As the school year comes to a close I can't help but reflect on what I have learned in this course. It's been a solid year and I feel that I have accomplished a lot. I secured a spot amongst the English people at The University of Western Ontario and can not wait to begin my University career. Though I am ready and willing to embrace the challenge of high academia, I can not deny the role this high school played in equipping me for this challenge.
I started in grade nine with less than stellar marks. Poor work ethic and procrastination hindered me from doing well. I was so good at procrastination that I wrote a paper for my English class explaining the benefits of last minute scrambling. Obviously the paper did not receive the mark I was hoping for. As the year progressed however I actually tried...Well actually that's a lie. I didn't start trying in high school til grade 11 because my parents were begging me for effort in school. My marks were fine but nothing university worthy and so I picked up the books and tried for the next three years. Finally I had realized that being smart means nothing if you don't have the motivation to use it. Effort means so much more than brains because someone decides to put effort forward, no one decides to be smart or dumb.
It wasn't long before the offers started pouring in. The flood gates were open and my parents anger was cooled for the time being.
Now as the year comes to a close its hard to believe that the past five years of my life have gone by in what seems like months. Every decision, lousy paper, failing test, was just a reminding speed bump for the need to put effort into what I do. These skills and lessons will carry me through university and life. So this is bye, it's been a fun year with all of you and thanks for being an awesome teacher Feick.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Elections, Elections, Elections
Truthfully, the only reason I voted Liberal this year was to be a rebel, go against the flow, piss off my parents, but I did have some information on the party. Their health care platform was much better than that of the other party's, and this year in particular has shown me how desperately our health care system needs increased funding and medical resources. So my vote wasn't completely out of spite.
Go Bob Rosehart.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Prosecutor: Teen forced dad to sign $100,000 check before killing him
The man's son felt that his father had not given the 19 year-old what he deserved, so him and his three friends waited for the father to come home after working late one night at the office. When the father got home he was forced into a chair, tied, and gaged. After telling his son his banking information one of his hands was released to write a check for $100,000.
Upon recieveing the check the son beat him with a baseball bat and stabbed him repeatedily with a knife. The father's body was discovered a few days later still tied to the chair, with a bag over his head.
The son was denied bail, and the three friends of the son were held on bail, ranging from 3 million to 1.5 million.
This isn't so much of a "funny" story, but rather a disgusting horrible story. I only saw one picture of the son and his face was so remorsless it made me sick. I honestly don't even know if there is a way of commenting on this story that Miss Feick wouldn't frown upon.
I picked this one because thought depressing and morbid, it happens; which again is a depressing thought. I guess just don't read this post if you're in a good mood, or a bad mood for that matter. Actually, you just probably shouldn't read this post.
Upon recieveing the check the son beat him with a baseball bat and stabbed him repeatedily with a knife. The father's body was discovered a few days later still tied to the chair, with a bag over his head.
The son was denied bail, and the three friends of the son were held on bail, ranging from 3 million to 1.5 million.
This isn't so much of a "funny" story, but rather a disgusting horrible story. I only saw one picture of the son and his face was so remorsless it made me sick. I honestly don't even know if there is a way of commenting on this story that Miss Feick wouldn't frown upon.
I picked this one because thought depressing and morbid, it happens; which again is a depressing thought. I guess just don't read this post if you're in a good mood, or a bad mood for that matter. Actually, you just probably shouldn't read this post.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Ye Olde Tea Shoppe
Being a 4U writer's craft student, I am forced to write two blogs today. The second blog is without direction, without focus, and is just plain hard without the creative juices flowin'. My first blog after all took an hour, but mainly because Tim was distracting me with his game of Tetris Battle (yes Ms. Feick, he was) but still this second blog is difficult!
Enough rambling, let's get this over with. I wanted to blog about a cardboard cut out behind me of an old lady dressed in a blue dress in front of a rose bush, with a sign that said "Ye Olde Tea Shoppe". So I google imaged "Ye Olde Tea Shoppe" to try and enhance the reader experience with the image. After glancing through a few google pages and realizing that my tireless searching was in vain, I came across another picture that caught my eye. It was beautiful, everything that a picture needed. It made me happy; honestly, how many pictures have you come across that have genuinely made you happy. I can honestly say that this was a first for me. Photography was something I thought was a joke; making a life out of take pictures. I mean all a picture is is a snap shot of something happy or sad, a moment you'll never live or experience yourself because you weren't there. And if the photograph is good to evelope emotion within it's viewers, I think we need to share it with others.
To enhance the reader experience I've posted a link to where you can find this picture, please click and enjoy it.
http://www.dafk.net/what/
Enough rambling, let's get this over with. I wanted to blog about a cardboard cut out behind me of an old lady dressed in a blue dress in front of a rose bush, with a sign that said "Ye Olde Tea Shoppe". So I google imaged "Ye Olde Tea Shoppe" to try and enhance the reader experience with the image. After glancing through a few google pages and realizing that my tireless searching was in vain, I came across another picture that caught my eye. It was beautiful, everything that a picture needed. It made me happy; honestly, how many pictures have you come across that have genuinely made you happy. I can honestly say that this was a first for me. Photography was something I thought was a joke; making a life out of take pictures. I mean all a picture is is a snap shot of something happy or sad, a moment you'll never live or experience yourself because you weren't there. And if the photograph is good to evelope emotion within it's viewers, I think we need to share it with others.
To enhance the reader experience I've posted a link to where you can find this picture, please click and enjoy it.
http://www.dafk.net/what/
Disney Disaster
The summer of '05 held a number of memories for me, but none more prominent then my families Christmas Break Disney Extravaganza. It was the first of my families trip's I could actually remember, and if there is one thing I remember clearly about the trip was not the outrageous food, or the coasters or any attractions for that matter. The most memorable experience of this trip was the fact that this trip took place within my "anger teen" years; and I loved to make my parents remember it.
The trip was with extended family, my aunt and her two children (Andrea a year younger than me, and Ryan who just started grade 6), my grandma and of course my family. My mom is the type of women who plans every last moment so that between activities you have barely anytime to think, little lone enjoy yourself. Dad's more laid back, someone I always got along with but we did have our history of spats. My grandma (affectionaltly known as Mon) is a saint who I could never be angry at. But there are two people who went on that trip, instructed by God to tourture me for my wrong doings by doing everything I can't stand. My aunt and her son. Normally I am fine with going over to there home and getting along fine with them for a few hours, but this was a week. A week of loud, abnocious, picky eating, cover stealing, shower hogging, only-going-on-one-ride-because-the-rest-are-stupid, but worst of all is my aunt waking up in the kind of mood that the only thing she wants to do is annoy her grumpy nephew (me) by yelling in his ear before he wakes up every morning. I was furious.
As a result my Disney experience was ruined forever. Sure, I enjoyed the food, some of the rides, but whenever we would arrive back at our hotel room, no amount of Disney magic could make me forget about the harsh reality I now faced; my loud aunt.
Of course looking back now it's obvious I was being completely inappropriate, but it's still funny to look back and think of how a grumpy mood ruined Disney.
The trip was with extended family, my aunt and her two children (Andrea a year younger than me, and Ryan who just started grade 6), my grandma and of course my family. My mom is the type of women who plans every last moment so that between activities you have barely anytime to think, little lone enjoy yourself. Dad's more laid back, someone I always got along with but we did have our history of spats. My grandma (affectionaltly known as Mon) is a saint who I could never be angry at. But there are two people who went on that trip, instructed by God to tourture me for my wrong doings by doing everything I can't stand. My aunt and her son. Normally I am fine with going over to there home and getting along fine with them for a few hours, but this was a week. A week of loud, abnocious, picky eating, cover stealing, shower hogging, only-going-on-one-ride-because-the-rest-are-stupid, but worst of all is my aunt waking up in the kind of mood that the only thing she wants to do is annoy her grumpy nephew (me) by yelling in his ear before he wakes up every morning. I was furious.
As a result my Disney experience was ruined forever. Sure, I enjoyed the food, some of the rides, but whenever we would arrive back at our hotel room, no amount of Disney magic could make me forget about the harsh reality I now faced; my loud aunt.
Of course looking back now it's obvious I was being completely inappropriate, but it's still funny to look back and think of how a grumpy mood ruined Disney.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Australian Audessy
It's a chilly morning in downtown Melbourne, on the southern coast of Australia and my brother once again insists he knows the right way. We had planned to meet a bus tour of the city at 8:00 am on the harbour but our one clock (the first generation iPod Touch) is still set to Ayer's Rock time. According to the clock we had 45 minutes before our tour started so we decided to do what any tourist would do, go to McDonald's. As we moved past the busy harbour filled with tourists nothing seemed wrong, we were early, time for some McD's. It didn't take long for us to come across a McDonald's, we got our food while having casual conversation. Time for our tour was fast approaching and once again, nothing seemed wrong. Down the street, past the "Rob Zombie International Art Exhbition", around the corner and something was wrong. The once tourist packed bus station was suspicously empty. After 15 minutes of me panicing when I discovered the cause of this issue, we decided to be productive and plan a way of getting back to the hotel. There was no way we could afford a taxi with the cash we had on us, and because we had only gotten to Melbourne late last night meant that the area was much too unfamiliar to walk back; but for now it was the most viable option.
Frustration set in as the first 15 minutes of wandering past and it was becoming painfully clear that navigating the city by looking for "familiar" buildings wasn't working. I can't recall when things got bad. Maybe it was when Dylan suggested stopping for directions and me stubbernly refusing; perhaps it was when my idea to take the rail cars was shot down. Regardless of what caused it, it happened. We went our seperate ways.
In my mind all I wanted to do was beat Dylan back to the hotel, the quicker the better. I could just picture his face when he opens the door to find me, laxing on the hotel room bed watching t.v, explaining how my way was the fastest and that I had been there for a good half an hour. Ohh that vision had to happen.
After asking for directions-three times-the great idea of riding the rail cars to a completely different section of an unknown city, and about an hour and a half of wondering if I was ever going to find the hotel, I found it.
It took Dylan 15 minutes to find the hotel room.
When it was all over I thought back and realized that if only we had not gone to that McDonald's. But then I thought of how delicious it was and how I would do it all again just for a delicous McDonald's breakfast.
Frustration set in as the first 15 minutes of wandering past and it was becoming painfully clear that navigating the city by looking for "familiar" buildings wasn't working. I can't recall when things got bad. Maybe it was when Dylan suggested stopping for directions and me stubbernly refusing; perhaps it was when my idea to take the rail cars was shot down. Regardless of what caused it, it happened. We went our seperate ways.
In my mind all I wanted to do was beat Dylan back to the hotel, the quicker the better. I could just picture his face when he opens the door to find me, laxing on the hotel room bed watching t.v, explaining how my way was the fastest and that I had been there for a good half an hour. Ohh that vision had to happen.
After asking for directions-three times-the great idea of riding the rail cars to a completely different section of an unknown city, and about an hour and a half of wondering if I was ever going to find the hotel, I found it.
It took Dylan 15 minutes to find the hotel room.
When it was all over I thought back and realized that if only we had not gone to that McDonald's. But then I thought of how delicious it was and how I would do it all again just for a delicous McDonald's breakfast.
Friday, February 18, 2011
School Politics
Politics. Hmm well I think it's wonderful that people feel the need to elect leaders to "unite" and "guide" our country in a way that is consistent with the voice of all its citizens, but lets just be real for a second. Politicians are people, and people are greedy. It really comes down to a simple equation of fundamentally two truths: even though I don't like politics (X), you have to acknowledge that they are essential in a democracy (Y), unless you want to be ruled by a dictator with a crazy name who raises taxes and rounds up all the red headed people and deems them unclean you must acknowledge the following equation:
If X^2 + Y^2 = 15, and X * Y = 5, what is X + Y?
Don't know? I'll tell you. The answer is chaos. Utter chaos.
School politics, what a great and totally relevant thing. A couple students who want to be able to put that they were student body president have a big popularity contest and whoever offends less people and knows more people will win. Majority of the time someone gets elected that actually tires to make a change but more times than not someone gets in who did it as a dare and does absolutely nothing with his position and almost gets kicked out of office because they show up to a school dance drunk. And I'm not suggesting a certain person, of course.
Politics themselves are so incredibly pointless at an international level, that having elections at the high school level is just a mockery of what democracy stands for.
If X^2 + Y^2 = 15, and X * Y = 5, what is X + Y?
Don't know? I'll tell you. The answer is chaos. Utter chaos.
School politics, what a great and totally relevant thing. A couple students who want to be able to put that they were student body president have a big popularity contest and whoever offends less people and knows more people will win. Majority of the time someone gets elected that actually tires to make a change but more times than not someone gets in who did it as a dare and does absolutely nothing with his position and almost gets kicked out of office because they show up to a school dance drunk. And I'm not suggesting a certain person, of course.
Politics themselves are so incredibly pointless at an international level, that having elections at the high school level is just a mockery of what democracy stands for.
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