Final Thoughts

Favourite Assignment? Why?

My favourite assignment was definitely putting together the bucket list. I found that the introduction of the unit with the Buried Life show and book really inspired me to make a list that’s not only personal, but also sincere. It was a nice change not to have to write paragraphs upon paragraphs of reflection, and the list came to me easily. The final bucket list project was also really rewarding to complete, as it was a step towards the “Now What?” for me. It made me feel that much more ready to get out there and actually take action when it comes to completing the items. In general, I probably learned more about myself through this project than any of the others.

Least Favourite Assignment? Why?
My least favourite assignment(s) would probably be the reading reflections. I found that they dragged on and on, and I could never finish them in the class time provided. It was difficult to figure out what to discuss and I never knew what was expected of me when it comes to them.

Friday Reading?

I actually really enjoyed the Friday reading periods! They were a very nice way to both start off a Friday morning, and to finish up the week. I liked being in the loop and always prepared for what’s happening during our Friday classes.

Monday Written Reflection?
I didn’t mind the written reflections we did based on our assignments. It was a good opportunity to conclude our assignments, explain ourselves, and share our thoughts about them in general.

The WRN?

I think the fact that I had to ask Taylor “What is the WRN?” is an answer to this question all on its own. When the WRN was introduced, I had assumed that I’d be doing the majority of my work and planning in it. I attempted to use it a couple of times, and eventually caved into the world of technology. I found the WRN very convenient for the sake of taking notes and referring back to them, but otherwise, not much writing was done in it.

Blogging?

Blogging became fun once it was second nature. Just like Twitter, it was rather overwhelming at first. I didn’t know what may or may not have been significant enough to blog about, and the full creative freedom was too much. In the end, it was really neat to see a blog come together so quickly – especially one that is reflective of me as a person.

Tweeting?
I really didn’t expect to enjoy it. At first, I found the vast world of Twitter to be a little scary and overwhelming. Once I got used to it and realized just how casual it is, I started to appreciate and respect it a little more. I had always assumed that Twitter could only be used for insignificant things like updating people on what it is you’re eating (or maybe that’s Instagram?) However, I was pleasantly surprised with what you can find out and how productive you can be on Twitter.

The integration of technology into the course?

I thought that the integration of technology into the course was very well done; especially considering the restrictions placed on us when it came to the lack of Wi-Fi, school division security block of certain sites, etc. We were creative (pun not intended) and managed to get around these things!

What you learned about yourself as a reader, writer, and thinker, creator?

I’ve learned that some forms of writing are actually enjoyable and are great for self-expression. I also found out that despite being a rather private person, sharing some of my work with the public can be beneficial.

Comments/Compliments/Constructive criticism for Ms. McLauchlan about the course

Though not what I expected when hearing the name “Creative Writing”, the course was very interesting and different from anything else I’ve seen in high school. I will definitely take many of the ideas and inspiration with me, and feel like I’ve figured out a new little piece of myself through the course. It would be really nice to get some more time in class for reading others’ blogs to get inspiration as well as feedback.

Thank you, Ms. McLauchlan!

Advice for future CW students?

Keep up with your work! It is so stressful to have missing assignments pile up (as it would be in any course, but I guess this is the first time I’ve really experienced it.) Also, don’t be afraid to share your personal thoughts, experiences, and ideas. That’s what the course is for. Keep in mind that incorporating cats into your assignments will probably give you bonus marks... All in all, good luck!

Personal Addition #73... I wish. - The Difference

http://goo.gl/cHMmV

I honestly can't remember the first time I stumbled upon this image, but what matters is that it really provoked some thought in me. On a daily basis, we hear something about persecution of people based on race, gender, religion, and physical appearance in general. Someone thinks that someone else is a lesser person for being different when it comes to one of those categories, and discussions and arguments start. This can easily be found all over the internet, in history, in the present, and even within places like schools. Think of the LGBT group and Black History month. These are both fine examples of what we've done in attempt to solve this issue. The unfortunate thing is that it still exists... What the image is trying to show is that despite all the differences, we are all the same on the inside. We're all human, and we should be able to live in peace with our equals. I just wish more people would see it this way.

Reading and Writing Reflection #4

Book: Water For Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Pages Read: 1-13 (part 2)

I clearly have a lot to say about the prologue and the first chapter, as this is the second part of the reading reflection. (Hooray for sticky notes! Despite it being a little annoying to have to stop part way through reading to write something down, it is also so helpful! I used a total of 6 sticky notes just for the 13 pages, which is definitely a record for me. Since I prefer to read later in the evening, I usually don’t have time to write the reflection right after. The sticky notes have made the reading reflections a breeze!)

Back to the book, the first chapter is Jacob seventy years later, at a care home. He starts the chapter off by making a good point about old age. He says, “You call your child by the names of all your children and finally the dog before you get to his.” I can relate to this, considering my mom does this all the time. “Lena, Maggie (dog), I mean Jane! Come here!” She’ll yell (translation from the Russian language.) The best part is that she isn’t even old. She’s only about half of Jacob’s age…

Jacob goes on about his longing for normal food. He says, “Sometimes I think that if I had to choose between an ear of corn or making love to a woman, I’d choose the corn.” My automatic reaction to this was laughter, of course. Once it sunk in a little bit, I really felt bad for Jacob. The statement is actually very sad if you think about the situation… Lonely old man that can barely walk is stuck with nothing but his thoughts and doesn’t get to enjoy the rest of his life… Not even some decent food! I would hate not being able to eat good food.

He reminisces about his life at the circus, which makes me want to experience the classic circus environment, as I don’t think that I’ve ever been before. This description makes me wonder if circuses like that even exist in this time period. I hope they do… it’s something that I’m going to add to my bucket list ;).

Later on, Jacob brings up something else that really amazes me and makes me sympathize for him. He talks about being widowed. The woman was his wife for 61 years (wow!) and died of cancer. A question instantly popped into my mind – was the woman Marlena?! I secretly hope it was… Something Jacob said that really played with my heart strings was “…I’m glad she went first. Losing her was like being cleft down the middle. It was the moment it all ended for me, and I wouldn’t have wanted her to go through that.” This quote really showed me just how much Jacob cared (and still cares) for his wife. You can tell that he depended on her greatly, and she seems to be the only family he ever had, so it must have been devastating for him to lose her.

Six Word Memoirs:

I tend to have difficulty shortening things and getting to the point, so having a project where an entire story or fact has to be told through just six words was a little challenging for me. I found myself rewording the same phrase over and over again to fit the word limit and to make it sound better. Let’s just say that the thesaurus was my best friend. The best part about using the thesaurus was that despite the great substitutes and words I had found, I usually ended up sticking to the original line or simpler wording. So in the end, I mostly used it for reassurance more than anything else.

Something that I really enjoyed was putting the words together with the visuals. Finding something that really fit in my eyes was a little bit of a challenge, but seeing the finished piece is definitely worth all that trouble. As far as I know, the students that didn't join the course a month late (so everyone but me,) had to find visuals within the school. I am definitely glad that I wasn't one of those students... This would've been so difficult to do, and would definitely call for a lot of creativity. Hmm... Maybe next time. This project has made me realise just how sentimental one image can be. Yes, we have hundreds upon hundreds of pictures lying around, but it seems like every single one of those pictures tells a story. Overall, the project is one I really liked!

Six Word Memoir #6

Photo Credit: Jane R.

Last summer, I flew over to Quebec City for a five week program called Explore. The point of the program is to be living in a French speaking environment while attending classes and participating in various activities that are also in the French language. I spent most of my down time walking down the little streets of Old Quebec and simply taking in all the beautiful scenery around me. I concluded that Quebec is like a little piece of France within Canada, after seeing the huge European influence on the city and its people. The more time I spent exploring (ha ha, pun not intended) the city, the more deeply I fell in love with it. I felt truly at ease with being in this new place, and for once, felt like I belonged somewhere. I assumed that I could easily blend in as a French girl, just walking around, going to the local boulangerie, eating gelato (which was everywhere in Quebec, despite its Italian origin), kind of like I actually lived there. It’s a little silly because I used to always tell my mom that I will live in Quebec City at some point in my life (without having seen it in person,) and the trip just confirmed this desire of mine.

Six Word Memoir #5

Photo Credit: Jane R.

When it comes to big draws, games, contests, etc. I haven't been too lucky. One day, a friend and I decided to grab some hot beverages and warm up at Tim Hortons. Just think of my excitement when I finished my coffee, chewed on the rim of the cup (in attempt to unroll it,) and saw something other than "Thank you for playing." or "Please try again." I was so excited!!! You may be thinking, "but Jane, you just won another coffee..." and yes, you are in fact correct. However, it wasn't about the prize itself, it was about the satisfaction of actually getting one. In the end, I gave the free coffee voucher to an old man writing in a journal in the corner of the cafe. He seemed a little lonely, and I figured that a little act of kindness could make his day.

Six Word Memoir #4

Photo Credit: Random Family Member

This six word memoir is a confession near and dear to my heart. As you may already know, I immigrated to Canada almost 10 years ago, leaving my family behind. This means that I've grown up without grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. around me and haven't seen anyone since. I have changed and grown a lot over the past decade (as would be expected.) The unfortunate thing is that living on the other side of the world has drastically shaped the person I am, and I am extremely worried that this person isn't what would be accepted by the traditional views of my family members. I figured that the best way to visually represent this memoir is to use a photo of who it is I'm referring to. I decided to protect their identities by cleverly blurring their faces, and turned the photo into black and white so that I could have an intense contrast between the photo and the red lettering.

Six Word Memoir #3

Photo Credit: Jane R.

The neat thing about this memoir is the fact that I had created in years ago, without the intention of it ever being seen. I didn't know what a six word memoir was at the time, but simply doodled this out because the phrase was one I connected to. Stumbling upon it years later, I found that the message is still one I can relate to today. Sometimes when things are no longer in your hands, the only thing you can do is be patient - only time will tell how things will turn out.


Six Word Memoir #2

Photo Credit: Jordan M.

After seeing a bit of a serious and gloomy theme among my memoirs, I had decided that it was time to brighten things up. The best part: the memoir itself is still a real confession. Before the creation of the memoir, I stumbled upon this photo and reminisced about the situation. My workplace received plenty of new stock, which included an iPhone 4 case of a bejeweled camel head... that I enjoyed a little too much. Not being able to convince my sister to use it, I was daydreaming about how entertaining it would be to whip that thing out of your bag/pocket in the middle of a public place. Out of curiosity of how weird that would look, I modeled the case for a coworker who then used his iPhone to take the photo. This was the closest I've ever been to setting my mind on buying an iPhone, thank you fancy camel head. Finding this rather humorous, I decided to make a memoir out of it. Having a six word limit, I was forced to cut out the subject (I). I assumed this wouldn't be an issue since I'm in the photograph.

Six Word Memoir #1

Photo Credit: Paulo N.

 

There was a point when I truly started to doubt the existance of love. I assumed that people grew up, hit an age when it was no longer socially acceptable to be single and ready to mingle, and settled. The thought of this made me cringe. Growing up, you hear so many fairy tales about finding true love and the one person that means the world to you (among many other cheesy lines/cliches) that having reality hit you in the face is rather... hard. My negative view of this changed drastically in the last eight months, hence the message in this memoir. The image I chose to represent the six words is very meaningful to me, as it was the person that had sent it to me that completely changed my views on the subject of love. During (what we thought was) one of our last days together, him and I discovered that we both have a passion for jigsaw puzzles that goes back to our childhood. He had mentioned that his mother didn't get it and never bought them for him, so as a parting gift, I had given him this puzzle (I couldn't find one of NYC.) The photo above is the completed puzzle.

Bucket List - Final Project

Author’s Note:

As the average high school student, I’m living a life that is routine and simply… ordinary. There are days when repetition and a lack of inspiration make me forget why we’re here; why I’m here. We get stuck in our day-to-day lives. We look past the fact that the world is a vast and interesting place and there are so many things to try, to see, and to explore. We need to remind ourselves that there’s much more to life - we shouldn’t be wasting it away!

This is where the bucket list came in. Originally starting off as yet another school assignment, my bucket list grew and formed into something much bigger – an idea of where and who I want to be in life. Varying from silly things such as number 46. Learn to crack eggs with one hand, to something like number 25. Have a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Japan during the blooming season (which will require quite a bit more time and effort to accomplish,) my bucket list is a collection of (random) things I’d like to do before I die.

Project:

The actual (and much more time consuming) BL project of mine is in the form of a scrapbook. Since that is rather difficult to share through the internet, I have put together an Animoto version of it. Enjoy!

My Bucket List

Now What:

I am hoping that this bucket list can serve as every day inspiration for me. It can remind me to stay on track and to keep striving for what’s important - achieving my goals. Throughout the years, I am almost certain that my bucket list will change. Things will be modified, crossed off, and added, making my bucket list “never ending". I guess that's the beauty of it. As we grow up, we change and evolve, and the list will be able to evolve with me.

So far, only one item has officially been crossed off my bucket list - 3. Be reunited with the boy I love (01/01/13.) When the project started, this was one of the first things that came to mind, but it was extremely hazy and not probable. Over the course of a few months, things started to come together and eventually something that seemed so out of reach became real. To me, this has been proof not to underestimate the power of human will and capability. If you want something badly enough, you’ll have hope and will strive to get it.

There are numerous items that I'm currently in the process of accomplishing. One that is extremely meaningful to me – 1. Visit my family in Russia after 10 years of not seeing them – is actually going to happen… in July! My mom and I just booked the flight tickets a few days ago, and what's also really neat about this trip is the fact that we'll be stopping in Amsterdam for four nights. This means that I get to see a new part of Europe, which is close to another item on my list (23. Euro trip.) There are also many little things that I have been thinking about doing. For example, number 61. Become a red head. is only the perfect hair dye away! (I've been looking for a red-orange dye that's ammonia free and comes out after 28 washes, but haven't had much luck so far.) I also have my eye on a new workplace... Now all I have to do is charm them with no help from my extremely dull resume, get the new job, and I'll be able to cross off 21. Quit my part-time retail job.

Reading and Writing Reflection #3

Book: Water For Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Pages Read: 1-13 (part 1)

 The book threw me right into a moment of action – the Disaster March. Right away I had numerous questions going through my mind… What’s going on? What exactly is the Disaster March and why is everyone panicking and fleeting? What exactly went wrong? None of these questions were answered, but I’m hoping that they’ll be cleared up later in the book.

 When the main character, Jacob, was paying special attention to Rosie the elephant and Marlena, the girl who performs with and rides Rosie at the circus (or so I assumed), I couldn’t help but wonder of what significance they were to him. As a result of Jacob’s description of them, I decided that he’s in love with Marlena and that Rosie has a special place in his heart. I later found out that Jacob was a vet, and worked with elephants, which put a few of the puzzle pieces together in my mind.

 There was a sudden murder performed by Marlena. (Why?) Though Jacob was in shock and tried to stop her, it seemed like he was generally okay with it. He had referred to the man who was murdered as a “son of a b*tch” right before it happened, which made me wonder what this man had done to get such a title. The strange thing is that despite this murder, I was already taking Jacob and Marlena’s side. I understand that this was the author’s intention, but it still seemed so odd to me considering the terrible thing Marlena had done. Jacob said that he kept this a secret for the rest of his life. He said, “In seventy years, I’ve never told a blessed soul.” It really made me curious as to why he had taken it upon himself to protect Marlena like that. Seventy years is a long time, especially to stay quiet and keep something so big to yourself.

Six Word Memoirs:

As you may know, I joined the class a month late, so this was one of the projects I missed and have been putting together on my own time. Despite thinking that the project was a really neat idea and enjoying the examples of other students and those found on the internet, I have been putting it off… and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because of the personal aspect of the memoirs, or it could be the fact that we’re supposed to post all of them at once (ahh, a lot of reflecting and writing for one day!) Either way, I think that a weight will be lifted off my shoulders once I do complete all of them (2/6 to go!) and that it’ll be really cool to see all of the memoirs side by side… the finished project!

 Blogging:

 Oh blogging… just a few months ago the idea of blogging made me so uncomfortable, but look at me now! It was difficult to get myself out there, post thoughts, opinions, and just about anything that came to my mind and share it with the public. It was a bit of a burden and time consuming to turn on the laptop, sign in, and type everything out. I found myself putting other things ahead of blogging on the importance scale (sorry.) However, once the blog started to come together, I started to enjoy it more and more. I got to open myself up to something new, and am now at ease with writing about things that are not just facts. My blogging goal for the next week is to get fully caught up with all of my assignments and add some more personal additions (maybe 2 or 3.) I will accomplish this by setting some time aside just for creative writing and by using my mom’s iPad Blogger app when I’m just much too lazy to pull out the chunky laptop.

Personal Addition #14 - Love and Death

At the end of the day, these are the things that have the greatest impact on us. They're both drastic enough to completely change the course of our lives - flip everything upside down - and they have the power to get us to do things we never planned or imagined doing.

http://goo.gl/c4HcM

Personal Addition #13 - Cork Board

Newest addition to the bedroom! Hopefully this will help keep me organized and on task... Once in a while. Either way, the room is starting to look like someone actually lives in it! (I'm slowly tackling the "bare wall issue" as my mom likes to call it.) Hmm... What's next?

Personal Addition #12 - Blooming Tea

This is probably one of the coolest and most aesthetically pleasing teas out there... also great for when you have company! So far, I've only encountered green and white blooming teas, though I'm sure that others exist. These guys start off in ball form (picture below), and open up into flowers while being steeped. This process takes about 10 minutes, so it's pretty neat to watch!


http://goo.gl/CMNZ6

Glass tea/coffee pots tend to be the best to use for blooming teas, as they make it easy to see the flower bloom.

White tea with jasmine flowers

Remember that with steeping more fragile teas (white, green, oolong) one should wait about 10 minutes or so after boiling their water before infusing the leaves. Otherwise, the boiling water may singe the leaves, creating a bitter taste in the process. (This is why many people are convinced that green tea is bitter - which is definitely not the case. They simply don't know how to steep it properly!)


Green blooming tea from Quebec City.

p.s. Any tea questions? I'm more than willing to share my tea knowledge.

Reading and Writing Reflection #8

Book: Seriously, I’m Kidding…

Author: Ellen Degeneres

Pages Read: 1- 241 (all)

The first thing that captured my attention was the witty back cover of the book. It is so much more silly and personal than most, using irony for comedic purposes. Ellen stated that she’s uncomfortable with “nice quotes from fancy people” on her cover because she doesn’t “believe in cheap tricks like that.”  I loved how she filled the space with her own quotes, which were all cheesy compliments to the reader instead. I was laughing and already hooked, and I hadn’t even opened up the book yet!

Once I did, I wasn’t disappointed. Ellen managed to cover so many topics about life, giving insight and inspiring me to focus on what I deem to be important, instead of getting sucked into the views of society. The best part of it all was that she managed to incorporate humor into the whole thing. What I really enjoy about Ellen is that she is just generally so funny without taking things too far. Her humor (and book) is appropriate and caters to everyone, and in my opinion, she doesn’t cross the line like many other comedians tend to. I think that this is why she is so successful and has been around (and has stuck around) for so long.

Woops, I’m a little off topic. Anyways, Seriously, I’m Kidding… was a wonderful easy read and whooshed right by! They say that laughter is the best medicine, and I can truly relate to this after having read the book whilst not feeling well. It put me in a great mood, made me giggle, and most importantly, left me with a positive outlook on things. (Thanks Ellen!)

As far as being goofy goes, one of my favourite chapters was “How to Be a Supermodel.”

 

Writing Reflection - Newspaper Blackout Poetry:

 

I really enjoyed the Newspaper Blackout Poetry. I’m not much of a writer, therefore having someone else’s words as a canvas made it much easier. Starting from scratch is always a scary thing for me (often referred to as the “white paper syndrome”) so there was some reassurance in already having something to go off of. The first poem came to me quite easily, as did the second. The third one was quite a bit more time consuming though. This may have been because I knew that I’d have to connect the three poems with an evident theme in the end, and had that weight on my shoulders while trying to create the last poem. Either way, it was completed eventually and the theme came together quite nicely. Thinking back to it now, I probably shouldn’t have been so worried about the main topic since there are infinite possibilities and options for it.

I found that some articles I could work with much more easily than others. For example, politics related articles were difficult to use because of the vocabulary. Surprisingly, I ended up using one or two sports articles though. I found that they had more emotional words. When I was out of luck in finding a word that fit my poem, I had the option of searching for individual letters, which could make any word I like when combined. All in all, I enjoyed the freedom of Newspaper Blackout Poetry because it wasn’t overwhelming for me. Instead, it felt a little bit like a puzzle to search for letters/words and make sense of it all.

Personal Addition #11 - Bell Pepper Egg

http://goo.gl/aQwqT

The first time I stumbled upon this was on iwastesomuchtime.com. Thinking that this is an easy, visually appealing cooking idea, I decided to try it out... With my own twist!

I am a huge fan of quick, healthy, and filling meals that just about anyone can make for themselves. One of my favourite lunch options is the mushroom omelette. Adding the bell pepper ring to it not only gives it a funky appearance but also gives people the option of using it as a patty.

Ingredients:

- egg(s)
- sliced mushrooms (preferably brown)
- a little bit of salt and pepper
- pepper ring, your choice of colour
- some dill/parsley/other greens (optional)

I feel like this would be a great burger option for vegetarians. Both the egg and mushroom provide one with protein, and cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sauce, or other burger/sandwich toppings can be added. Put that between some whole grain (possibly toasted) buns, and you've got yourself an awesome meal! (Or just make a side salad, which is what I did) ---->

Bucket List (often revised)

1. Visit my family in Russia after 10 years of not seeing them
2. Find a career path that I'm passionate about
3. Be reunited with the boy I love
4. Pierce my septum
5. Run a half marathon
6. Pet and feed a giraffe
7. Be an audience member of The Ellen Degeneres Show
8. Experience a hot air balloon ride
9. Scale a building
10.. Help in a third world country
11. Ride an elephant
12. Play hide and seek in IKEA
13. Ride on the back of a motorcycle
14. Take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony
15. Travel somewhere alone
16. Watch the ball drop in Times Square
17. Do Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) to the rising sun
18. Kiss a stranger
19. See The Lumineers live in concert
20. Explore Thailand
21. Quit my part-time retail job
22. Take swing dancing lessons
23. Euro trip
24. Fly a kite
25. Have a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Japan during the blooming season
26. Speak French fluently
27. Participate in a Chinese lantern festival
28. Sleep outdoors for a night
29. Master the use of chopsticks
30. Pick up and decorate a Charlie Brown style of Christmas tree
31. Surprise my parents with a vacation
32. Walk the streets of Vieux Québec again
33. Go mushroom picking with my grandma (like old times)
34. Win $100+ from a scratch ticket
35. Buy farm animals for a family in need overseas
36. Marry the love of my life
37. Have my own tea wall/cupboard
38. Put together a Christmas hamper (or a few) for a less fortunate family
39. Bake and decorate a cake with multiple tiers
40. Swim in the waters surrounding/of Greece
41. See the mountains in person
42. Get my own place
43. Swim with penguins
44. Bring a gift/treat for my favourite sample guy at Costco
45. Visit Paris with my significant other
46. Learn to crack eggs with one hand
47. Help the environment by planting trees in public areas
48. Go zip lining
49. Live by a swimmable body of water
50. See Montréal
51. Skinny dip
52. Harvest the camellia sinensis (tea) plant
53. Have a late night beach party (bonfire included)
54. Make pottery
55. Watch a movie at a drive-in theatre
56. Become a (successful) USANA associate
57. Get over my fear of public speaking
58. Perfect mom's mushroom soup recipe
59. Go sailing
60. Paint a piece I'm proud of
61. Become a red head

What do you want to do before you die?

Personal Addition #10 - Year of the Snake!

Happy 2013, everyone! (Yes, I know. I'm a little late...)

"The Lucky snake gives you fortune so your heart will be satisfied." - translation from Asian calendar, thanks to Winnie C.

I have a friend (mentioned above) who is aware of my fascination with the Asian culture, and therefore gave me a Chinese calendar for my desk. (Yes, my room actually has a desk in it now..! No more doing homework on my bed and slowly dozing off!) Every month has an inspirational quote, all of which she translated into English for me. Though you probably won't ever see this, friend, I always appreciate how thoughtful your gifts are!

Anyways, she mentioned that the quotes don't exactly sound as poetic or as powerful in English, but I think that they still get the point across quite nicely. (If this is just me, then simply use your imagination while reading them.) Here are a few of my favorites:

"Relax with everything and happiness will come naturally." - month of February. To me, this means that one should avoid stress and worry as much as possible. It also implies that even though one should strive for happiness, it is not something that can be obtained with force or artificially. To be happy, you need to be at ease and positive.

"Being able to eat is a fortune and will give you a lifetime of satisfaction." - month of November. This implies that we should be grateful for the privileged life we have, as many are not so fortunate and don't meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and clean water. Referring to Abraham Maslow's pyramid of human needs, one needs to satisfy the first physiological level (survival) before they can work on themselves in other ways. We are truly lucky not to have to worry about where our next meal is coming from and will probably never understand how serious of an issue this is for some, unless we live in their shoes.

"Have no limits on anything and everything will to smoothly." - month of December. To me, this quote discusses the idea of having expectations. I don't know how it works for others, but I find that when I expect things to happen a certain way, I am usually disappointed. As a result of this, "no expectations" is often something I tell myself to avoid this from happening. The quote also touches the subject of not to setting restrictions and simply believing in yourself.

Personal Addition #9 - Essay and Immigration

To prepare us for our provincial exam, our English teacher asked us to do written piece; specifically the one that the grade 12 students had to write for the exam a year ago. The topic was 'Experiences'. Living a busy life and putting the assignment off, I hadn't completed it until after the exam itself. (As hard as it may be to believe due to my work ethic in this course, this was completely unlike me!) What was different about this piece is how thought provoking it was for me. In literary courses, most of the writing is done based off of novels. However, for the final exam, this isn't exactly an option. Tweaking my central idea for the topic of 'Responsibility', I wrote a personal essay about how the experience of immigrating from a different country has benefitted my life and has helped me with overcoming obstacles, self-initiated learning, and led to positive outcomes in young adult life. The strange thing about this topic is the fact that it wasn't just a bunch of BS! (Pardon my Français.) For once, I had written about something that is genuine and very true to me. The topic itself also led me to conclude just how grateful I am to have gone through all of the struggles, awkward moments, and the language barrier, as all of these things have drastically shaped the person I am today. Sorry for the cheesiness, I just had to share my excitement.

I now leave you with two things...

"Experience is the teacher of all things." - Julius Caesar

And yes, having to sit cross-legged on the floor in elementary school was an actual challenge for me! Not physically, of course. It was just a little strange after all the expectations of proper posture, manners, and you know, being told to avoid the dirty floor full of germs as a kid in Russia...

Words to the School Board

My favourite digital activity has been keeping up a personal blog. This is something I would’ve never done before due to lack of interest and things to write about, but having some guidance when it comes to what is necessary to post has made it much more manageable. For our personal blog additions, we have full creative freedom, meaning that we can discuss whatever it is that interests us and watch our blogs grow, so it’s nice not to be limited to specific topics, writing forms, etc. Something surprising that I’ve learned about the digital world is that social media can be used for much more than just communication and entertainment. One can share useful facts, their talents, and even educate others through it. It was Twitter that led to this revelation. A recommendation of mine would be to open up Wi-Fi to students. This course has been a little challenging with many sites being blocked and the lack of computer availability on a daily basis. I feel like many students would benefit from being able to connect to Wi-Fi and so many things wouldn’t be left to be done at home, making it easier to focus on the point of the course and keeping up in general. My last comment about the course is how much it has changed my writing. I’ve never been comfortable with writing my views or opinions, and this course took me out of my comfort zone and opened me up a little bit. It is also one of the only classes that has touched me on a more personal level and provoked thought while serving as a bit of inspiration for my life.