THE END

Stay safe and have a great summer! =)

STRIKE THAT! TTC STRIKE AVERTED!

The strike will not occur! We can go off to work, school and continue life in peace. I wonder what took them so long? Although I understand parts why the TTC union was upset, part of me thinks it is asking too much. Workers get 75% of their salary when they are off work due to injury but they want 100%? How is this fair? Please refer to my earlier entry for the reasons why I think some of these people are overpaid. I can understand if certain situations will call for more compensation than others but if you were say… spit on… I do not think that you would need to be off the job for very long, and if you were, it does not deem worthy of a 100% workers compensation rate.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

So I went to the movies last night and watched a new release, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I was actually quite impressed. It was better than I expected. The characters were not the typical 2-D ones that are in every other movie. They have reasoning’s behind their actions and they have feelings that movie goers can related to. It was hard to find a single character that you did not like and this appealed to me as I felt that most movies today contain many characters that are set out in their roles so clearly that it became predictable.

CHARGING FOR DUMPING GARBAGE

The City of Toronto has decided that they must now start charging households for throwing out more than 1 bag of garbage. This is bad because it is only making people think of new ways to cheat the system and littering will definitely be on the rise. The city oppresses on thing, but in the end, I believe that it will cause people to start throwing their garbage in dumpsters outside restaurants, where they won’t be charged. If you are to charge households, charge schools, restaurants, shops, be equal for all! Let’s hope this plan of theirs does not backfire terribly.


Source(s):
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/photos/2006/08/toronto_kensington_garbage_01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/06/08/16/&h=1178&w=750&sz=318&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=j_lTxz9XyakrwM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtoronto%2Bgarbage%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

GAS PRICES

So I heard that Gas Prices are on the rise again. I do not own my own car, but I do share driving privileges with my family. We own two cars, one of which uses premium gas. This means that gas prices for this car is typically 11 cents higher than regular priced gas. It is predicted that gas prices will reach $1.50/ litre by the end of the summer. This is ridiculous and just unacceptable. Where I live, public transit does not go up north enough. For me to pay twice to get where I need to go puts a financial strain on me. I am a student, with a part time job, but the costs of living do not match the income I make. Is there no way to cap the prices so that users can offset their costs somehow? Watch any news channel and the reasoning’s behind the gas prices rising don’t make sense! It’s like saying watermelon prices are rising therefore it will have an in adverse effect on the prices of gas.

BLOG: MY COMPLIMENTS

It is hard to choose just one specific person to compliment. There are so many people who make a positive contribution in my life. However, recently, there has been one person that has particularly made an impact in my life, and that person would be my older sister, Amanda. Amanda is the eldest sister of the four of us. Although she has been there for me my entire life (so far), it hasn’t been ‘til recently that I realized how much she does for me and how much she puts up with me, let alone my two other sisters. She is the eldest, and it is hard for her to set good examples for the little ones to follow. Her and I have always had our arguments and differences, yet she some how always had the strength to put up with my younger sisters and me. She has always looked out for us, and sometimes, even looking after us as if we were her own children. She would try her best to help us in the best way possible; from our homework, to picking us up from work, to simply making sure we have a ride home any time of the day. She would often go out of her way to help us, even if it ruined what she had planned that day. So Amada, if you’re reading this; thank you. Thank you for all the times I took my anger out on you, and you just took it in. Thank you for the times you went out of your way to pick me up at 2am in the morning. Thank you for all the times you’ve lied for me, even when you put yourself in the position of possibly getting in trouble. Thank you.

MCDONALDS AND HONG KONG

Recently, I had read an article that as required for one of my GNED courses; Globalization. It was about The essay, Mcdonald’s in Hong Kong by James L. Watson talks about how Hong Kong adapted to the Western culture and cuisine, and even after so long, Hong Kong still maintains their culture and beliefs. As a student with limited knowledge to Globalization, I was unaware that something like fast food and cuisine could affect culture in such a substantial way. I never stopped to think about the cultures and race that something: like McDonalds could do, and the affect it had on their life and the general society. I feel that the introduction of McDonald's has been a benefaction towards globalization. With the advancement of technology and communication, fast food into foreign cultures have allowed the opportunity for them to keep up with this fast pace. I am convinced that the evolution of China has advanced into something more. Nevertheless, it is important for cultures to keep their values and beliefs, and not let the vast advancement of civilization change what they strongly believe.

HARRY POTTER SERIES *CONTAINS SPOILERS*

The last Harry Potter book was so bittersweet. An era in literature history has ended. I am conflicted as to what I wanted to happen to him. I am happy he got to live but I also wanted there to be a more dramatic ending. It was almost predictable. I heard a rumor that the only reason that the ending came out the way it did was because a leaked version of the book came out, and a reader was so upset that Harry Potter died that she committed herself. Yes, sounds so unreal and I don’t know if it is an urban myth but the fact that it is even remotely believable is just frightening.

JUNO

Has anyone seen this movie? It’s cute and for some reason it works. Ellen Page is an up and comer Canadian actress and she’s very sincere in the role. Quirky, different and real. I won’t say much more about the movie but I will say that the character was more than just your average (is it ever just average?) teenage pregnancy. She brought a lot of depth into the character. I believe that every viewer has a part of them inside that is very much like her character Juno, and though we won’t admit it, we probably are all dorks inside.


Official Website Campaign: Juno Movie

Source(s):
http://www.firstshowing.net/img/juno-poster2-big.jpg

LEARNING CHINESE

I think I regret not putting more effort into learning to speak, read and write in Cantonese. I never thought that it would make a difference in my life but here it is, 2008, and having more than one language under your belt can put you above the rest. Doing business with China is going to be one of the major things that Canada will do in the near future. I always thought that I could get by and make a difference for myself but I realize that there are many more out there who are better than me, who can read and write, speak more fluently, have a wider vocabulary. Am I screwed? Darnit, I wish I listened to my mom when she said that I would regret this. BOO her for being right. Mothers really do know best.

“SERIOUS BABY”

THIS BABY IS TOO CUTE!!! He follows his (presumably) dad’s orders and makes an evil eyed look and then starts laughing right after! It’s great! It’s almost as if he knows what he’s doing. I believe that baby’s are smarter than they look. Has anyone ever seen that movie Baby Genius? There are baby’s who have their own language, where knowledge is great and passed down the generations. After they reach the age of 2 or so (whenever they start speaking) and then they pass the threshold where they can speak with adults but no longer understand their younger peers. It makes me think, I wonder if this is true? Maybe babies around the world are secretly laughing at us and the many stupid things we do.

Source(s):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ALIL7T764

GUITAR HERO ADDICTION

Possibly the most addicting game ever. It has taken the world by storm. My music collection has grown and I have now learned about some of the greatest hits of all time. I must say I am getting quite good, now if only I put as much time into playing a real guitar as I do this game, I might actually really become a Guitar Hero. But part of me plays so I can beat my sisters’ scores =)

Guitar Hero II: You Really Got Me - Van Halen


Source(s):
http://www.guitarherogame.com/gh2/
http://www.youtube.com/v/P_HuJXuWeOI&hl=en

“OPRAH’S BIG GIVE”

How altruistic are people in the real world? The premise of this show is to do as much good for random strangers are these contestants can. They are given money and must use it to spread joy, ease pain and bring happiness into someone’s life. However, there is a surprise at the end, the winner gets 1 million dollars from Oprah. Here is my gripe, does altruism really exist? Are people really giving and helping for the sake of helping or are they doing it for the benefit that they will get from it? I don’t think so, and also, the advertisements being seen by the shows viewers also make it difficult to decide whether or not the show is truly used to help others.

BLOG: MY CREATIVITY AND MY EDUCATION

My education has always been purely based on the “books” aspect. I’ve always learned based on rules and facts, and that creativity often did not play a part in education as a whole. However, I was lucky that my parents were so supportive of my interest for art and design. Mind you, Chinese parents can be quite stereotypical at times. To them, art would not get you anywhere in life. You would either have to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer to be "successful. I've always had an interest in art. I remember when I was in grade 2, I would spend "Activity time"; instead of playing house or at the water center with all the other kids, I was one of the many few who always did something related to art and crafts. I always knew I would grow up gearing more towards the art and design side of the industry. I consider myself very luck to have not just my parents, especially knowing how expensive art can be; from the paints, to the printing, to the immense amount of rubber cement I use for each project.

I gradated from Dr. Norman Bethune high school, and fortunate to have two amazing art teachers to guide me. The school also offered courses such as photography, computer arts, architecture, which gave me option to what I wanted to do in the future. If it weren’t for my wide range of options, I would have definitely stuck to something more theoretical in the studies – which I could definitely say it would have been a big mistake on my part. Whether I am good at what I do or not, I like it and that is all that matters to me.

BLOG: MY MANIFESTO

Here is my manifesto of some of the things I personally believe in. These things are just some of the things of what I believe in, and are what gets me through the rough times. They can, but do not have to relate specifically to design.

1. Think outside the box
This pretty much speaks for itself. Try not to constraint yourself to just one idea. “Think outside the box”. That often gets you far.

2. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind
Do not be afraid to say how you feel, no matter what the situation is. There will come a time when speaking your mind will come in handy.

3. Stick up for yourself and others you care about
Do not ever walk away from something you strongly believe in. If you were ever put down, or even someone you care about; do something about it. Do not just walk away simply because you are afraid to speak up for yourself. It is courage that will get you far in life.

4. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Making a mistake is not the worse thing in the world. Nobody is perfect and it is ok to make mistakes.

5. Live and learn (and have fun)
It doesn’t hurt to try something new each and every day…and to have fun at the same time. Every body needs a little fun every once in a while, why not incorporate some fun into it?....”ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY”

6. Live life to it’s fullest
Do not be afraid to try new things. It is like every body sys, you only have one life to live.

7. Learn to forgive and forget
This is something I have yet to acquire “skill” in. It is hard to forgive someone, especially when they have hurt you in the past. However, forgetting is the first key to forgiving. If you just learn to forget about the past and let go, forgiving just comes hand in hand.

8. …and finally; Have an eye for design
This speaks more directly towards design. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to think towards more of a design aspect of things. You never know, sometimes it could help you when you’re in need.

FACEBOOK GRIPE

Yes, I understand that Facebook is a force to be reckoned with! Even Rogers, and Blackberrys offer programs that will allow people to view their facebook pages while their out. But it bothers me that it is now a sellout. It was fine the way it was before, but the addition of new applications and advertisements just makes me feel used. Yes, I can ignore it, but I don’t think it’s fair that a ‘free’ service is being used to advertise for huge market conglomerates like Wal-Mart and Axe Body Spray. When is it considered too much, and when have we crossed the line? Also, why are their so many fakers out there? Search up any celebrity and you will find at least 10 – 15 accounts with the same name, people whom obviously posing and pretending. It sucks that people aren’t honest.

Source(s):
http://www.facebook.com