Holidays!

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND CULTURAL APPRECIATION WEEK- February15-21
International travel  and cultural appreciation week celebrates travelling and exploring the world one step at a time. It also celebrates all the different cultures in the world. It is basically a international sized Folkarama with travelling. This holiday is meant for anyone who hasn't experienced travelling or for anyone who likes to travel. The meaning of the holiday is to let yourself take a break from whatever you are doing and hop on a plane and go where ever you desire and learn something new about a place. Everyone deserves a vacation and a chance to experience something new.
For International Travel Week all modes of transportation (planes, trains, buses) are absolutely free and you are allowed to travel to as many places as you can in 7 days. However you do have to pay for food and hotels of the locations you go to. It is in mid-February which for most people, is not the best time of the year. Christmas is over and it is a time year that drags a lot. This is the perfect opportunity to get away and relax. During this week, all school and work absences are excused. However if for some particular reason you want to not travel and you still go to work or school, it counts as extra hours so you could finish work or school quicker. But hardly anyone does that.

In airports, there are many decorations to represent travelling/places as well as sample food to experience different cultures and places before you travel to them. Also in the capital city of each country around the world, there is a festival downtown with a parade, games and delicious food. In the parade there is a float for each country of the world and food from all over the world is served too. No matter where you are, you can still experience what it is like in other parts of the world. So if you aren't able to travel far, or go to all the places you want to visit in a week, just head on over to the capital of your country for more festivities. To make it easier, there are twice as many flights directed towards the capital city so more people can head over there.
This week is meant to be a fun week of travelling, relaxing and being adventurous.




My Favourite Holiday
My favourite holiday is Christmas. Christmas happens on December 25th and it is my favourite holiday because I love what it celebrates and I enjoy the festivities and food that come with it. I love eating hot turkey and  mouth watering stuffing with cranberry sauce. I also how it's in winter and it is the bright spot of what is usually a sometimes dreary time of year.  Christmas originally was to celebrate the birth of Christ and how he was born to save us all from sin. But as time progressed people just celebrate it as a time of giving and thanksgiving.
I think that Christmas has definitely lost some of it's original meaning since today people who aren't even Christians celebrate Christmas. They just do it for the gifts, dinners and relaxation. There are much more songs that don't talk about Jesus' birth and we also have Santa flying his reindeer giving presents to all children. It is very commercialized now. I feel like if we don't remember the true meaning of Christmas, then it is almost pointless to celebrate it. It's called 'Christ'mas for a reason and if the majority of the people who celebrate it are ignoring the fact that God came into this world because he loved us so much, then it just becomes an ordinary day of giving gifts, eating turkey and receiving gifts from Santa. Not that giving/receiving gifts and spending quality time with your family is bad, it just shouldn't be our true focus. At Christmas time, my family first goes to church at Grant Memorial on Christmas eve for the candle light service, then we head home and the next morning we get up and open our stockings. After that we have breakfast, then we open presents underneath our fake Christmas tree and for the rest of the day we relax in the house before having a turkey dinner. I always look forward to Christmas and I think it triumphs all other holidays that we have.

Short Story Idea: The Colour

Setting:

·         In a large city, enclosed by walls, that the main character, Connor, does not know the name of.

·         In the future

·         Tall buildings, no plants, everything is very dull and bland. Many back alleys.

·         Colourless, everything is black and white. HOWEVER all people are the same shade of grey, no matter what race or ethnicity

·         Mood: lifeless, boring, and dreary until The Colour comes in. Then it gets brighter and vibrant. Until Connor finds out the truth about himself, then it get dark and is full of unhappiness

Characters: 

·         Protagonist:

o  Connor:

§  African American, tall, skinny. Short black hair, dark chocolate eyes. Skinny, yet he is very strong and is quick as the wind. Agile too.

§  Poor. Just has enough money to get by

§  Likeable, people get along with him quickly and easily

§  Adventurous and curious about almost everything. A little lonely, since he doesn’t know where his parents are or whether they are dead or alive.  Unable to sit still, fidgety and cannot stay in one place for a long period of time

·         Antagonist:

o  The Colour

§  In a flask, swirling with every colour of the spectrum. The only colourful thing in the city. Stands out strongly.

§  Vibrant, gives a sense of emotion and personality, something which the city lacks.

§  Connor finds The Colour in a flask that is given by homeless man and drinks it. He is then given the ability to give colour to everything in the city.  

·         Other characters:

o  Emma: Connor’s sister

o  Homeless man who gives The Colour

Plot:

·         Initial Action:

o  Connor is out for a walk to the convenience store to get food for his sister and him.

o   He shoplifts some stuff because he doesn’t have enough money for all the food he wants to get and the police start to chase him.             

·         Rising Action:

o  Takes a different route to escape. It is through an alley he has never seen or been in before. Finds The Colour in the alley. The homeless man who lives there gives it to him.

o  Drinks it and is given the ability to give colour to everything he touches. He touches the alley and it burst into colour. Connor is astounded by this new discovery.

o  Goes around the city and gives colour to all the buildings and objects. People start to see in colour and love it.

o  Connor starts to give colour to the people themselves. Discovers that all the people are white in the city. Connor is curious as to know what colour he is.

o  Goes back to his home and gives his sister colour. She is fair skinned as well.

o  Goes back to the alley where he found the colour, and asks the homeless man how he can give himself colour. The man says that it is best for him to not give himself colour.

o  Connor pleads with him and the man gives in and says to touch his eyes. Connor touches his eyes and he is given colour. Homeless man gives him as shard of mirror. Connor looks in it and discovers he has dark skin.

·         Climax:

o  Connor discovers that he’s the only dark skinned person in the city.

o   The homeless person says that he was the only one who could see in colour and knew that he was different from the rest. He was afraid of giving him The Colour because he didn’t want to hurt him

o   Connor is very shocked

·         Falling Action

o   Everyone begins to treat him differently because of his skin colour and Connor cannot tolerate this anymore.

o   The people make fun of him, or ignore him or treat him cruelly

o   He learns that his sister is not his sister as well. She is just a homeless child who was living with him for the past years

·         Resolution

o   Connor decides to try to escape the city in search for a better future

o   Manages to climb the city walls and stands on top of them.

o   Sees that the rest of the world has colour as is excited. Only the walled city didn't have any colour for some reason.

o   However he trips and falls off the wall to his death

Theme:

·         This story is sending a message about racism, and how it affects people. It is not a good thing at all and can destroy a person.

·         How if we were colour blind or thought we were all the same colour, we wouldn’t judge each other by skin tone. We would be treated equally and nicely

·         Sometimes things that we think are good can turn against us (eg. The Colour)

·         We shouldn’t be judged by our appearance

Conflict:

· Person vs. Society: Society doesn’t like him because he is different (once he gives The Colour to himself)

· Person vs. Internal: Has a bit of trouble accepting he is different and wish things could go back to normal

· Person vs. Person (The Colour): The Colour was good at first, until it revealed the truth to Connor about his skin colour

Descriptive Paragraph

Mood: feeling  lost, curious yet scared, mysterious, angst

Bridge in the Jungle

I stood paralyzed on the desolate bridge, unwilling to move yet wanting to push forward and continue along the wooden path that was suspended in air. I stared down the bridge, observing the twists and turns of the broken planks of wood, and the rough rope that was firmly holding up the feeble bridge. Beads of sweat formed on my neck and slowly dripped down my stiff back, making me feel very uncomfortable and more claustrophobic by the second. I wanted to scream in anguish, over the sound of chirping birds, and rustling leaves, but I knew it wouldn’t help me progress any further. Not that I wanted to go any further, but it was the only possible option that I had left. I couldn’t stay glued onto the bridge any longer.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself before I took another step forward. The only thing that was keeping my sanity alive was the fresh scent of the green leaves. When combined with the sticky moist air, the sensation was overwhelming. But I couldn’t care less. My vision started to blend in with the mist, and the air started to close in around me. I needed to move. Now. I gingerly lifted my leg and placed it on the board in front of me, hoping it would not give way beneath me. It was a gamble I was willing to take, not just because I couldn’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere for the rest of eternity, but because I could not cope with not knowing what lies at the end of the tunnel, or bridge in my case.

I finally put full force on the dirty plank of wood. It did not crack. The bridge creaked a little and I exhaled in relief. Now for the next step. I placed my other foot down and with a little more confidence I firmly planted it. It did not budge. I moved my other foot up and completely stood on the piece of wood. This wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Then I tried again. Placing my foot in front of me once more, I stepped forward. Suddenly, I heard a snap. The board I was previously standing on gave way and my mind went numb. I didn’t even have time to react, as the board in front of me shattered as well. And the next thing I knew I was plunging backwards into abyss of shrubs and roots, not knowing if I was going to make it or not.

Table:

Sight	Sound	Smell	Taste	Touch	Feeling
Green Misty Foggy Bright, yet dim	Creaking of the bridge Crackling Chirping of the birds	Fresh Leaves Overwhelming	Bitter Fresh	Humid Rough Splinters from Wood Light and airy (on the bridge) sticky	Worried Scared Curious

Review:Inception

Inception is a story about a group of dream extractors who go into people's dreams (subconsciousness) and take valuable information from them. However in the movie, Cobb, the protagonist is given the job of planting an idea in this business man's (Fischer) mind. The idea of planting an idea is called inception, which is a dream within a dream within a dream. Even though the other member's of Cobb's group think that inception is impossible, he decides to take this job because if he successfully does the job, Saito, the wealthy business man who wants him to plant the idea in Fischer, will clear him of all murder changes that people have against him so he can successfully enter America and see his kids again. You see, Cobb's wife Mal committed suicide because she lost grip on reality, because Cobb and her were stuck in dreams for years so when they came back to the real world she didn't believe it was reality. The question is whether the group will get the job done or fail trying.
Personally, this is one of my favourite movies of all time. I could watch this movie 10 times and still love it (even though I've only seen it twice). I just love the idea of how they go into dreams and try to plant ideas through inception. It's such an unique idea that has never been done before. They also do a amazing job of portraying the dreams and what dreams feel like while we are in them. And it is definitely not a boring movie unless you honestly don't understand what is going on. But that's what is so great about it; it makes you think and engrosses you.
One of the things that stood out was the special effects. A scene in particular that stood out was the scene where Cobb was explaining to Ariadne (one of the new group members) how dreams work. When Ariadne realized it was a dream and the fruit from the fruit stands burst out in slow motion, it was really vivid and  stood out to me. Later there was another scene where Ariadne learned how to control the dream and bent the sidewalk and the buildings so they faced directly across from her and above her head. It so cool to see that and it made me think of how dreams just seem abnormal but really cool and how you can control what's happening sometimes (well at least in some dreams I've had I could do that). There are plenty of other really spectacular scenes but it would take too long to mention all of them.
Another thing that stood out was the soundtrack and score. The music is really intense and for each scene the music perfectly fits and describes what's happening. It also makes you wonder what will happen next and makes the movie more enjoyable.
Overall, this movie is spectacular and it is definitely one movie that you should see in your life time. It is a great action movie that has an interesting plot and will keep you on your toes. I would definitely not change one thing about this movie and I would also not want a sequel to this movie. It is a great movie by itself and I highly recommend it.

And here is one quote from the movie that stood out to me and completely describes dreams:

 "Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."

My Keepsake Items

Favourite Memory
Going to Singapore: My Camera Bag
I got this colourful bag from my uncle and aunt when I went to Singapore when I was seven. I don't remember exactly under what circumstances I got it for, but it is now the bag I use to carry my camera when I go on trips or for when I take my camera out and about. This bag represents all the times I've been to Singapore and all the different memories I've experienced there, like seeing my cousins grow up (one of my cousins was born there the last time I went there, less than two years ago), playing with my uncle's cats, exploring the wonderful atmosphere around the Singapore and being a flower girl at my uncle's wedding. I've been there six times so there are a lot of memories attached to this bag and the place.  I love going to Singapore and whenever I take this bag with me it reminds me of the places I've been to and how God has blessed me to have experienced new places and cultures and get a taste of the world. I have a lot of memories attached to Singapore though, since I've been there the most and since my relatives live there, and I'm grateful that I get to go there a lot.


Important Object
My I-Pod

I know this is going to sound a little sad, but my i-pod is quite important to me. It is a 8G i-pod touch and I bought it about a year ago. It represents my love for listening to music and just sitting back and relaxing. It's just a great thing to lie down in my bed and jam my earphones in and shut the rest of the world out. Unlike a lot of people, I never had a i-pod/mp3 until last year so this is my first portable music device. So I was quite excited when I finally had enough money to buy one. I use it a lot to listen to all the songs I like and to just surf the internet and relax or just to do something when I'm bored to death. Sometimes I use it too much though, or sometimes if I don't use it for a few days, I get antsy. However, even when the battery dies for good and I can't use it anymore, I will always remember it as my first i-pod, how I saved up a good chunk of money to buy it and what my taste in music was like at this time.


A Hope and Dream of the Future

Get First Place Medal in a Track and Field event

I have been to many, many track meets and sometimes I do good, while other times I do not so good. Some track meets I've managed to get second place, and it is absolutely an thrilling feeling to achieve that. However, I would really like to get first place in a race (or long jump) someday. These shiny silver medals represent that I've got second in many events and it's a reminder that I can still do even better (not that second place is bad at all). By looking at these medals, I'm happy that I've done this well at track which is something that I love doing. But it would be nice to actually win a race someday, and when I'll be able to do that, I'm not sure. I will have to keep practicing and trying to improve, and hopefully soon, I can win a race or a long jump event. It's going to be hard to do though, since the people I compete against are extremely good. However by seeing these medals and knowing that God has good things in store, it reminds me that I've come far, and that if I can get second, I can definitely first someday. 

Persuasive Paragraph

Why going to Hawaii is better than going to London
Going to Hawaii is better than going to London for many reasons. First of all, Hawaii is a lot cheaper than London. In London, the currency is pounds, and pounds are almost twice as much as a Canadian dollar. In Hawaii, the currency is the American dollar which is very similar to the Canadian dollar. Secondly, Hawaii has more of a preferable climate. In Hawaii it is sunny most almost all of the time, and the temperature is a lot more agreeable. It is not too hot or cold. However in London, it's quite rainy everyday and the weather is damp and chilly. Finally, Hawaii is a lot more relaxing than London. In London, it is busy and it is hard to kick back and relax. You have to take the crowded Metro everywhere to do something interesting. In Hawaii, you can lay on the warm breezy beach while sipping lemonade and watch the beautiful calming ocean. That's why Hawaii is better than London.

My Bucket List
1. Do track in University
2. Go to Egypt
3. Go scuba diving (in the Caribbean or Great Barrier Reef)
4. Go to Australia
5. See a Broadway show
6. Go to New York City
7. Go on a mission's trip (Guatemala!)
8. Go to Hawaii
9. Go see an NFL/ NBA game live
10. get a pet dog/cat
11. Learn to play the drums
12. Get married and have a family (duh)
13. Go on a canoe trip
14. Get 1st place in a major race
15. Go see an Olympics Game live
16. Meet someone famous ( it can be anyone that I know, well anyone I like)
17. Buy an awesome car
18. Get a fun summer job
19. Get baptised (again)
20. Go on a safari in Africa
21. Go to the Ellen show
22. See the rest of Disney World (Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios)
23. Try golfing
24. Go to a live concert (Coldplay maybe?)
25. Have Harry Potter marathon
26. Do some professional photographing