Happy Holidays!! ;p

Happy Holidays from my family to you and yours! :)

The Yellow :)

        I think I need one of those take-me-out-of-reality-for-a-while moments like the one in The Yellow, by Samantha Hunt. Well, not exactly like THAT one. Not that I have a family, a house and a vacuum cleaner, but sometimes I also want out of my life. Not really “out” as in "bye bye world," but “out” in a way that I want "out" of my situation. So yeah, I need one of those moments or an exciting happening that would temporarily take me out of my own shoes.

        The story is about a man, Roy, who runs over someone's family dog while he's absent mindedly driving. Having a conscience and not wanting to leave the dog, he retrieves it from under his car. With the dog - who he later finds out is called, Curtains - in his arms, he starts going house to house trying to find the owner. He finds the owner, Suzanne, and they go on a naughty little adventure of their own.

        Suzanne is a wife and a mother of 3 who at that moment, was home alone. She needed time alone to relieve herself of all the pent up feelings she had, so her husband took their children to the movies while she stayed at home.

        Of course Roy had some issues of his own too. Like, he's 42 years old, is jobless, and had just moved back into his parents' house. And one night decides to paint the walls of his basement chateau yellow, as a symbol of change.

        I just hope that the author played around with "yellow" more. He only mentioned it in the story in the beginning and in the end, wasn’t really a theme in the story.

        There wasn’t much dialogue in the story, which I liked. If I was there in the scenes, I’d imagine everything to be quiet and sensual: no words, all action. The author described the scenes really well, together with imagery such as: “he could smell the dust still in the rug—salt and sand and dried skin from her kids, her husband, her now dead dog.” I also liked that the story 

        Samanthat Hunt is 39 years old and lives in New York City. She has written numerous short stories, as well as books. Her debut book “The Seas”, won the National Book Foundation’s award for writers under 35. And her most recent book “The Invention of Everything Else,” was in the running for the Orange Prize in 2009.

        The Yellow by Samantha Hunt. From The New Yorker, November 29, 2010. [OK, that’s weird. I swear I read the story over the weekend and the date on it was November 22. Now it says November 29.]

Nanabosho and the Butterflies :)

        Went to the book launch and reading of "Nanabosho and the Butterflies" written by Joe McLellan and Matrine McLellan. Only Joe was there though. Oh, and with me was my CreComm partner in crime...Kalaya! :) It was held in the sunlit Atrium of the McNally Robinson Bookstore in Grant Park Mall. (Boy that mall is far! and did I miss McNally's!) There were probably about 20 seats set up, and we, the audience filled up about 2/3rds of that.

        Nanabosho and the Butterflies is one of eleven children's books centred on the character, Nanabosho (all authored by McLellan.) Nanabosho is the "teacher and protector of the Anishinabe people" as described in McLellan's website. The Anishinabe  is the third largest Indian tribe in North America.

        Before reading the book, Joe started off by giving us a little bit of a background about his Nanabosho book series. He said that he started writing books about the tribe 25 years ago, when most of the ladies in the audience weren't born yet. (hehe) His main purpose of writing the books is to hopefully help the new generations of the Anishinabe tribe to learn their native language.

        "Well it's not the same when you tell this story in english, but that's what our children speak now," Joe said, relating to us what an elder of the tribe told him. "But maybe if you tell the stories, they'll be interested in finding more stories, they'll be interested in the language."

        The children's book is a heartfelt story about a young Nanabosho helping a mother teach her children the important lesson of being independent. The book is illustrated with rich coloured paintings by a former student of his, Jackie Travis. He also incorporated a lot of native words into the story by substituting the english words for grandmother, butterflies, and thank you, etc. I hope and believe that his books will help those new Anishinabe generations learn more about their language and culture.

        In the Philippines, I know that some dialects are also dying. So I know how important it is to keep language alive. When I moved here to Canada, I found some parents struggling to teach their children the Filipino language. So far most Filipinos I know that were raised here, do understand the language, but only a few can speak it. Language becomes part of the identity of a people, and so when this is lost, a part of the people's culture is also lost.

If you saw one, wouldn't you try?

No really, wouldn't you?






HAHAHAHA =)))

So I've been thinking about renting a pole dancing studio this Christmas and just having fun with my friends...all girls of course. I already found one in the exchange that costs $75/hr. But of course we'll be there longer so it's gonna be expensiiiive. So I hafta think about that some more. But oh, I could just imagine how it would turn out. We'd be laughing at each other the whole time because of the pole dancing skills we don't have. hahaha :)) And we'll all probably land on our heads at least twice hahaha.

Anyhoo,,, I was watching some pole dancing videos on YouTube (like, wow!) and I came across this. HAHAHAHAHA poor lady! :)) So yeah, if you saw a pole in somebody's house, wouldn't YOU try? I would. HAHAHA. Heck, sometimes I even play with bus stop poles. hahaha. Or those in playgrounds. :)))

Lesson for the day: Don't open a Bud near a pole. (say what??) HAHAHAHAHA =)))))

Temporary :))

        Made this in creative writing class one month into CreComm. Heeheehee. The exercise was to write a fictional scene about a picture of myself. Requirements: 1) mention the photographer, and 2) someone has to die. :))

        Today is July 16, 2010 - the opening day of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. These two are having their picture taken with a street sign that says “temporary.” Let's call them Plaid 1 and Plaid 2. Plaid 1 came up with that idea; giving the "temporary" sign the meaning that we only stay here on Earth - in this life - temporarily.

        While the photographer is badly framing this picture, they hear Justin Beiber’s song, “Baby”, start playing from the outdoor stage that they're close to. All three of them, as well as most of the people around them, hurl terribly in their minds.

        They notice a street performer pointing to the clear blue sky above where they see a newly formed smiley face made by a jet to welcome the Fringe visitors.

        They smile and pose, and at the moment the shutter goes off, Plaid 2 is thinking of sushi and how she wants some for lunch. But as usual, they will end up in a steak house later that night.

        Little did they know that right after this shot is taken, a goat will run into the frame. People will be surprised and will gasp as the goat rams the butt of the man who is bent over in the background. The man will just fall over and get cuts on his hands and knees. But the goat will suffer a major concussion, will pass out and die in the animal hospital with the time of death of 8:17 pm. The kids at the Fringe petting zoo will later hear about this in the evening news, and will think it was funny and sad at the same time.

        Too bad the photographer wasn’t able to click the shutter on time. That picture would have been priceless.

;p

Dynamite - Taio Cruz - A Cappella Cover - Just Voice and Mouth - Mike To...

Coolie!! :D Just posting stuff on here that rocks my socks off! :D

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes

Saying AYO, gotta let go

I wanna celebrate and live my life

Saying AYO, baby let's go

Cause we gon' rock this club

We gon' go all night

We gon' light it up

Like it's dynamite

Cause I told you once

Now I told you twice

We gon' light it up

Like it's dynamite

I came to dance, dance, dance, dance

Flying Snakes. Awesome. ;p

That is so cool. Who would've thought that even snakes could fly?

This is a video that I got off of an article from Yahoo News about a show on National Geographic.

Wow.

Potter Heads ;p

This is for all you Potter Heads out there! ;p

        So part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is FINALLY coming out this Friday...tomorrow!!! Too bad I have work and I'll be super busy this weekend...I won't be able to catch a show :(( ...or maybe I will *cue suspense music* *evil laugh* So by next week everybody will be talking about it...and I. won't. have. any. thing. to. say :(( ...and again, or maybe I will... *evil-er laugh* hahaha kidding...I'm fine with that. ...or maybe I'm not... *evil-est laugh* :D

        Anyhoo, in Harry Potter there are these things you call "horcruxes." Ya know, those thingies where He-Who-Must......argh too much effort to type! I'll just say his name: VOLDEMORT! *crowd gasps* ...where Voldemort hides parts of his soul? Yeah, those ones.

        Horcrux: a magical object created through the use of the Dark Arts by evil witches or wizards who wish to avoid death. To do so, they conceal part of their soul within an object - the Horcrux - that is usually hidden away in a safe location.

        If I were to create horcruxes for myself (cause, I don't know, maybe someone was out to get me? hahaha), I'll break up my soul and put them pieces in my favourite objects in the world (Mr. V had seven. But I'll narrow mine down to three):

1. my mac book. is my life.
2. my blue and yellow Pilot mechanical pencil. Have been a pencil person ever since.
3. my rings. I just can't live without my rings.

        There. These things, I can't live without.
        Horcruxes. We all have some of those. :)

ciao! ;p

note to self: re-"listen" to yer HP 7 audiobook IF and WHEN you have time.

note to all you other Potter Heads: Silvercity Polo Park is already SOLD OUT for Friday.

Bodies: I Say, Go! ;p

Let’s sing!

The leg bone connected to the

knee bone,
the knee bone connected to the

thigh bone,
and the thigh bone connected to the

hip bone.

Oh those bones, those bones, those bones!

Ever since I was small (well, I still am ha ha), I have always been fascinated with the human body. My friend used to have a collection of children’s encyclopedias that featured (and illustrated) an organ system of the body per book, and whenever I’d go to her house, I would borrow one while I was there. My parents even gave me a book about the human body for one of my birthdays, which I still have.

So naturally, when I found out that Bodies: The Exhibition was opening here in our own little Winnipeg, I just had to go.

Amidst all the controversy around it, a lot of people (like me) are curious and would still go. Actually, I already went. Two times. Hihi. :) I did not find any part of the exhibit as offending. The exhibit was actually set up to be very informational and scientific.

The preserved bodies were not in glass cases. They were positioned without any barriers stopping the audience to touch them. But nobody was allowed to touch of course. So the exhibit was also a test of self-control. The bodies were just so close that if you wanted a closer look, you just simply TAKE a closer look and literally move your face closer to it. You could really see details such as eye lashes, eye brows and the hair in other parts of the body.

Bodies is a very intimate experience with you and your own body. It made me learn so much more by seeing the things that I studied in school right in front of me.

As Dr. Roy Glover, chief medical director for Bodies said: “Seeing promotes understanding, and understanding promotes the most practical kind of body education possible. The body doesn’t lie!”

I hope to go back. The Bodies Exhibition totally rocked my socks off!

Here’s a link to their website if you’re interested. :)

BODIES: The Exhibition, Winnipeg

Good Job Mark Z! :o)

        Although at first I thought that the movie would be boring, I found The Social Network to be very timely and interesting. What amused me the most was that Facebook was borne from a mix of a bad break-up, some alcohol and the programming skills of a computer super nerd. And what started out as a small ‘project’ within the grounds of Harvard University, turned into a world wide phenomenon. Now it is safe to say that everybody (at least everybody not living under a rock) has a Facebook account, and those who don’t, are in the minority.

        The movie couldn’t have come at a better time as Facebook’s popularity is either at its peak, or is rising to its peak. I say this because in the past few months or weeks I myself have been spending more and more time on Facebook. Just endlessly jumping on to Facebook page after Facebook page just to see what’s going on in my friends’ (and their friends’, and their friends’ friends’) lives. And to think about it, you really don’t gain anything from Facebook other than gossip and feeling a bit stalker-ish. Ha ha.

Bad, Mark, Baaaad.

        After watching The Social Network, I don’t think that Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook, was shown in a negative light. If any, I’d say that they gave him the image of a smart-ass genius. At least that was how I saw him to be when I came out of the movie theater. They did, however, show that he was the worst guy in the world to get into a relationship with.

        I saw Zuckerberg as a hard-headed geeky kid who needed someone to hold his hand while going through his undertakings because Facebook gaining popularity so fast was blowing his mind. He may be arrogant and kinda of (well ok, he is) full of himself, but it seems that he is an exception to all other guys because he is a genius. So that gives him the license and freedom to be his own character.

More Popular Than Popular?

        Facebook probably gained more interest from the public after having this movie released. And yes, that means Facebook became more popular. But I’d guess that if ever there was an increase in the number of people on Facebook, it would be very little because as I said earlier, almost everybody already has a Facebook account.

        Since I already have a Facebook account and a new-found interest in the creators of Facebook, the most that I have done was browse through their information pages. I found that I’m actually delighted to see that the people in the movie are real people. That they DO have their names posted on Facebook. Also, I think it’s pretty neat that they are still in touch with their audience (or the public) and actually value their opinions. Thanks to the movie, for me they (the creators) look like real and reachable people.

Good Job, Zuckerberg!

        After reading Mark’s (yes, I feel that I know so much about him now that I can call him by his first name) reaction to The Social Network, I gave him a virtual pat on the shoulder. Good job, Good job. Haha. I agree with you, Mark, that the movie was just for fun and may not portray the entire truth. After all, it WAS made for profit.

        He appears to be at ease with himself - content in knowing that only he (and probably his co-founders) know what really happened in the early years of Facebook - that he seems not to care that much about what people think.

        So I think that it’s good that he is being a sport in all this. Although (referring to the same article), I’d have to agree that his “little league” strategy was badly placed. You could’ve done that some other time, yo.

And Now What Does The Audience Think?

        I don’t believe there’s much of an impact on the audiences’ perceptions...although I did feel sorry for his bestfriend-slash-co-founder Eduardo, because he was screwed over in the movie. But by now he’s probably rolling around in the dough he made with his algorithm anyway. (Oh and look at that...I just searched for a picture of Eduardo on Google...oh, and he IS cute...........but he’s cuter in the movie. Hahaha.) So everything’s goooooood.

To Sum It All Up.

        If I was on his public relations team, what would I do differently? Well, I’ll definitely come  up with a gimmick for Facebook subscribers (or account holders?) I would thank them for continuing to support Facebook (and making Mark rich and famous hehe). Because on Facebook, there isn’t a mention of anything about the movie. But then again, they might think that it isn’t anymore necessary because it’s not like anyone would stop using Facebook because of the movie.

And...

        Did I forget to say that I watched the movie twice? OK...so.....I watched the movie twice. Oh yes I did. $20.50 of my money went to whoevers’ pockets hihihi. Anyhoo, aside from being the first one the laugh before a funny scene came up, I got to notice more things in the movie like how the girl with Brenda Song (the Asian girlfriend) is also from the Disney Channel, and how Sean Parker and Mark Z. both snap-and-pointed their fingers when they ‘approve’ something. I just don’t know who copied who.

        Oh man, 926 words yo! If you love me, you’ve read up to here! Thank you, thank you very much!

*exits*

Buyer Be What?

    People today are so health conscious that companies who make food have started to manufacture and market “vitamin enhanced” food products. The companies also put the word “vitamin” on the product’s label so as to attract those healthy conscious people. The question my team and I wanted to answer was: What is the effect of the word “vitamin” to consumers. And the purpose our research was to inform the public if these vitamin enhanced products are indeed good or bad for them.

    My team and I (for buyer beware) decided to focus our research on beverages that claim to be vitamin enriched. Particularly about the effectiveness of the word “vitamin” when used on a product’s label to entice consumers. We wanted to find out if and how the word “vitamin has an effect in the perception of consumers about a product.

    In order to gather information, we researched about the many different vitamin enhanced drinks in the market today. We also looked into the FDA requirement in order to be considered a health supplement. And as for a representation of the public, we made a survey and had this answered by 53 random people.

    Our survey included questions about their preferences when buying beverages, if they would buy a product just because it said “vitamin” on it, or if they would be skeptics and still check the nutritional facts before buying a product.

    Through our research we learned that there is only a small percentage of consumers who would buy a beverage just because it said “vitamin” on it. A larger percentage said that they would buy a beverage, regardless of if it is vitamin enriched or not, just as long as they like it. And a majority of consumers said that even though beverage products have the word “vitamin” on them, they will still make their own research on these products to make themselves aware of the claims of a product is indeed true.

    It is important that before we buy anything, we always check the nutritional facts of a product. A company may be using some marketing techniques to get consumers to buy their products, but it is also important not to let yourself be influenced by these, and to make yourself aware of what you are buying.

ciao! ;p

Sam K VS Judy W

So, I don't really know anything about Canadian politics...or the mayoral election at that. But I found their October 06, 2010 debate (that was done here in RRC), amusing.

At first I was more interested in the media staff that came to cover the debate, particularly the CJOB radio people that were on my side (I was sitting on the far right of my row). I was kind of observing how the radio technician was working. He had his little podium-like table where he put his switchboard and transmitters (I guess). And I saw the Richard (the host) was only wearing a wireless headset. And I thought that was coooool. So at that moment, I wanted to have his job and be a radio announcer.

Then I noticed that there were other people along the sides of the rooms who turned out to be reporters. During the breaks they'd go around with either their cameras or voice recorders getting snippets of opinions from students in the audience. I was actually a bit worried that someone would come up to me and ask me about the debate. But I guess I looked like I didn't really know what was going on, so nobody came up to me. *phew*

Oh, but that's a bad thing for me though. We will be having a journalism assignment about the mayoral elections in a few weeks. And I have now until that time to educate myself so that I'll not only be able answer questions, but also ask good ones.

Geico Commercials: So Cuuuute!

During our advertising class today we watched several of these Geico commercials from their advertising campaign. I really, really love animals and think these are sooooooooo cute! So Imma post it here!





Here's another one!



They're so cuuuuute!!! Love the wood chucks! hahahahaha!! ;p

The Aurora Bee

Alien light show...ON NOW!

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights a.k.a. the Aurora Borealis before? Like up close in person? Like you were right under it and not only seeing it through the glass windows of your TV? If yes, good for you! If no, join the club! :)

Ever since my friend mentioned the Northern Lights and how we’ll go and see it, I’ve been semi-obsessed! I’ve made it a habit to check the Aurora Borealis visibility forecast every day now. I go to this website: http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/ where they give short term visibility forecasts good for about 2 or 3 days at a time. And I hear that the peak visibility times of the Aurora B is during the winter!

It’s just exciting! I can’t wait for when we drive out of Winnipeg with our friends, with our blankets and hot coco in tow just to sit in the dark and go "ooohhh" and "aaahhh" at the light show above. :)

Tweet Tweet! ;p

Ok, so I'm now on Twitter! woot woot! ...whoops...I mean...tweet tweet!! *throws head back and laughs*

Follow me and I'll follow you! it's @pepperisha :)

I was doing a GRRREAT job resisting the urge to create another online account until PR class today. Hahaha. It seems that in order to be considered human in the 20th century, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts are mandatory. (Hey does anybody remember MySpace or Friendster? Or chatting on MIRC?? asl please?) Harharhar. So yeah, that means that I have another set of log-in information that I have to store in my brain. Heehee.

This is going to be interesting. *taps fingers together like a villain*

Oh, You! ;p

    Ahlanwahsahlan! Mabuhay! Hello! Welcome to my little ittie bittie space in the World Wide Web! Oh, and congratulations for finding it! *gives you an approving nod and air handshake* ;p


      I am Isha. I am a student studying Creative Communications at Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    The objective of my blog is to ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!!! :D I will be blogging about stuff that I think should ROCK YOUR WORLD! Well...maybe not that much...maybe just a little...a tremble? ...that you can’t even feel? *falls on her knees* Please! Just come back to my blog!!! I promise to make it fun and attractive and enticing!!! *does Puss in Boots’ eyes* Hahaha just kidding! :)

    No, but seriously, I have chosen to mainly write about stuff that I notice, that normal people might not. And yes, that means I am abnormal.

    For example, ever noticed that there are some days that a lot of people just happen to be wearing the same color, that it’s hard NOT to notice? Or ever found yourself in a situation with another person, that if reversed, you would think the person was creepy? Ok, that was weird. Anyhoo, those are the things that I want to blog about. And just so ya know, there will be times that I will be deviating from my theme...just to shake things around.

    Oh yea, I’m new to the blogging world, so please be nice. Heehee!

Mwah!