying to keep themselves clothed and fed, there are no efforts being by our government to save us from a recession.
Lovely, isn't it?

Oh Canada...

Sunday, December 7, 2008

I talk to Me and Myself

As Me and Myself have already introduced the general idea for this blog, I thought I'd stop by and add a little something as well.

This is exciting, mostly because I've never had a blog before. It should be fun! Actually, this is pretty monumental. I just posted my first blog ever on my own profile. It was thrilling. So I headed over here to get some more kicks.

Huh, seeing as how it's almost 2.00am though, I'm thinking I should keep this short. Just like me. Ha-ha.

But I also threw in a random image, just because I like how cool Me's entry looked with the comic picture. It's to honour the wonderful day that is Sunday. Fittingly, it's called Faith.
The word Faith holds so many connotations, but most associate it with religion. I do. I've just always been curious about the idea. Faith can be anything from putting your right foot foward, to praying for someone to live through a disease. I'm not quite sure how anyone could live without faith...
But since I promised this would be short, I shall end it here.
A lovely Sunday to all!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Song of the Day
"Picture" by Kid Rock ft. Cheryl Crow
http://www.lyrics007.com/Kid%20Rock%20Lyrics/Picture%20Lyrics.html

Great...

My family and I got together tonight to celebrate my Nanny's 70th birthday. Being a 100% Caucasian family, we of course got Mandarin! (yes imitation ethnic food!!) But maybe I'm hypocritical, because I actually do love chicken balls. So we all sat around my table, squeezing "duck sauce" out of plastic wrappers and shovelling something we couldn't pronounce into our mouths. My cousins, they opted instead for pb&j sandwiches, but to each his own.

So after we threw away all the greasy take-out container, it was time to break out the fortune cookies. In little print straight from the Far East Fortune Cookie Co. (aka: the fortune factory) my fate sat in that deliciously crispy cresent. "Select a goal early in life and work toward it". I'm seventeen for crying out loud! And yes, these are mass-manufactured slips of paper, but really?!?!? Guess I better select my courses....

Oh Dear The Future Already

University Applications.

how ironic that i was just doing that online?


not applying but looking through programs and schools.

personally i think its kind of fun! i mean its your future.

but before I start I think i should mention how university is not the only option!

I mean I personally am thinking about College for my future!

I think its stupid that people look down on it. The thing is it is more practical!

it's more hands on and for some courses and careers you need a college education

not a university one. If you want to be a fire fighter should you have to go to university to learn about fires how their made and the chemical ways to extinguish them? No, thats stupid! You need to learn how to use a hose and how to get the fire out. Knowing the chemical make ups of a fire isn't always gonna save people lives!

well whichever you like, it doesn't matter, they both have their own pros and cons.

the only thing i don't like is that when you are applying if you want to apply to 5 colleges for the 95 dollars great but if then you want to apply for 1 university you must pay the $95 so you might as well just apply to two other random things. I think the whole thing is ridiculous. i have to pay 200 dollars to apply to one college and one university, or one college and three universities or 5 colleges and 1 university or 5 colleges and 3 universities. All in all the whole application process is outrageous.

But still i'm excited. I want to move forward in life. I want to be grown up and i want to have more freedom. Escape from the all too tight grasp of my parents. The only problem is most of the schools i'm looking at involve staying at home; meaning more time with the 'rents. I guess part of growing up is learning how to cope and deal with things. But in the same way i don't want to grow. I want to be able to love stupid things like High School Musical and the Disney Channel. It's hard. I'm a rock in a hard place.

I've heard it only gets harder with time. That sucks! Well maybe someday... maybe

Anyways. Either way i will survive.





Oh and in contrast to Me. I think that the best song for me to relate to this subject is...

Carrie Underwood: The Night Before (Life Goes On)
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/carrieunderwood/nightbeforelifegoeson.html

Friday, December 5, 2008

Song of the Day:
Taylor Swift "White Horse" (Album: Freedom)
http://www.metrolyrics.com/white-horse-lyrics-taylor-swift.html


The Final Countdown


"This is the final countdown". No this isn't for the twenty days until Christmas, but the countless days until the university applications are due. While filling out a few forms on the Internet doesn't sound like a daunting task, you should see the students when it comes selection time. Those who knew out of the womb that they were going to be a insert doctor, lawyer, teacher, circus performer... are now suddenly lost in the sea of choices. Personally, I'm not... at all! Is it just me, or is it okay NOT to know what you want to do. Now, I know (well, how can one really be 100% certain?) that I want to be a journalist, its just a matter of getting there. Am I scared? Yes. But spazzing out? Not in my eyes. (maybe to you guys, but that's another story). How does everyone feel about all these big decisions for the future? It is a broad spectrum at our school. There are those that have no clue and don't care, yet others are certain they know what they are doing. Based on the clique, people act differently to this looming deadline. Now this begs the question, why isn't everyone scared/natural/passive about the university applications? My psychology teacher may argue that its genetics or some combination of behavioural genetics (OK...). But I sometimes question, is all this sudden "freaking out" a way to get attention? I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks. But personally, I will likely be doing the applications over the Christmas break, sipping cocoa and sporting my fuzzy pink slippers. Stressful, eh?

Hello from Myself

Hey its myself, one of three people writing for this blog; the others being Me and I

Me myself and I wont always agree and often it will probably be two on one but thats okay, we promise not to take it personally. It'll be fun! lets see how it goes!

As for myself, I'm super excited because when i blog, i talk to myself only and sometimes don't know what to write about but with us all talking about different topics then it'll be fun and on going.

Please feel free to leave discusion topics in a comment! we'll talk about anythying.

Anyone have a discussion starter?

bienvenue

HELLO BLOGGING WORLD!
So the whole idea for the blog came from our French teacher, who introduced a blog for our classroom. It has served as a great tool for communication, homework updates and just random videos. Now our French class has had some very heated discussion, and my two friends and I realized that our views are polar opposite.
Despite the fact we all met in kindergarten and have went to the same schools since we were 4, the three of us have different views on pretty much everything. Now rather than argue in a melange of French and English, we decided to air them on the world-wide web.
We look forward to comments and hope that you too will weigh in on the issues that affect us, teens, our city, country and the whole wonderful world.