Tuesday 25 February 2014

Robert Munsch

Robert Munsch books bring back great memories from my elementary school years! from the teachers and librarians reading them to us with the many different voices, to when Robert Munsch himself came into my school and read to us. All in all he is an amazing author! I love when the kids I babysit ask me to read them one of his books, as it's my chance to make a fool out of myself, and make them laugh with my impression of the many different characters and voices written throughout these books! His books are so fun, for the kids and parents aswell 

Thursday 20 February 2014

Quick Write - Nature

http://wallike.com/sunset-landscape.html

The beauty that earth beholds is captivating. From the winding rivers, to the highest mountains. The exellence of our world is inspirational, this picture brings a quote to mind "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light." -Albus Dumbledore. On our worst days it may feel as if the whole human race is against you, like there is nothing you can do but crash. It's moments like those, when you have that storm cloud stuck above your head, that you need to stop and take a moment to look around. For beauty is everywhere, look around at the gorgeous blue sky, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the snow as the light makes it sparkle like a thousand tiny diamonds, look around and appreciate mother natures artwork. Life may be difficult from time to time, but on those tough days just remember to pause and take a minute or simply a second to  acknowledge our wonderful planet. 

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Reading Survey

I've noticed quite a bit that both the books I chose to read and the way I would read has changed tremendously. The changes I've made as a reader disappoint me. In my elementary years I loved to read, everywhere and anywhere I went. I was a very thorough reader, I absorbed every word that was on the paper, making sure I knew what was going on, and if I didn't understand something I would reread. I always knew what was happening throughout the story. As I look back on the last few times I've read, I can see the gaping difference. I now skip over words and sentences, I don’t follow the story line well, and I speed read rather then slowly consuming each word. The most prominent switch to my reading habits is the fact that I had lost all of the enjoyment reading once gave me. So I knew an adjustment was greatly needed. Indeterminately I chose to take a break from reading, seeing as it used to be an escape, a way to forget for a moment, a way to become a different person and jump into a whole other world! Though my problems started to leak into those worlds, terrorizing them. The stress from high school, home, friends, work and the boyfriends had become so extensive that as I would read; my mind would start to drift towards those problems, those responsibilities. Taking a break would be my only option, until I got things under control.  Many issues have been put to rest, and I feel prepared to pick up a book again.
 Similar to many kids of this generation I have a smart phone, iPhone 5 to be exact; it is without a doubt my lifeline. I use it for absolutely everything and it goes everywhere with me. My schedule, to do lists, photos, and numbers, along with a large majority of my life is on this phone. I've got reminders set daily to make sure I take my iron supplements, and to remind me of when I work or when projects are due, not to mention that it is also my alarm clock in the mornings. Along with all of these things I have many apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all are my personal accounts that I very rarely use, and when they are used, it is it scroll through news feeds, never to post anything. Along with a cellular device, I have my own personal gateway laptop that I got as a Christmas present a few years ago, it is mainly used for school work, or playing games such as Sims 3. I've never considered myself to be one of those tech savvy types of people and throughout this course I’m looking forward to learning to build my own blog, and seeing how reading and technology come together,  I’m also curious on how twitter fits into creative writing and eager to find out the answer.
            As and ex-reader I have many goals set for myself throughout this semester, I would love to get back into my old joy of reading, as I mention in the paragraphs earlier, reading had lost its magic for me, I couldn't get into the books I would attempt reading, it had become another thing on my long list of to-dos.  As well as gain back my love of reading I want to put an end to my speed reading, and develop good habits. Such as thinking about what I’m reading, and coming up with predictions, and asking myself questions about why the antagonist or protagonist are acting the way they are.  I am also looking to expand my reading genres, towards books on skills, and novels with different perspectives other than first person, throughout this course I also hope to improve on my writing style,  wish to be able to write my thoughts down on paper with ease, and become more accustom to using more sophisticated words and writing technique.  I am very excited for this course and look forward to making a blog and incorporate technology into my writing. 

Quick Write - Memories


   Between juggling the hours of a job with school, homework from every class of the day, and parents constantly on you back telling you to improve your grades the stress of a 16 year old high school student tends to add up quickly. The last 2 years of high school are the most important, making it double the stress for those are the years we must plan our future. We need to take the right courses, get the best grade all for universities, and to get that career of our dreams. 
   Though parents seem to forget the stress that they were under while going through school, and they tend to add stress to their kids problems without realizing. I think the main reason for that is time. As parents they've been out of school for years which in that length of time they tend to forget everything that happened while they were in school. Another possible reason for their forgetfulness is the fact that as adults, they have there own stressors and problems to deal with. Such as paying the bills, getting a full time job, or tying to find a career, or making sure there is enough money to provide food for their kids along with a roof over their head. With all of these hardships that come with being an adult it's understandable that they would be able to forget the simple high school hassles. 

Quick Write- Which door?

The Harry Potter books and movies where so amazing and captivating that if I had the choice, the door into Hogwarts is the one I'd choose. Magic would be everywhere as I took my first steps inside.