Things that I have learned from poetry is how to properly analyze poems and short stories. I really enjoyed the sign language poetry as it showed the various forms in which poetry can be expressed. I never really enjoyed the digital poetry because I found it too complex, unlike other pieces. Insights that I have gained over essay writing is that I now know how to properly cite papers and essays, how to use proper punctuation, and other things.
I think the essay writing workshops really helped my writing skills a lot and definitely expanded my mind frame to analytic processes. I think the blog posts are a great idea for the fact that the topics are broad enough and remain interesting, where the content can always be fun to do. Other things about the course that I enjoyed was how interesting the class discussions were and how it was never the one topic being covered, which had grasped my attention.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class most of all out of this semester! I know now that I am much more prepared for further writing pieces in the future, and that no techniques or lessons will be easily forgotten and hopefully will bring me success.
Thursday 27 November 2014
Friday 21 November 2014
Week 12
For this weeks blog, I will be showing the steps on how to cook a chicken in a convection cooker!
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (Fahrenheit of course)
Step 2:
Wash and pat dry chicken
Step 3:
Salt chicken inside and out (pepper if desired)
Step 4:
Place breast up and cook for 20 minutes, then turn over to continue to cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes
Step 5:
Let sit for 15 minutes before carving
Step 6:
Drippings can then be used to make gravy and/ or sauce
There you go! An easy and effective meal when given the time!
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (Fahrenheit of course)
Step 2:
Wash and pat dry chicken
Step 3:
Salt chicken inside and out (pepper if desired)
Step 4:
Place breast up and cook for 20 minutes, then turn over to continue to cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes
Step 5:
Let sit for 15 minutes before carving
Step 6:
Drippings can then be used to make gravy and/ or sauce
There you go! An easy and effective meal when given the time!
Saturday 15 November 2014
Friday 7 November 2014
Week 10
"Life's like a box of choclates, you never know what you're gonna get." - Tom Hanks
In the 1994 film "Forest Gump" starring Tom Hanks, his character Forest Gump recounts the story of his life leading up to the point of waiting for a bus to meet up with old childhood friend. The story of "Forest Gump" is one that has many key points that change. From growing up being picked on, to working in the military, excelling in playing ping-pong, meeting the president, owning a shrimping boat, running for no reason, and so much more. The above quote speaks directly as a clear message that you do not know what may happen next but that you should rather take each moment and it enjoy it while it lasts, even if it is a bad one you can always find the good.
"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan
The biggest name out of the NBA, Michael Jordan, is a well known person for his performance in the NBA and being in partnership with Nike for the Jordan brand. A somewhat known fact was that during his years in High School, Jordan was cut from his High School basketball team for not being good enough. Through a lot of training and countless hours of practice, Michael Jordan later on in life proved that he was more than good enough and changed the face of the NBA. The message of the above quote is not simply just accepting failure and denying that you never tried, but that there will sure enough be failures you will come by, but it is because of those failures that you can reach success. As long as the passion and drive is there, the more you try the more you will succeed and reach your goal.
"I'm not M.J. I'm L.J." - LeBron James
The most dominant player in the NBA to come directly out of High School, LeBron James has proven that he is not to be taken lightly. Growing up in the small town of Akron Ohio, James was a substantially talented athlete. Having to move from house to house, his only real home that he felt was on the court with his friends. Through his Training and relentlessness to never give up and desire to win and be better, James was picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers back in the 2003 NBA Draft, James went on to play in South Beach Miami to play with the Miami Heat. He won back-to-back championships with the team and lost in the finals in an attempt for a three-peat. During his time in Miami, James took to social media after much talk of fans and press claiming that he was going to be the next Michael Jordan, the face of the NBA for his era. His claim was that he was not Michael Jordan, but he was LeBron James. The above quote means that no matter who you are and what your talents are, do not desire to be like someone else. Rather, be someone who sticks out. Be yourself and make an impact and an imprint in the memories of others as to who you are and what you've done.
In the 1994 film "Forest Gump" starring Tom Hanks, his character Forest Gump recounts the story of his life leading up to the point of waiting for a bus to meet up with old childhood friend. The story of "Forest Gump" is one that has many key points that change. From growing up being picked on, to working in the military, excelling in playing ping-pong, meeting the president, owning a shrimping boat, running for no reason, and so much more. The above quote speaks directly as a clear message that you do not know what may happen next but that you should rather take each moment and it enjoy it while it lasts, even if it is a bad one you can always find the good.
"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan
The biggest name out of the NBA, Michael Jordan, is a well known person for his performance in the NBA and being in partnership with Nike for the Jordan brand. A somewhat known fact was that during his years in High School, Jordan was cut from his High School basketball team for not being good enough. Through a lot of training and countless hours of practice, Michael Jordan later on in life proved that he was more than good enough and changed the face of the NBA. The message of the above quote is not simply just accepting failure and denying that you never tried, but that there will sure enough be failures you will come by, but it is because of those failures that you can reach success. As long as the passion and drive is there, the more you try the more you will succeed and reach your goal.
"I'm not M.J. I'm L.J." - LeBron James
The most dominant player in the NBA to come directly out of High School, LeBron James has proven that he is not to be taken lightly. Growing up in the small town of Akron Ohio, James was a substantially talented athlete. Having to move from house to house, his only real home that he felt was on the court with his friends. Through his Training and relentlessness to never give up and desire to win and be better, James was picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers back in the 2003 NBA Draft, James went on to play in South Beach Miami to play with the Miami Heat. He won back-to-back championships with the team and lost in the finals in an attempt for a three-peat. During his time in Miami, James took to social media after much talk of fans and press claiming that he was going to be the next Michael Jordan, the face of the NBA for his era. His claim was that he was not Michael Jordan, but he was LeBron James. The above quote means that no matter who you are and what your talents are, do not desire to be like someone else. Rather, be someone who sticks out. Be yourself and make an impact and an imprint in the memories of others as to who you are and what you've done.
Thursday 30 October 2014
Week 9
The Worst Day Possible
Awoken in a daze, with noise of the pouring rain, the smell of burnt coffee, and the sight of a yelling woman, he slowly begins to lean against his headboard.
"What are you doing still in bed? Don't you have class in 20 minutes" his mother yells into his face.
Not realizing what time it is he reaches for his alarm clock. Sure enough, the clock read 7:40am. With a sudden burst of energy he jumps out of bed and into the bathroom to clean up. Running from room to room, he begins to get dressed while also trying to balance food in one hand and packing up for the day.
Finally out the door ready to start his day, he opens the door to his car and puts the key into the ignition. Nothing. The battery had been completely drained and in need of being changed. Frustrated he begins to tighten his book bag straps, and tie his hood firmly to his head and begins to walk to school.
The cold wet rain and cloudy skies with no sign of sunlight or life added to the gloomy atmosphere for which had begun this terrible day. He keeps his head up in hopes of things getting better.
"How could things go worse today?" He had asked himself. The answer to that question which he currently did not know was that it could get much worse. Arriving on campus 17 minutes late for class, he finally reaches his classroom and goes to open the door, but notices that the door is locked.
"Just great, most important class of the day and I'm locked out. Perfect." He says in a sarcastic frustrated tone. He makes his way over to the cafeteria where his stomach led him due to excessive rumbling, he decides to finally grab something to eat.
Once finally paying for his breakfast he turns to make his way to a table, only to get bumped into by another student who is in a rush, causing all the food to drop all over the floor. With an exchange of words he slowly bends over and cleans up the mess all over the floor. A stain of ketchup and smeared eggs lingered on the floor but he did what he could.
Walking away from the problem he had just taken care of, he walks over to a vending machine to get something easy and quick to eat, he puts the rest of his change he finds in his pockets and purchases a peanut bar.
After consuming the bar he reads the information on the bar and discovers that the bar had been expired for over a year. The thought of how old and out of date the bar was turned his stomach for the worse for the rest of the morning. Frustrated and disgusted he makes his way to his next class early so he does not get locked out again. Coming around the corner just crossing the street, a truck comes out of nowhere and splashes excess water left on the street all over his left side.
"Really?! You couldn't have waited for me to cross first?!"
Completely drenched with water physically and anger emotionally he finally reaches his classroom. He notices everyone scrambling in a panic and decides to ask what was going on.
"The Prof is making us do a quiz on the slides we were supposed to read over last night!" a student behind him replies.
"Of course. The one night my laptop dies and I can't find my charger I have to write a quiz.." He mutters under his breath. After completing his quiz which he had guessed "ABACDBA" over and over again on multiple choice, he hands in his quiz rolling his eyes and slowly walks out of the room.
Reaching a close to the school day, he realizes he has to be at work in 23 minutes. Tightening his book bags straps and putting on his hood he begins to once again run so that he can arrive on time. While only running for 3 minutes he hears a voice call out to him:
"Hop in and get out of the rain!" the voice said.
He turns his head and it turns out it is his father. He quickly gets into the vehicle and gets driven to work. Once dropped off he thanks his father and makes his way inside. While getting changed in the staff bathroom he realizes he did not bring his work pants. After such a brutal day he decides to just go out on the floor and work while not in full uniform and telling his manager that it is the best he can do.
After hours of working and spills and few arguments between staff and more customers, he finally gets home after the long and strenuous day. Walking up the stairs with his head hanging low and throws his uniform into the corner of his room and crawls into bed.
Deciding to check his phone he had left all day he finds a text message from an old friend that read; "I seen you at work today and you seemed to be in the worst mood possible. To make up for today, tomorrow I'm going to treat you out to lunch and we're gonna have a good time downtown and I'll take care of you the whole night. Take care bud." Such words had given him a sense of rest and comfort.
Laying his head down on top of his pillow he slowly drifts off to sleep with the simple thought that maybe he was just due for a bad day and that it couldn't get much worse than that. Looking forward to the following day he is finally able to sleep after what seems to have been his worst day possible.
Awoken in a daze, with noise of the pouring rain, the smell of burnt coffee, and the sight of a yelling woman, he slowly begins to lean against his headboard.
"What are you doing still in bed? Don't you have class in 20 minutes" his mother yells into his face.
Not realizing what time it is he reaches for his alarm clock. Sure enough, the clock read 7:40am. With a sudden burst of energy he jumps out of bed and into the bathroom to clean up. Running from room to room, he begins to get dressed while also trying to balance food in one hand and packing up for the day.
Finally out the door ready to start his day, he opens the door to his car and puts the key into the ignition. Nothing. The battery had been completely drained and in need of being changed. Frustrated he begins to tighten his book bag straps, and tie his hood firmly to his head and begins to walk to school.
The cold wet rain and cloudy skies with no sign of sunlight or life added to the gloomy atmosphere for which had begun this terrible day. He keeps his head up in hopes of things getting better.
"How could things go worse today?" He had asked himself. The answer to that question which he currently did not know was that it could get much worse. Arriving on campus 17 minutes late for class, he finally reaches his classroom and goes to open the door, but notices that the door is locked.
"Just great, most important class of the day and I'm locked out. Perfect." He says in a sarcastic frustrated tone. He makes his way over to the cafeteria where his stomach led him due to excessive rumbling, he decides to finally grab something to eat.
Once finally paying for his breakfast he turns to make his way to a table, only to get bumped into by another student who is in a rush, causing all the food to drop all over the floor. With an exchange of words he slowly bends over and cleans up the mess all over the floor. A stain of ketchup and smeared eggs lingered on the floor but he did what he could.
Walking away from the problem he had just taken care of, he walks over to a vending machine to get something easy and quick to eat, he puts the rest of his change he finds in his pockets and purchases a peanut bar.
After consuming the bar he reads the information on the bar and discovers that the bar had been expired for over a year. The thought of how old and out of date the bar was turned his stomach for the worse for the rest of the morning. Frustrated and disgusted he makes his way to his next class early so he does not get locked out again. Coming around the corner just crossing the street, a truck comes out of nowhere and splashes excess water left on the street all over his left side.
"Really?! You couldn't have waited for me to cross first?!"
Completely drenched with water physically and anger emotionally he finally reaches his classroom. He notices everyone scrambling in a panic and decides to ask what was going on.
"The Prof is making us do a quiz on the slides we were supposed to read over last night!" a student behind him replies.
"Of course. The one night my laptop dies and I can't find my charger I have to write a quiz.." He mutters under his breath. After completing his quiz which he had guessed "ABACDBA" over and over again on multiple choice, he hands in his quiz rolling his eyes and slowly walks out of the room.
Reaching a close to the school day, he realizes he has to be at work in 23 minutes. Tightening his book bags straps and putting on his hood he begins to once again run so that he can arrive on time. While only running for 3 minutes he hears a voice call out to him:
"Hop in and get out of the rain!" the voice said.
He turns his head and it turns out it is his father. He quickly gets into the vehicle and gets driven to work. Once dropped off he thanks his father and makes his way inside. While getting changed in the staff bathroom he realizes he did not bring his work pants. After such a brutal day he decides to just go out on the floor and work while not in full uniform and telling his manager that it is the best he can do.
After hours of working and spills and few arguments between staff and more customers, he finally gets home after the long and strenuous day. Walking up the stairs with his head hanging low and throws his uniform into the corner of his room and crawls into bed.
Deciding to check his phone he had left all day he finds a text message from an old friend that read; "I seen you at work today and you seemed to be in the worst mood possible. To make up for today, tomorrow I'm going to treat you out to lunch and we're gonna have a good time downtown and I'll take care of you the whole night. Take care bud." Such words had given him a sense of rest and comfort.
Laying his head down on top of his pillow he slowly drifts off to sleep with the simple thought that maybe he was just due for a bad day and that it couldn't get much worse than that. Looking forward to the following day he is finally able to sleep after what seems to have been his worst day possible.
Friday 24 October 2014
Week 8
Dear Tim Hortons Customers,
I sincerely apologize for the mistake that you are aggravatingly proclaiming with the top of your voice from the bottom of my uniform, even though I was not the one who had made the item which you had requested. Also here is just a hint, just because you were missing some sugar in your coffee due to a problem with the machine does not mean you should rip at me over it not meeting your expectations when you can simply solve your own problem by picking up the packs of sugar right in front of you and pouring some in yourself.
To those who complain due to lack of a product for your order, I too feel your pain, for the simple fact that you are making it mine as well. Just because the person in front of you bought the last muffin does not mean you can demand the baker make some right on the spot so that you can go on your merry way. It takes time to make more product and nobody can make food appear fully prepared before your very eyes at a moments notice.
Sandwich lovers, how could I ever forget about you all! I really enjoy when you deside to order almost one of every sandwich or four of the same sandwich. Those with specific requirements such as no veggies, add cheese, three types of sauces, grilled for a certain time, and finally cut in the manner that pleases you, I'm sorry but it is extremely difficult to keep up with your orders when your expectations are for someone working at Subway, rather than the simple coffee shop of Tim Hortons.
All in all, I would like to ask of you to keep in mind that yes, you are tired from your long day at work and want a couple things to bring home for yourself or your family, that I too have a life, that involves being in school all day to finally get out and have to work until close to please the rest of the community and surrounding area.
What I ask of you all is to just keep in mind that I am a person just like you, who makes mistakes and deals with people who should mind their own business and be on their way. I'm just a guy trying to maintain a minimum wage job to pay for living, my own expenses, and to pay for post secondary education. I am one person who can handle only so many tasks at a time and your patience and kindness would be gladly appreciated.
Oh, and just one more note to end things off. Just because I work at a coffee shop and not in a law firm or business center like you, does not mean that I should be treated any less than one of your colleagues, friend, or family member. I still deserve respect and if treated fairly and justly then everything should go as smoothly as your fresh hot cup of coffee. If not, just keep in mind who you are talking to and who is also going to prepare your order.
Sincerely,
Your average Tim Hortons Employee
I sincerely apologize for the mistake that you are aggravatingly proclaiming with the top of your voice from the bottom of my uniform, even though I was not the one who had made the item which you had requested. Also here is just a hint, just because you were missing some sugar in your coffee due to a problem with the machine does not mean you should rip at me over it not meeting your expectations when you can simply solve your own problem by picking up the packs of sugar right in front of you and pouring some in yourself.
To those who complain due to lack of a product for your order, I too feel your pain, for the simple fact that you are making it mine as well. Just because the person in front of you bought the last muffin does not mean you can demand the baker make some right on the spot so that you can go on your merry way. It takes time to make more product and nobody can make food appear fully prepared before your very eyes at a moments notice.
Sandwich lovers, how could I ever forget about you all! I really enjoy when you deside to order almost one of every sandwich or four of the same sandwich. Those with specific requirements such as no veggies, add cheese, three types of sauces, grilled for a certain time, and finally cut in the manner that pleases you, I'm sorry but it is extremely difficult to keep up with your orders when your expectations are for someone working at Subway, rather than the simple coffee shop of Tim Hortons.
All in all, I would like to ask of you to keep in mind that yes, you are tired from your long day at work and want a couple things to bring home for yourself or your family, that I too have a life, that involves being in school all day to finally get out and have to work until close to please the rest of the community and surrounding area.
What I ask of you all is to just keep in mind that I am a person just like you, who makes mistakes and deals with people who should mind their own business and be on their way. I'm just a guy trying to maintain a minimum wage job to pay for living, my own expenses, and to pay for post secondary education. I am one person who can handle only so many tasks at a time and your patience and kindness would be gladly appreciated.
Oh, and just one more note to end things off. Just because I work at a coffee shop and not in a law firm or business center like you, does not mean that I should be treated any less than one of your colleagues, friend, or family member. I still deserve respect and if treated fairly and justly then everything should go as smoothly as your fresh hot cup of coffee. If not, just keep in mind who you are talking to and who is also going to prepare your order.
Sincerely,
Your average Tim Hortons Employee
Thursday 9 October 2014
Week 6
Scientist discovers ultimate secret in fortune cookie
After a team meeting after dinner at a local Chinese Restaurant, scientist Dr. Richard Thorburn had decided to open up his fortune cookie once he had gotten home, but what he had found inside was not only astonishing by mind boggling.
Inside of Dr. Thorburn's fortune cookie was the same little slip of paper we all receive with writings such as "Have patience, good luck is coming your way" or "Do not travel by bike today", but it never contained a message along the lines of those, but yet it had said "When all is wrong, choose bacon".
This had sparked Dr. Thorburns study on what effects bacon has on the brain when undergoing frustration, confusion, and sadness. The results which he received had astonished him. Over 76% of participants in the study had an ease in their behavior and brain activity once consuming bacon after numerous reports.
Dr. Thorburn is pushing for the use of bacon to treat patients acting agitated. So far his own personal studies on willing participants have shown a near 96% showed quick improvement on acting more content within 10 minutes of consumption compared to those who never consumed the item.
Since studies have been announced only in the past few days, bacon sales have increased worldwide by 380% bringing in extra profit which is reflecting on the development of the communities surrounding rural areas.
This study has really shown that it may help the patients mentally, but physically, participants have gained a substantial amount of weight. Since the product is made up of almost nothing but fat, this fact is not surprising but the amount of consumers are not taking into consideration that even though it helps with the ease of anger and relaxes the user, it should be used in moderation rather than every meal.
Until further studies have been concluded there has been a limit towards the amount of bacon a customer may purchase so that their health is not jeopardized. Until more information has been released it seems that we all have to just sit and wait around to consume this life changing product.
Thursday 2 October 2014
Friday 26 September 2014
Week 4
In 2006 the Beats by Dr. Dre ® company was founded in hopes of producing better quality headphones for consumers to enjoy their music and succeeded so in the release of their first set of headphones; the Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones in late 2008. These head phones were a huge success and gave the company a great start. The headphones are available in many colours from red, blue, green, yellow, any colour really, even options to customize and personalize the headphones. They are able to easily fold for better carrying, a detachable cable, runs on AAA batteries, and its most known and popular features: the extra bass along with the noise cancelling capabilities.
The above video is of NBA basketball player Kevin Garnett in an excellent commercial showing the capability of the noise cancelling headphones in being able to "Hear What You Want".
After consulting many friends and looking over reviews by other users I decided to purchase a pair myself and I must say that they most certainly had a good reputation for a reason. These headphones we're perfect for long road trips or just focusing on the music which was the inspiration behind the headphones by co-founder hip hop/ rap artist Dr. Dre.
The headphones although with a lot of great praise from consumers, also have their downsides as well. It costs nearly $300 for these headphones which is not very cheap, but come with a 1 year warranty where Monster® (the company associated with Beats Electronics) would either fix or replace your headphones depending on condition and circumstance. With the proper care these headphones can last a long time but with neglection towards the wear and tear of the product can bring the usages time lower and lower. The headphones have the ability to fold for more easier portability, but doing so the wrong way can result in damage and have the headphones loosen instead of lock in place. I know this from first hand experience after using a pair.
Another problem that can occur is that the cord that you plug one end into the headphones and the other end into your device can crack or wires become exposed and ruin the quality of the audio. Although the loosened headphones can be fixed under warranty to an extent, the chord may not so easily be replaced or fixed due to the claim of damage by the owner which is not covered under the offered warranty resulting in having to end up paying for another chord.
Personally after owning a pair of these headphones for nearly 2 years now I truly believe that with the proper care like I have taken with my headphones, that they are definitely a great investment. I haven't had anything wrong happen with my headphones that I purchased and are still functioning just as well as the first day that I had purchased them.
Overall taking everything into consideration from price and wear and tear and capability I would rate this product a 7.0 out of 10 for the fact that even though they are an excellent pair of headphones, $300 is still a fairly high price to pay for something to listen to music with. Also the fact that the warranty does not completely 100% cover everything that can go wrong with the headphones, nothing wrong can happen with the proper care. Finally the last fact behind the resulting 7.0 out of 10 would be that you continuously have to reload the headphones with 2 AAA batteries, even though the battery life is 30 hours it would be much easier to be able to recharge the headphones or to just be able to plug them into your device without having to continuously reload batteries by purchasing pack after pack just to be able to use the headphones.
After consulting many friends and looking over reviews by other users I decided to purchase a pair myself and I must say that they most certainly had a good reputation for a reason. These headphones we're perfect for long road trips or just focusing on the music which was the inspiration behind the headphones by co-founder hip hop/ rap artist Dr. Dre.
The headphones although with a lot of great praise from consumers, also have their downsides as well. It costs nearly $300 for these headphones which is not very cheap, but come with a 1 year warranty where Monster® (the company associated with Beats Electronics) would either fix or replace your headphones depending on condition and circumstance. With the proper care these headphones can last a long time but with neglection towards the wear and tear of the product can bring the usages time lower and lower. The headphones have the ability to fold for more easier portability, but doing so the wrong way can result in damage and have the headphones loosen instead of lock in place. I know this from first hand experience after using a pair.
Another problem that can occur is that the cord that you plug one end into the headphones and the other end into your device can crack or wires become exposed and ruin the quality of the audio. Although the loosened headphones can be fixed under warranty to an extent, the chord may not so easily be replaced or fixed due to the claim of damage by the owner which is not covered under the offered warranty resulting in having to end up paying for another chord.
Personally after owning a pair of these headphones for nearly 2 years now I truly believe that with the proper care like I have taken with my headphones, that they are definitely a great investment. I haven't had anything wrong happen with my headphones that I purchased and are still functioning just as well as the first day that I had purchased them.
Overall taking everything into consideration from price and wear and tear and capability I would rate this product a 7.0 out of 10 for the fact that even though they are an excellent pair of headphones, $300 is still a fairly high price to pay for something to listen to music with. Also the fact that the warranty does not completely 100% cover everything that can go wrong with the headphones, nothing wrong can happen with the proper care. Finally the last fact behind the resulting 7.0 out of 10 would be that you continuously have to reload the headphones with 2 AAA batteries, even though the battery life is 30 hours it would be much easier to be able to recharge the headphones or to just be able to plug them into your device without having to continuously reload batteries by purchasing pack after pack just to be able to use the headphones.
Friday 19 September 2014
Week 3
This picture that was taken of me during my very last basketball provincials that I played in. This picture has a lot of meaning to me as it led up to the end of a long 13 years of playing my most favorite sport and the obstacles I had to overcome as well. Back in August of 2013 I had injured my knee leaving me incapable of putting all of my weight onto my left leg. After countless sessions of physiotherapy and visits to the hospital I was advised to stay away from sports until I healed which tore me apart inside because sports are a very important part of my life as a way of relieving stress and being able to have fun. I ended up making the team in my final year of High School but exerted myself too much and was out of action for almost the whole season. After many months of physio I was told that I would need surgery and that my recovery would take months, which meant I would've missed my entire senior year playing sports and especially being able to play at a competitive level. After my surgery I did everything I was told to do and even did the exercises for my physio to recover longer than advised and came back three times faster than what the surgeon had predicted and was able to compete for the remaining two months of the basketball season which I was capable of helping my teammates win a gold medal, a banner, and second place in provincial qualifiers.
This photo was taken during my High Schools Graduation of my closest friends and I. This photo is important to me because it reminds me that these are the guys who had my back or who I could go to if things weren't going well. We wouldn't always refer to ourselves individually we would always call ourselves "da by's". These guys not only helped me things like schoolwork and having someone to hang out with but also helped me stay on my feet after family matters had occurred and especially after the condition I was in prior to surgery and afterwards as well from making sure I was able to get around or wasn't stuck because I was incapable of doing so. They also showed me what true friendship is and how important it is to have bonds with people you may not know for a long time, but know that you still have somebody you can rely on.
Thursday 11 September 2014
Week 2
"Demons"
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood’s run stale
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
At the curtain’s call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made
Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Lyrics from: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/imaginedragons/demons.html
The song above "Demons" by Imagine Dragons is structured with 13 stanzas where the 5th, 10th and 13th are the refrain where 5-5-6-6-4-4-6-6 meter that includes 8 lines within the stanza. The rhyme scheme for stanza 1, has A-A-B-A and the same goes for stanza 2 and stanza 6. The rhyme scheme changes in stanzas 4, 9 and 12 where the rhyme scheme is A-A-B-B. There is diction within this piece of writing. In stanza 2 when it begins with "When your dreams all fail" the stanza continues on the topic of dreams. There is a debate with the speaker them-self as well in stanza 3 where they speak about wanting to shelter somebody they wish to protect but come back to the realization that it is not possible to hide or to be protected and that it becomes inevitable. There is metonymy as well. In stanza 12 when the writer says "Your eyes, they shine so bright" which generally represents a sense of hopes and dreams within this person whose "eyes shine so bright"
The speaker in this song is clearly the artist addressing how he wants to be around somebody specific so much but with all of their past and all the mistakes is afraid to have such a person close to the point that they may hurt them, for example in the refrain where they write "Don't get too close, It's dark inside. It's where my demons hide". The tone in "Demons" would have to be fearful. The speaker is afraid of hurting someone that they love dearly and wish to do no harm upon them. They want to protect this person from all the evil that surrounds them-self (the speaker) but knows the the outcome can not be avoided and that it will not be safe. An example of paradox would be within the refrain where in the beginning they're saying "Look into m eyes" and then follow up with "Don't get too close". They are saying that they want the person in which they're talking to to be close enough to be able to stare into their soul but to not get too close for the evil within in this case are referred to as "demons" .
Finally, I believe that this song is ultimately about wanting to protect the one you love from the person you are or were. It is clear that this is the case during stanza 8; "Don't wanna let you down, But I am hell bound, Though this is all for you, Don't wanna hide the truth" as well as in the lines of "I need to let you go" and "I can't escape this now". Personally what I can gather from this song is that there will be people that will cross your path and you want to open up to them and let them know about your life, but know that in doing so will result in them running away or not being able to keep the same relationship anymore, that it is important to put up walls about yourself so that you may be able to continue living around the ones you love without living in the fear of being accepted. I enjoy this song for the reason being its message, that in order to protect the ones you love that sometimes the best thing you can do is push them away to not only save yourself but set person as well.
Friday 5 September 2014
Introduction
Hi my name is Nick Furlong and welcome to my blog!
I grew up here in Newfoundland but moved around a lot as a child to places like Mount Pearl, Paradise, Torbay, and finally here in St. John's! The things I enjoy doing the most are hanging out with my friends, going out anywhere from just driving around to just enjoying a nice walk here and there, and I enjoy listening to most music from hip hop/ rap to a bit of country. I'm also a very big fan in sports, I have played Basketball ever since I could walk, even though I'm not the best it is still my favorite sport above all! I also used to play Soccer when I was a kid but those skills disappeared when I had quit at a young age. I picked up Rugby a couple years ago for fun and also volleyball last year with my friends for fun.
All of my life as far back as I can remember I have always been surrounded by sports, and with playing sports there also comes the injuries. I have been around chiropractors, physiotherapists, etc. Last year I had both torn and flipped my meniscus which landed me in a lot of physio and finally surgery on my knee, along with even more physio. Being around all these appointments over the years and especially my most recent pretty much sparked my interest in pursuing my studies here at Memorial University. What I hope to accomplish is to get a bachelor in Kinesiology (co-op) and continue my studies so that I may pursue a career in Physiotherapy and specialize in sports injuries!
Other than that, I'm pretty much an easy going guy always calm and relaxed but a bit shy at first. I hope this semester here and all the rest I plan on being in here at MUN go better than expected with all of its twists and turns.
I grew up here in Newfoundland but moved around a lot as a child to places like Mount Pearl, Paradise, Torbay, and finally here in St. John's! The things I enjoy doing the most are hanging out with my friends, going out anywhere from just driving around to just enjoying a nice walk here and there, and I enjoy listening to most music from hip hop/ rap to a bit of country. I'm also a very big fan in sports, I have played Basketball ever since I could walk, even though I'm not the best it is still my favorite sport above all! I also used to play Soccer when I was a kid but those skills disappeared when I had quit at a young age. I picked up Rugby a couple years ago for fun and also volleyball last year with my friends for fun.
All of my life as far back as I can remember I have always been surrounded by sports, and with playing sports there also comes the injuries. I have been around chiropractors, physiotherapists, etc. Last year I had both torn and flipped my meniscus which landed me in a lot of physio and finally surgery on my knee, along with even more physio. Being around all these appointments over the years and especially my most recent pretty much sparked my interest in pursuing my studies here at Memorial University. What I hope to accomplish is to get a bachelor in Kinesiology (co-op) and continue my studies so that I may pursue a career in Physiotherapy and specialize in sports injuries!
Other than that, I'm pretty much an easy going guy always calm and relaxed but a bit shy at first. I hope this semester here and all the rest I plan on being in here at MUN go better than expected with all of its twists and turns.
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