Blogs, Blogs, Blogs.

Throughout this whole year we’ve all written around 18 blogs. Crazy right? That’s around 72 paragraphs that we have all been forced to write. At the beginning of the year, I was actually kind of excited to be writing something on the Internet… later to find out that is was going to be a huge hassle. Week after week, not only did you have to come up with a good topic, but you also wanted to get a good mark (well… for most of us), so you had to put some amount of time into making them decent, something that we didn’t want to put in. Some of the blogs were amazing (Emily V, Olivia, Emily M, etc.) and some others were just plain funny (like how Emilie’s name means chicken). Either way, we had to write them whether we liked it or not.

Now looking back at it, it’s not as bad it is sounds. Maybe I’m just saying this because this is my last blog till school ends, but I really think that it forced me to think out side the box when I’m writing. What I know for sure is that I’m a better writer than I was last year, and for that reason only, I’m more ready to take on grade 9 English. Thanks Ms. Weldon.

Overall, I think that like all things in school, practice makes you better, and in this case it was my writing. I really shouldn’t have been complaining that much about them earlier because it’s just like any other homework that teachers assign us. Maybe, just maybe, they were even better.

-alex Garcia

Hurdles

You have now put countless hours of practice into the qualifier that gets you to regionals. On your mark…GO! You sprint as quickly as you can to the first hurdle. You jump, and then dart as swiftly as your feet can go to the next obstacle.

You’re almost finished the race when you think, “I have to surpass an obstacle. Oh no, an obstacle.”

An Obstacle |äbstəkəl|

(noun)

a thing that blocks one's way, prevents or hinders progress

The way I look at it, is that obstacles don’t have to be there, if what you see, doesn’t take your eyes off the prize.

Always in your life, you are going to find someone or something that interferers with your plans but don’t let that stop you. They are going to be there, no matter what, so imagine they’re not even there. Chances are that if you really try, just like a hurdle jumper, you can make it to the finish line without nockin' down a hurdle.

Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal. So don’t let them intimidate you, or drive you way from your confidence that you will always have within yourself. Stay strong and erase those weak hurdles from your mind because we’re all mentally able.

i commented on Fiona's blog- Tims Vs. Starbucks

iTunes & LimeWire

“Hey mom, can you put on the radio?”

You just heard the hottest new tune this morning while driving to school, and you can’t wait to download it. However, you have to decide.

Should I use iTunes or LimeWire?

Lets start with LimeWire.

This peer-to-peer file sharing system allows you to download any song for FREE. Bonus…right? Sure, the song might be free, but there are downsides that come with that.

To begin, LimeWire could accidentally configure the software to allow access to any file on your computer, including documents with personal information. Such networks can lead to identity theft and lawsuits.

The ability of LimeWire to distribute viruses has also been a concern. Luckily, the much more improved versions of LimeWire have reduced that issue. Despite that, there are still chances of your computer getting infected.

Lastly, I know that it’s not fair to the artists. They work real hard producing songs and music videos that their fans will appreciate, and in a sense, we are getting their art for free. That’s selfish and dishonorable.

Lets move in to iTunes.

Well…what can I say? iTunes is the complete opposite of LimeWire. You have to buy the song (kind of the down side), but there are no chances of you getting viruses or getting your identity stolen. The list goes on, this time, if you buy from iTunes, you are being fair the artists. Plus the sound quality is better. You may not hear it with regular speakers, but with real good ones, you can tell the difference.

What it all comes down to is the price. If you’re willing to pay $0.99 for a song, pay it. That is off-course unless you want to put yourself at risk of identity theft or being called into Best Buy for a new computer.

In my opinion, iTunes is way better than LimeWire because it has a lot more to offer.

*I commented on Emily Vines’ blog- Chewing Gum

A Crazy Society

While gainers are busy eating 12 000 calories a day, people are dying from starvation. Is this right? Off course not! Donna Simpson, a gainer, is trying to become that fattest woman on earth. To do so, she has a site to collect money for her $750/week eating coast. Now that is just absurd and preposterous. But even crazier, people actually give money.

“It feels right to be fat”, is what Donna feels. It’s her life, and she can do anything with it, even if it means putting her life a risk, however, the $3 000 that’s she’s raising per month could go to a greater cause.

Those $3 000, can help the 15 million children that die of hunger per year.

Below are some more reasons why society should give money to help decrease starvation rather than paying to watch gainers eat.

1. 1 Did you know that in Asian, African and Latin American countries, over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called "absolute poverty”?

2. 2. Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion - a majority of humanity - live on less than $1 per day. This equals starvation.

3. 3. One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

4. 4. Malnutrition is implicated in more than half of all child deaths worldwide - a proportion unmatched by any infectious disease.

5. 5. About 183 million children weigh less than they should for their age

6. 6. To satisfy the world's sanitation and food requirements would cost only $13 billion-what the people of the US and the European Union spend on perfume each year.

Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger, so why are people reading articles on gainers instead of growing awareness about poverty? Next time, help out the needy.

I commented on Fab's blog- Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber Vs. Michael Jackson

Is Justin Bieber actually being compared to Michael Jackson? Wow. I have nothing against Justin Bieber, or anything for Michael Jackson, however, that’s a big comparison that people are making.

For starters, Justin Bieber is a newcomer. He is talented, and therefore has accomplished many things for his age (Ex. He performed for President Barack Obama). Nonetheless, he’s not as gifted or experienced as Michael Jackson.

To make my point even more clear, below are a few comparisons of their accomplishments.

Justin Bieber

Michael Jackson

Video: One Time FAVOURITE INTERNATIONAL VIDEO Myx Music Awards Sang for President Barack Obama Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We are the World for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti.

Michael has been inducted twelve times in the Music Hall of Fame, more than any other act He’s in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice Other Achievements include thirteen Guinness World Records (more than any other artist) 15 Grammy awards (including the Living Legend Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award) 26 AMerican Music awards (more than any other artist) 17 number one singles in the US He also has estimated global sales of over 780 million records, making him one of the best-selling recording artist ever

As you can see, Michael Jackson has broken more marvelous records and accomplishments than Bieber. However, you have to take note that MJ is now died and Beiber only just turned 16. Either way, I personally believe that some day, someone will surpass MJ’s accomplishments, but it’s not Justin Beiber. He hasn’t done enough in his short career to earn the title, King of Pop.

I commented on Cassie's Blog- Justin Bieber

First Impressions

It’s your first day of school, and your trying to make a profound impact on your new teachers.

You got the job, your hired, but your haven’t met your boss yet. You want him to appreciate you.

To your teachers, you want to seem like a confident, strong, individual student. Further, you want your boss to see the obedience, passion and respect in you. However, in order to make them have a good perception of you, your first impressions count the most.

They matter so much because they’re what people base you on. In addition, they can give you great opportunities.

For the future, don’t be late for a meeting or a lazy couch potato. Don’t be negative Nelly, be positive Polly. Above all, don’t question yourself.

You don’t want to be known as a timid or eccentric person, so have right judgment and reverence. Those characteristics can give people great long lasting effects.

For next time, remember that first impressions count!

I commented on Emilie Pollard's Blog- Uniforms

How i Became the Golfer I am Today

by: Alexandra Garcia

I was going to start this blog by giving you the dictionary’s definition of the words passion and ambition, but somehow that didn’t seem…well, that ambitious. So, I’m telling you my story- how I became part of the Elite team of Glen Abby.

I few months ago, my friend Jenna and I received a letter in correspondence to the Elite team that we were applying for. Unbelievably and remarkably, we both got in. However, it was harder than we both thought.

First, it took us passion.

Golf gave us a craving of victory. Just to see that ball go in the hole, or having that felling of triumph put a smile on our face, so we went all the way.

Next stop, ambition.

They say that opportunity knocks, but ambition pounds the doornail. So personally, I worked out twice a week. Trained with my coaches for 3 hours, and played and practiced. In addition, I did Heart Math. On average, I spend around 5 days of my week doing things that were golf related.

Even when I just felt like being a couch potato, I had to wake up at 6:30 on weekends to be in time for my workout. Sometimes I just wished that I could have just gone back to bed, but I would have been sponsored by Adidas and Tailor Made if I had.

I guess that if I did look up the word ambition, it would have defined it as a desire for fame and fortune. What it wouldn’t of said is that this desire isn’t driven be our want to get ahead, but rather by the fear if saying exactly where we are.

So there you have it in so many words. I became the golfer I am today with PASSION and AMBITION!

*I commented on Lauren's blog

IMAGINING THE UNIMAGINABLE

I was very anxious to get to the mall. I even came extra early in anticipation for one thing and one thing only. As the mall doors suddenly opened, I rushed up to the lottery stand where they were posting the winning numbers for the unimaginable. I tried not to get too edgy and antsy, after all there was a better chance of me getting truck by lightning 2 times than me winning the lottery. Off course, the lottery stand was still not available to the public. As I was waiting there patiently for them to slowly open, I dreamed what I could do with 40 million dollars. My thoughts were endless…

To begin with, I’d give 10% to charities (4 million dollars). People in Haiti and foundation similar to Red Cross need generous donators like me. That is if win the 40 million. They needed it much more than I do, and I’m not a person to hold back. In addition, I would prefer to remain anonymous.

By this time, the stand was still not open, and I was immensely and abundantly impatient. So I keep dreaming…

Immediately, I knew that I was going to spend 25% on gold, 25% on uranium, and 25% in real state. I know, I know, you probable think that you would spend the money in a private jet, or a boat. However, I bag to differ. The problem with buying a private jet is that it’s and expense, and does not give you value. It also doesn’t appreciate over time, and that means that you’re going to lose money. I’m going to invest in gold and uranium because the demand is greater than the supply. For real state, well… it’s just cheap at the moment and the value can only increase.

Wow! I already used up 85% of my money. That went by quick!! For the remaining 15%, I would keep it sat in the bank, in Canadian dollars. This would insure me money to try new opportunities for the foreseeable future, while gaining interest.

With the money that I will gain from my smart investments, I would make enough profit to buy a new house, and give money to my fellow family members and special friends.

“Hello Miss, can I assist you with anything?” the sales clerk said to me steadily.

I replied by walking over to the lottery numbers rapidly. For I had been waiting for a while.

And there I stood, jaw open, and nearly about to faint.

I won 40 million dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The INCREDIBLE iPad

Offering a range of exciting features, the Apple iPad has become the latest hot buzz among the tech generation.

Though many people refer to it as the updated version of the iPhone, the iPad is the mix of the iPhone, the iTouch and a full notebook or laptop. This tablet has a touch screen and can be used for browsing the net, listening to music, watching movies and playing games.

The lasting impact and energy on the company’s much anticipated tablet was static and incredible. The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it. The iPad represents the latest tool in Apple’s on going, and increasingly success.

So how did Apple continue to grow its spider web?

The iPad.

Haiti

One hour before dark, the earth starts to vibrate. You and many others don’t know what to do. You try to escape the building before it crumbles down on you. You are one of the few that succeed. Unfortunately, your mom is trapped under the cold brick, heavy concrete, and stiff metal. She died.

On the twelfth of January, the largest earthquake recorded hit. It destroyed almost every part of Haiti. The quake had a magnitude of eight, and the heavy shocks following were gargantuan. Communication facilities were stopped and complete information has been bounded. The first news report told that 1000s of buildings had been destroyed, resulting of undiscovered citizens that were trapped. Tens of 1000s of citizens became homeless, hopeless and helpless. They have nothing to eat, wear, or to sleep on.

Approximately forty-five thousand US citizens reside in Haiti, and the Embassy has been required to assist. Depicting circumstances in this land are unthinkable. Many people have been doing their best to make the world contribute in every way to help the people suffering from Haiti’s earthquake disaster.

Imagine that you lived in a world that wanted to be free from disaster, but is incapable. Please help the people of Haiti, and make a donation to a charity like Red Cross. Assist the people whose family members died.

Apple vs. Microsoft Website

The two giants that pride themselves for producing cutting edge products are Apple and Microsoft. They are leading developers in software and hardware, but what about their websites? How do they both compare, and more important, which one is better and more usable? 
Well, in this blog, I’ll take a look at both websites for closer examination from a usability point of view.


Apple knows the importance of getting the customer’s attention. They know that a clean site really helps. One other thing to note is the lack of content. You’re not distracted by sidebars or extra navigation items. This helps you make the decision of where to go next easier.

Now lets look at Microsoft. It’s certainly good at finding what you’re looking for and getting the results wanted. However, the look and feel of their pages are different. It almost looks like you’re browsing at a different website.

So which site is the winner? If you’re looking at usability alone, Apple comes out ahead. They have a better designed homepage that offers less choice, which means the user needs to think less. 
They also have consistent navigation across all of their pages. The Apple site is generally more user friendly and offers a much better experience to consumers. 
Having said this, the Apple website is much smaller than Microsoft’s site. Unlike Apple, Microsoft hosts many different sites and sections under the Microsoft.com brand. The biggest problem for Microsoft is consistency.
 Every section looks and feels different. There is no global navigation and there are not many visual clues that tell the user that this is a Microsoft site. For these reasons, I think Apple is the clear winner here.



What do you think? Have I got it right?

Please post your comments.

Did You Know?

Did you know that the top ten in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004! How would you feel if the job you've been doing for most of your life just moved offshore without any warning? What if you just spent several years getting an education for what you thought would be a very hot job but later turned out to be a very bad choice? I’ll gladly tell you that I would feel frustrated and very annoyed.

Just a while back, people have been very disappointed with the unanticipated, and instantaneous change of hot and coming jobs. It shows us that in our society, anything can happen and we have to keep our options open. Students studying in high schools and universities now have to be very carful in the career they are planning to pursue because of all the new technology. Before Apple and Google, where all the employees working? Most recently, there was a new job title involving software engineering. Again, very tech oriented.

For all the viewers out there I don’t want you to be facing questions like: “Why did I get myself into this?” and “Can I go back in time and change my career?”

Call to mind that there are many opportunities and one decision can change your life, so make it a good one.

-Alexandra Garcia

BLOGS

Great posts are hard to do consistently on a day-to-day basis. Many people who have blog sites often run out of fresh ideas. In addition, there are many people to whom web page design is very important and critical.

The problem is that although there are millions of blogs out there, copying other people’s ideas can’t really satisfy you. I blogger like me would want to generate their own ideas because they want to keep their own personality and originality.

I believe that there is a secret to having unlimited blog ideas: keep it simple! A lot of people tend to make their blog pages too complicated and crowded, that anybody who drops by seems to get confused. They might also get tired of navigating the page.

Some blog sites are very colorful that it shoos visitor away because it is too painful on the eye. Others just do not know how to mix and match colors. The page looks so overwhelming and confusing, that visitors would rather not read the entries.

I anticipate that the bloggers who are in need of a blog page change are overwhelmed by the many design possibilities. The problem is that after changing the templates or designs of our current blog site, we do not feel satisfied because the design we chose does not really represent our personality.

Here is my advice to you. Before changing your blog site design, try to sit down for a few minutes and find out what image you want to project. Try to see if the blog page you are creating matches the words you say on your entries.

My impression is that blog sites are getting too light or perky, and yet the photos we publish are dark and sinister. This will defiantly create confusion on our visitors, and heaven forbid…they might even tag you as someone who is unsure of what he or she is doing.

Eva Olsson

Not many people can remark that with their courage, the broke silence and dedicated their life to committed leading, teaching peace and justice.

For over a decade Eva Olsson has spoke with countless people across the world. Luckily, I was one of the millions that were touched by her story when I learned about her life journey. The focus of her message was bulling, and the importance of not being a bystander to injustice. She uses her life experiences, primarily in the holocaust, to illustrate the power of hate and the importance of standing up against the forces of racism and intolerance.

As Eva infolded her colourless story to us, I was impacted with how Eva controlled her emotions. She was discussing a gruesome topic in which I would have been deeply depressed because of the harsh realities in history. Despite the heartfelt issue, Ms. Olsson gave the most profound speech I’ve ever heard. She managed to reach every person in the chapel without destroying our youthful hope and optimism.

While every aspect of the conference was strong, I was moved to tears when Eva Olsson exhibited her pictures. I will forever hold the image of her standing on the stage, speaking to us about the lessons that we should always remember. I felt like I was assigned a never-ending task that would not be effortless. A mission of never saying hate, and nevermore being a bully or bystander. In addition, Eva showed me that love is a very powerful feeling that should be displayed to our family while we can.

I will constantly remember Eva Olsson as a woman that experienced a tough journey, and a woman that changed my life with her passionate, fierce and overwhelming speech that is now engraved in my heart forever.

Alex Garcia-

My Day at Norval

School means work, and field trips mean no school. However, when I went to Norval I realized I was doing work unconsciously. I was working on the aspects of my life that I don’t usually practice. Risk was one of them.

The wall was an activity that pushed me out of my comfort zone. It made me anxious, tense, and stressed. Although I experienced these emotions, what I did enjoy was the thrill of excitement. It felt like I had an adrenaline rush of pleasure after I accomplished the task. I was proud of myself that I pushed myself that far. In addition, a tingle of enjoyment, amusement and delight was what I experienced when I got thrown up in the air with the Indian Blanket.

Nevertheless, this wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance, support, and contribution of the team. I trusted them with all my strength because they showed confidence that they had a handle on the activity. Therefore, I knew that they wouldn’t drop me. I believe that the whole team did a very good job on communicating to one and other, so each and every one of us could feel comfortable.

Although we did well on communicating, we lacked focus. Our councilors had to remind us to pay attention. They also told us that our number one priority was on the person that we were lifting. Unfortunately, this took concentration that we didn’t have. As a result of this, Aureon fell rapidly and hurt himself. If we all had paid a little more attention to what we were doing, this reckless accident wouldn’t have happened.

As the day passed, I was starting to notice that even if we had great ideas made by bright people, they wouldn’t of have become reality if it wasn’t for the effort of the team. Being a leader implies that one is in charge, but a team means something entirely different. It means that as a group, we all collaborated to get things done. This is what my team did. If it hadn’t been for the trip to Norval, I would have forgotten one of my favourite quotes: Teamwork is a make or break situation. Either you help make it or the lack of it will break you." – Kris A. Hiatt.

The day to Norval showed me that any goal is possible if you try your best. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to go on the trip because it opened my eyes to many different things that I would not have normally seen. Now, when I have the chance to take a risk, I will feel more comfortable and safe with my decision.

The Greatest Things in Life Aren’t Material

There are large sums of emotions we go through every day. Some emotions are worry, hate, and care. Material things however bring out the ignorant side of us. This is simply because we forget about the meaningful and priceless things that we take for granted. Did you ever notice that there is little time spent in actually thinking about what really matters? Ironically, those things aren’t material.

Life is more than having nice cloths, expensive cars, colossal houses, and cool games. It is about the passion you show for others, and how you can help them with their needs. More people than you can think don’t get showed this love. Instead, they receive disgrace and hatred. The main reason why we take for granted these important things is because what surrounds us has control of our lives. For example, if your neighbor bought a sensational car, you would get envious…and BAM, it has an impact in our lives.

There are some things in life that we just want to have. Like I wrote before, expensive cars, colossal houses, etc, but what we can’t forget is our loved ones and our health. These are the true things that we can’t consign to oblivion, fail to remember, and lose sight of.

The Greatest Things in Life Aren’t Materia

There is a large sum of emotions that we go through in a day. Some emotions are worry, hate, and care. Material things however bring out the ignorant side of us. This is simply because we forget about the meaningful and priceless things that we take for granted. Did you ever notice that there is little time spent in actually thinking about what really matters? Ironically, those things aren’t material.

Life is more than having nice cloths, expensive cars, colossal houses, and cool games. It is about the passion you show for others, and how you can help them with their needs. More people than you can think don’t get showed this love. Instead, they receive disgrace and hatred. The main reason why we take for granted these important things is because what surrounds us has control of our lives. For example, if your neighbour bought a sensational car, you would get envious…and BAM, it has as impact in your live.

There are some things in life that we just want to have. Like I wrote before, expensive cars, colossal houses, etc, but what we can’t forget is our loved ones and our health. These are the true things that we can’t consign to oblivion, fail to remember, and lose sight of.

Inspiring Quote

"Be great in act as you have been in thought" William Shakespeare

My class needs to write about a quote, and I chose the one above because I could make a connection with what William Shakespeare was trying to say. This quote means that we should all try to follow through on and thoughts and turn them into actions. There are millions of people that haven’t done this, therefore this quote impacted me. An illustration of this is when you might have thought of getting ahead on your homework. Sure it might be boring, but in a few days you would have wished that you had the work done. A person that converted his thoughts into actions was I person that I not only admire, but also look up to. His name is Martin Luther King Jr and he is exceptional example of a person that followed Shakespeare’s quote.

There will always be times when you think of doing something but never do it. So what I say to all the readers out there is to translate your thoughts into actions. I too will try doing something. Frequently, when you think of doing something and actually do it, you will get rewarded in one way or another. Therefore, whether it's a big or small thing, make sure you follow through with it.

Poverty

About 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. Nearly a billion people in developing countries have little access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic necessities. It’s a sad fact, but it’s something everyone must admit. The truth is that we have a habit to avoid, even outright ignore the cold hard facts when it comes to such a bleak topic as poverty. We read an article, listen to someone on TV and maybe sometimes we pause and reflect afterward on how hard it must be to live in a cardboard box. We think about it and frown, but in the end we move on.

Part of the problem is that when we look at poverty and those harmed by it, we don’t feel empathic because they are not people we know. Like when the media says that in the U.S. 17 percent of children live in poverty, that is only a statistic. We don’t fell the way we should fell, therefore we don’t do anything about it.

I think the biggest hurdle in our way even when we do choose to act on the feeling of empathy is a question we often don’t have an answer to. Can I really make a difference? If I do try, will I really help? I think the answer is a big fat YES. We need to understand that we can’t do this alone. We have to work together. An ant doesn’t move a cookie to its anthill by itself. What they do is break it up and each ant plays its own part by taking a small piece back to the hill. Little by little the whole cookie gets inside the anthill, and everybody has enough to eat. It’s the same way with poverty and how we can get rid of it. The least we can do is try.

Poverty is a global issue, something we all need to work on to fix. Please think about doing anything you can do to help. Some ideas are donating your old clothes, and contributing what you can to a food bank. Again, it doesn’t have to be a huge contribution to make a difference. If we can all play a part, and work together, we can make a difference.

Oh, and by the way, please don’t read this and forget about it. Act on it. I’m trying to make a conscious effort to find things I can help out with. I don’t know what or how I’ll do it exactly, but I am certain that I will play my part however tiny it may be.

Alex G