Tuesday 25 February 2014

Classroom Skype Reading

I really enjoyed reading to the grade 3 class in Thompson and dressing up as Havoc! It was an incredibly fun experience and I hope we can do it again sometime. When I was in elementary school I always enjoyed I Love to Read Month and I miss the chance to just relax and read a book in class for D.E.A.R. and getting little prizes for being caught reading.

Thursday 20 February 2014

896 days ago

You ruin every experience.
My mind; tainted by the thought
that if I do something wrong
I'll screw up 
all the progress
we made toward normal. 
I hate living my life
with the fear that something I do
will set you off.
I wish I could force you
to admit your mistakes.
To accept me.
To change.

I can't change you.

Tuesday 18 February 2014

To see

Photographs, moments in time
Mirrors, fragile liars
Image, invisible temptress
Symmetry, crooked imperfection
Eyes, veils of true self
Blindness, darkest vision
Beauty, broken perception
Society, askew

Thursday 13 February 2014

My Digital Footprint


Reading Survey

Besides books, I enjoy reading graphic novels and interactive blogs such as tumblr. Graphic novels have held a special interest for me ever since I can remember. My father is an artist and has always tried to inspire an appreciation for the arts in his children. In fact, a lot of my dad's motivation to pursue a career in such a competitive and financially insecure field came from his childhood love of comic books. Marvel, DC and Archie were among his favourites. Personally, I prefer the simple storyline of an Archie, but picking up the latest spin off of Spider-Man reminds me of my dad. They also remind me of a simpler time when comic books or graphic novels were written and drawn by one author/artist-instead of the countless no names who have taken the original creation and twisted it into so many different plot lines its hard to follow. Comics and graphic novels are a continual reminder of artistic integrity.

Most of the books I have on my shelf at home I have read and reread multiple times. I find that when I reread a book after leaving it for a certain length of time, I forget many details of the plot line. It can also be interesting to reread a book after gaining new perspective on the subject matter or simply maturing. Some of the books I have reread include the Inkheart trilogy, the Thirst series by Christopher Pike, classics such as Call of the Wild, White Fang, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and many other random picks.

When I read I am able to become completely immersed in the story, as long as it holds enough interest with me. I am the type of person who wants to read a book before seeing the movie version so that I may imagine what characters and settings look like on my own. Sometimes a great novel can be spoiled and have the surprise taken out of it if the reader already knows the ending. A quiet environment is not that important to me as a reader, since I am very good at focusing on the book and blocking out distractions.

Reading has been important to me ever since I learned how to do it. The experience of reading is so versatile that its impossible to imagine how anyone could go without. Reading means a source of knowledge and escape for me. My hobby of reading has been a great asset in my life since it has helped me expand my vocabulary, improve my writing skills and enhance my creativity. I truly enjoy writing; whether it be journaling, poetry or short stories. Thinking about the writing styles of some of my favourite authors has given me the means to develop and alter my own style. I firmly believe that reading opens your mind to possibilities and writing is an outlet for those wonderful thoughts. To me, reading means opportunity.

My goal as a reader for this semester is to step away from the YA genres that typically draws my interest and to read more novels that contain less of the gimmicks marketed towards teens and more in-depth material. This is something I should do more often since I am well aware that my skills as a reader are strong enough to push myself to the next level. The main thing holding me back is a lack of interest in most adult fiction and possibly a bit of laziness. At 18, of course I am still drawn to YA topics like "vampires" and "dystopia" but the content is quickly becoming very dry and a bit too overhyped. I would love to read more classics from a time when writing a good book didn't always mean selling out or giving in to trends. I would like to try reading some non-fiction as well.

                           ***
I own a Blackberry Curve smartphone and although it is a little outdated, it does have Internet access with my data plan. Unfortunately, I do not own an iPad or laptop but I do possess a fourth generation iPod touch that I bring to school almost everyday. Last year for Christmas my mom bought me a Kobo mini that I absolutely adore. Like many teenagers, I have Twitter and tumblr but I don't typically post any of my written works, usually just observations about life. I am interested in learning more about blogging and how to maintain a good blog.

Wednesday 12 February 2014

The Spy

I wrote this story about 4 years ago in the last creative writing class I took. The idea was to do some people watching and imagine what they were doing. This came to me after I witnessed my brother and his friend shooting his BB gun in the backyard. Personally, I don't think it's my best work but it was an interesting creative process and its nice to reflect on how my writing skills have evolved. 

I crouched, quietly hidden in my perch, watching and observing the motions of the two men in the yard below me. It was my mission to follow and eventually neutralize the two targets. It was believed by my agency that the two men were Potslyvanian spies working for the notorious international arms dealer, Rhas Al Ghul.

I had followed the two men from a drop point nearby to an old abandoned house on the edge of town. I had kept tabs on them the entire time and had also managed to remain unseen by the men which was key in order for my mission objective to be completed.

They were in disguise to shake off any enemy spies who may have been tailing them and to avoid being recognized by any of the local police. The two men were wanted in 4 different continents for various felonies and acts of espionage. 

The two men had done an excellent job of protecting their identities. Their ruse was to dress up as a pair of teenagers playing a game of target practice with nothing but a B.B. Gun. The youth had used a random assortment of objects as their targets, birds, squirrels, stray cats, aerosol cans etc.

The couple set up the aerosol cans in a row along a fence and took turns shooting them down. As they enjoyed this activity, they would chatter away and talk of how good they were getting. Teasing and taunting each other if one of them missed and challenging one another to get that perfect kill-shot, tapping into their competitive sides made their aim stronger and their shots quicker.

There was no doubt about it in my mind, these men were not only spies, they were good with a sniper rifle. The men attempted to cover up their expert movements by masking them with the false clumsiness of adolescence.

As the two continued with their game another young man entered the equation, he looked strangely familiar so I raised my binoculars to examine him more closely, only by looking closer did I recognize the man to be Rhas Al Ghul himself.

As I continued to watch through my binoculars I noticed the three men really had done an impeccable job of disguising themselves. If it weren't for my training I would've fallen for their brilliant costumes but I managed to notice a few important factors that gave away the men's true identity.

The first man was a heavy chain-smoker, with the stained yellow teeth to prove it. This indicated to me he had been a smoker for at least 10 years. 

The second man  was abnormally muscular for a teenager and wore a scarf that no teen would be caught dead in, as I looked closer I saw that he wore it to hide a large scar that stretched the entire expanse of his throat. 

Rhas Al Ghul's disguise was nearly flawless. He looked exactly like a lanky, slouched over teen that was too cool to care about anything. But I was as sharp- sighted as any spy and saw on the back of his neck a small, almost microscopic seam, thus telling me he was wearing a mask.

I snapped some pictures of the three men and recorded the information regarding the crime scene in my log. While taking care of the fine details, I heard a dog bark somewhere in the neighbourhood and decided to check the perimeter. I looked towards the front of the house and saw a large moving van driving down the street. I had been warned that there may be a delivery and knew the van to be filled with all sorts of deadly weapons. It turned out to be the perfect scenario for an arrest.

I radioed in to HQ and requested backup. After 15 years of trying to nab these crooks my hard work was finally going to pay off. As I heard the chopper approaching, I just sat back and smiled.
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