Reading Reflection #7

Book: WRECK THIS JOURNAL

Author: Keri Smith

Pages Read (but not completed): all

The first thing I noticed about the book is that it was “dedicated to perfectionists all over the world” which definitely applies to me. As much as I love being spontaneous and trying new things, flipping through the pages of WRECK THIS JOURNAL made me realize that I’d probably have a lot of difficulty doing many of the tasks assigned for the wrecking process. I have a feeling that I’d be much too focused on making the book nice, which completely defeats the purpose of letting loose and making a mess while doing so.

Despite this, I do think that the book is a really cool idea. It is quirky and made me giggle (whether the author intended this or not.) Some of the tasks were a little much, which makes me wonder whether anyone actually does them (“shower with the journal” for example). I also wonder whether anyone has finished all of the tasks… or if this journal is one of those things that never comes to an end. (It asks you to list more ways to wreck it, so it could potentially go on forever.)

Here are some of my favourite pages that I’d like to share with you…

“Scribble wildly using only borrowed pens. (document where they were borrowed from.)” – I feel like this is one of those things that would be rather entertaining to go back to and read/look at. For once you’d get to be the unprepared pen borrower and you can get creative and take the challenge further than expected. (For example, only borrow pens from bank tellers or library staff. Make them question what you are doing with their writing utensils.)

“*Note: If found, flip to a page randomly, follow the instructions, then return.” – I’m curious as to whether a stranger would really do this. I guess it all depends on whose hands the journal ends up in. Imagine finding a masterpiece or something that is just extremely odd in your book and how interesting that would be. This got me thinking a little bit… What if you share the journal with some friends or even your class? People could take turns taking the journal home and do whatever interests them. It could be a group effort! (Kind of like the silly story writing when one person writes a sentence, folds it over, and passes it to the next person to do the same. In the end everyone is laughing due to the lack of sense it makes, but it’s still enjoyable.)

“Collect fruit stickers here.” – I know someone that did that on the inside of their locker door. It makes for a lovely collage, and gives purpose to fruit stickers (outside of the grocery store, that is.)

Weekly Reflection #6

Question #1

This question is rather difficult to answer considering the fact that I only vaguely know what I want to do with my post-high school life. I am certain that university and travel will be playing a large role in the matter, however I’m not too sure as to how I can connect these things to my blog. An obvious way of looking at it would be considering the relationship between my blog and my final grade in the course – which will then affect my post-secondary education in terms of scholarships. My blog is a direct representation of my work in this course as well as my personality, so keeping the blog up to date, interesting, and intelligent should lead to success in the course. This can help me keep up a high average, which should then help me obtain some good entry scholarships as well as apply for ones that are not automatic. My hope is that the money saved through these scholarships could be used towards exploring and traveling the world. This has the potential to open up my eyes to new things and help me grow as a person.

Question #2

Comment 1:

http://sjkennedy95.blogspot.ca/2012/09/blog-post_6015.html?showComment=1351089179877

Comment 2:

http://elijahtomas.blogspot.ca/2012/09/reading-reflection-3.html?showComment=1351173497690

Comment 3:

http://taylorperistyblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/six-word-memoir-5-teacher.html?showComment=1351173848978

Question #3

The first comment I posted was on Sarah’s blog. As soon as I read the word “Hogwarts”, I knew the post would be one I’d enjoy. The picture stood out to me because of the contrast between the dark background and bright candles, which was probably another factor that initially captured my attention. After having read the post, I realized that this six word memoir was different than most that I’ve previously encountered. It was silly and humorous, and left me feeling like I got to know a new part of Sarah. This impressed me and I decided to leave a quick comment telling Sarah just that.

The second comment I wrote was on Elijah’s blog post. Adding on to the Harry Potter theme, he discussed the fifth novel in his reflection. What I found rather neat was his comparison between the novel and movie. I have never read the books myself, but Elijah’s post made me think about doing just that. I also have to give Elijah some credit because he spiced up his reflection by finding something to discuss besides his questions and predictions for the book. I find that my work can get a little dry when I just follow the plan, so seeing what Elijah did was a bit of inspiration to go outside the box.

The last comment I posted was on Taylor’s blog. This post was not Harry Potter themed, but instead it was something I could really relate to. Tay discussed the future and career paths, which is something that is currently going through most of the minds of the grade twelve students. This subject is haunting me a little bit in the sense of not knowing what path I want to take or how I want to get there. Just like Tay, I don’t want to make the wrong choice and wind up being unhappy. I also considered becoming a teacher myself, but I don’t feel like I have the right qualities to be doing that, and I don’t think that it’s something I’d enjoy. I feel like sometimes it can be nice hearing that people are “in the same boat” as yourself, so I left Tay a comment mentioning something along those lines.

I left comments on whatever posts caught my eye. They were things I could relate to or topics I’m interested in. A good comment tends to be one that starts discussion/a train of thought and is a bit lengthier than a couple of words. As long as it’s appropriate, humor can be used for the sake of entertainment.  Constructive criticism is always helpful to the author of the blog post as it may lead to improvement. A bad comment is one that has no point, is unpleasant, and/or doesn’t make sense. We are human and typing/spelling errors do occur, but quickly proof reading before clicking “Send” could save us a lot of trouble and explaining in the long run. Commenting benefits both the viewer that’s leaving comments as well as the person receiving the comments. The viewer gets to express his/her opinions, share ideas, and ask questions for a better understanding of the post, while the receiver gets feedback on what he/she is doing, provides the audience with some explanation, and may potentially receive some praise.

Personal Addition #2 - Intro to Seriously... I'm Kidding

I haven’t had cable at home for about a year now. It was never put to good use by anyone besides my dad, who would turn on the weather channel or the news and doze off within ten minutes. Correction: it was never put to good use. This is why when I’m in need of some relax time (especially before work), I tend to surf the Internet for some videos, funny facts, entertainment, etc. Lately I’ve been finding myself watching a lot of Ellen’s videos on Youtube, mostly because it’s a nice way to unwind without spending an entire hour committed to one episode of a show. She is also extremely funny and tends to leave me in a positive and appreciative mood, which is always a plus. This was probably the reason as to why immediately picked up her novel Seriously... I'm Kidding when I spotted it a few weeks ago at Costco. Let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised! (Stay tuned for a reading reflection with reasoning.) 

http://goo.gl/2eINP
 

P.S. I've only recently learned that there is a technical term for folding over the corner of a page in a book. It's called "dog-earing" and I decided to share this newly learned wisdom with you because I feel as though as it relates to Creative Writing. The fact that I love dogs may have had a bit to do with it too.

Reading Reflection #2

Book: The History of Love

Author: Nicole Krauss

Pages Read:  35 – 64

The first thing I noticed while reading this chapter is its layout. Rather than being in paragraph or story form like most, the chapter was in point form. The points ranged from 1 – 34 and each had a title as well as a few paragraphs either telling a story or explaining the title itself. Once in a while, there’d be no explanation, but an entire story simply found within the title. I found this to be extremely successful since a new family was introduced in this chapter. I felt like I learned much more about these characters than one would expect to in a single chapter. I owe that to the author’s stylistic choice, which allowed her to jump from topic to topic quickly; covering many topics in a short section of the book. It was also rather clever, in my opinion, because it made the chapter so much more eye catching and interesting which is a crucial thing to do in the first few chapters. Since the beginning of a novel is usually trying to build some sort of basis for the plot, there’s potential for it to be a little dull and uninteresting. This chapter seemed to do just about the opposite by capturing the reader and creating excitement for what’s to come.

While reading, I found myself trying very hard to connect the newly introduced family to Leo Gursky, the protagonist of the previous chapter. There are currently two separate stories being told in the same novel, and due to the fact that I’ve previously read the little summary on the back of the book, I know that the two stories won’t be separate for much longer. After some examination, I noticed that there is an evident connection and significance when it comes to literature in both stories. In the first, Leo Gursky is a writer himself, while in the second, Elma’s mother is obsessed with books – translating them into different languages and basically putting all of her life and attention into the novels she is working with.

I am a little ashamed to say that the use of post it notes was not too successful during this reading period. I only used one or two, focusing on the reading instead. My stubborn ways must be destroyed!

Personal Addition #1 - Fireworks

"Cosmic Fireworks" by Jeanine Malaney
image from http://goo.gl/1U7g7

This piece of artwork combines three of my favourite things - watercolour, the sky, and fireworks. I have to give the artist, Jeanine Malaney, a lot of credit because she combined them in such a beautiful way. She managed to create contrast between the white of the canvas/watercolour paper and the paint itself in a very realistic way, which is rather difficult, as I've learned from personal experience. I love the way she let different colours run and blend with one another, causing a smoky and neat effect. This painting is proof to me when it comes to just how flexible one medium can be.

Something to think about...
Why are we so fascinated by lights exploding in the sky? Fireworks seem to have the ability to make just about anyone quiet down, stop, and stare. Though we mostly use them for entertainment purposes these days, some research (thank you, http://goo.gl/VbqoA) tells me that they originated in China and were often used for ceremonial and religious purposes as well. This is quite interesting to me because it seems like there are so many things that society does and sees on a day to day basis, while not considering what influenced these things or where they came from. For example, did you know that body modifications and piercings were once used as sacrifice to the "higher spirits" or God(s)?