..::Danica's Blog::..

The Last Song

dabarr — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:50:31 +0000

As we reach the end of high school, hundreds of questions get thrown in front of us like what are we going to do after we graduate? Are we going to college or university? If we know what we want for a career? All these require us to know what our likes and dislikes include which also requires us to know who we really are.

In The Last Song, Ronnie’s parents are divorced. She has gotten into shop lifting, going to clubs under age and hanging around guys her mom didn’t approve of. Obviously, going through the phase of teenage rebellion. Usually when teenagers rebel, it’s in an effort to be taken seriously by their parents or their peers. We want to prove ourselves and seem mature whether we really are or not.

It’s human nature for us to want to prove ourselves and to make our own way in the world. If we’re given a label, we want to prove that we’re much more than what the label makes us out to be. Granted, actually breaking the label is easier said than done most of the time but reguardless of that, we want to be our own person whether we know who that is or not. The point is we don’t want anyone else figuring out who we are before we do.

Afraid of the Dark

dabarr — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:15:45 +0000

Being afraid of the dark is a fear that I often associate with kids under the age 7. When I babysit my cousins or any other kids they can be so brave. They will hang upside down on the monkey-bars, ride a bike with no hands, but the minute the lights turn off all that bravery they had built up that day melts away. This fear can be easily cured by plugging in a nightlight, checking for monsters under the bed, or leaving the bedroom door open. At least one, if not all, of these solutions have been successful in aiding a child to get over being afraid of the dark.

So why, as teenagers, are we still afraid of the dark? One of the main reasons why the dark scares me is because my vision isn’t as accurate and objects mold together which can easily be misconstruded. That sends me running in the opposite direction. Anything can be lurking around that next corner or hiding amongst the group of trees. The dark reveals very little leaving so much so the imagination. Thinking about this the next time you walk in the dark or are home alone at night I can guarantee will quicken your step and make your heart race.

As we get older and out of the monsters-under-the-bed stage in our lives, we become more aware of the situations in the real world such as hearing stories about assults, murders and kid-napping. Many of which usually happen at night. Watching cases like these or hearing about them solidifies the fact that it can happen to anyone. Thus, making us more susceptable to continuing or developing a fear of the dark.

When I stay at home by myself I get scared very easily. I can’t even watch CSI by myself because I think there is a serial killer hiding somewhere in my house or in my yard. Vulnerability washes over me and instead of feeling like the sixteen year old I am, I feel ten years younger.

Granted I overreact making myself terrified for no reason but to ever get over this fear that grips most of me, I should take a deep breath to calm the nerves because there is probably nothing to worry about anyway! I try not to let it get to me so much that it gets in the way of living life to the fullest.

iPods

dabarr — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:02:53 +0000

From records, to cassettes, to CDs, the latest trend in listening to music is an iPod. iPods are so easy to manage because they’re small and they hold as many songs as you want. Not only do they hold songs, iPods can act as a portable TV so you can watch a favorite movie or episode of a favorite show. Also, any of your favorite pictures can be put onto your iPod.

What makes an iPod so desirable is their ability to hold as many songs or video’s as you can possibly think of. The size also adds to its popularity because you can access anything at the palm of your hand which makes it easy to take anywhere. On an iPod Touch, internet and games are available by literally the touch of your finger.
Because so many people have them, vehicles have installed places to plug in your iPod.

iPods are just a small piece of technology that the world has gone crazy over. They have changed their design almost every year and each one is getting more hi-tech.
Technology has improved drastically over the past decade and it’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It’s hard to think about how primitive our lives would be without it.

Beliefs and Values

dabarr — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:46:08 +0000

“What worries us or annoys us? How do people respond to stress in life?”
We all have worries, stress and annoyances in our everyday life. Our response depends on what it is and how much it affects us directly. When I feel stressed, my usual response is that I will think the problem is much bigger than what it really is and I get myself more worked up than what is necessary.

In the book Blue is for Nightmares, the author introduces the main character, Stacey Brown, as a Wiccan. She does spells and rituals that help her gain insight on what is stressing her out or worrying her. I like how the author gave the character a positive way to deal with stress. It’s important to have an outlet where you can put all your stress so that it doesn’t come out in a negative or harmful way.

The author, Laurie Faria Stolarz, has included information about Wicca and what they believe. Their beliefs are similar to Christians despite what some might say. Because Stacey has these beliefs, they affect the way she makes decisions much the same as anyone else. She considers all the options and who they will affect. Through Stacey, Laurie Faria Stolarz has told the readers that she values her friends and family. She and I have that in common.

Laurie Faria Stolarz has reminded me that life isn’t always easy. We come across obstacles that we can confront or ignore because we think it’ll just go away. Peer pressure is a major one that we will face everyday and it’s critical that we develop strong values and beliefs in order to continue being ourselves.
When we have strong values, it becomes less likely that we will stray from that. We won’t feel the need to change ourselves because we are already comfortable with what we believe.

About me

dabarr — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:04:41 +0000

This was my first year in leadership and I was really excited. I had no idea what to expect so I went in with a positive attitude and hoping for the best. When we were given our first task, it was the carnival. We knew that we would have to work really hard in order to make it as good, if not better, than last years. We had a short time frame which meant no wasting time.
We had to trace, paint and put up the posters around the gym. We had to decorate the gym and organize a game. Up until then I had never really given much thought as to how hard people have to work to make the carnival such a success. I realized that in order to accomplishment great results you have to have dedication, determination and organization.

When we had to do a reflection on how the event went, I wasn’t sure how well I was going to do because I knew that I wasn’t very good at telling people all the things I’ve done for a project. I also wasn’t sure how I was going to write how I felt-in detail- about how the event went.

Since then I have improved in my reflections. I no longer feel like I’m bragging when I tell people what I’ve contributed to help the event run smoothly. As for writing about how I feel, I’ve gotten better but there is always room for improvement.

Since I’ve been in leadership, my leadership skills have definitely improved and I’ve grown more as an individual. Organizing events or games for younger kids have taught me time management and many other skills that will help me in years to come.
I feel confident when faced with a task and talking to people I don’t know thanks to the leadership conference. I had no idea that a conference could impact me on such a level. It taught me to not shy away from a challenge and to have special goals. The conference taught me that you get out what you put in. I never would have had as much fun if I held back and shied away from doing the cheers or making new friends both in and out of my spirit group. This is probably one of the most important lessons I’ve learned.

I would have not learned all the valuable life skills that I’ve learned and experienced through leadership.

DVD Review- Pride and Prejudice

dabarr — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:17:20 +0000

Pride and Prejudice is a movie based on the book by Jane Austin. Elizabeth Bennett and her eccentric family live in London in the era of British Monarchy. Throughout the movie, Mrs. Bennett tries to set her daughters up with repectable husbands because she is afraid that if she has daughters of marrying age who are not married, it will result in a negative reflection of her parenting.

I first watched this movie when I was in grade nine and have liked it ever since. I liked it because it gave you a look at how different times were in comparison to now. For instance, the younger the girl was, the more likely she will get married to a respectable man and have children of her own. Today, if a young girl was to get married and have children, her parents and many other parents would not approve and develop negative opinions towards the girl and her husband.

Pride and Prejudice is the type of movie where I had to watch it more than once to catch everything. Each time I’d watch it more of it would click and make more sense. Each time this happened the more I enjoyed the movie. I would recommend Pride and Prejudice to anyone who enjoys films from a different era.

Julius Caesar

dabarr — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:11:41 +0000

Julius Caesar began as one of the members of the Triumvirs along with two other men, Crassius and Pompey. Deciding three men were too many for senates, Caesar and Pompey teamed up to destroy Crassius. This left Caesar and Pompey as the senates. After many disagreements, Caesar and Pompey went to war where Pompey fell and Caesar claimed Rome.

Pompey was a Patrician and had stoic philosophy like many of plebs. Stoic’s believed that something came from nothing, which was a god. For Stoic’s to participate in anything other than work, there would have to be good reason for it and the reason would be god. They also thought that they had immortal souls and that being miserable on earth would mean happiness in the after life. One of the major things that Stoic’s believed was that they didn’t have free will. Their will belonged to god therefore they did not own their will.

Julius Caesar had the philosophy of an epicurean like many of the other Patricians. Epicurean’s believed that nothing could come from nothing; it had to have already been made for it to become something else. Another philosophy of the Epicuean’s was that everything happened by chance. The fact that humans are here was purely by chance. For human’s to have a soul, the soul would have to be made of atoms or anything else but not nothing. The major belief epicurean’s was that they believed they had free will. They lived by the words ” if it feels good do it” because they didn’t believe in a god and heavan.

Whether or not human’s had free will or not was what caused the majority of the disagreements. The Epicurean’s could do whatever they wanted without needing a reason. For the Stoic’s, if there wasn’t a good reason to do it, they wouldn’t.

When Julius Caesar wanted to rule Rome on his own, he tempted the pleb’s with Epicurean ways. He convinced them they didn’t have to be miserable anymore and there didn’t have to be a reason for everything. By bribing the pleb’s he was able to defeat Pompey and rule Rome on his own until he was later assassined.

Best Book Review Atonement

dabarr — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:10:10 +0000

I recently read the book Atonement and I thought it was phenomenal. Atonement is about Briony Tallis who sees something her thirteen year old mind cannot fully comprehend. When everything is revealed, it results in a huge separation between her and her sister Cecilia and the maid’s son Robbie Turner. Throughout the book, it moves from the different perspectives the characters.

I had watched the movie before I read the book so I had an idea about what it was about and what happens but the two are very different.
There are scenes in the book that weren’t in the movie that would made the movie a little less confusing.

I like the book better because I can picture the characters and the settings the way I think they should look. The book also goes into detail on how the characters feel and their thoughts on what is happening. It was interesting to see how they react and respond in the book versus the movie.

Although I enjoyed the book overall, the beginning was a little boring making it difficult to keep focus. Also, because there were many perspectives, it was a little hard to keep up with who’s side of the story was being told.
I would recommend this book to people who have a wide vocabulary because there were quite a few bigger words in it.

Letters to Soldiers

dabarr — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:18:15 +0000

“Treat others the way you want to be treated” is the main reason for people doing good deeds. Good deeds are important because when someone does a good deed, it becomes contagious.

When I went to the leadership conference, my group had to write a letter to Canadian soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title of the conference was entitled “Be the Change” and I found it fit perfectly with what the soldiers were doing. They’re fighting for change in countries where freedom and equality cannot be achieved alone by the people.

It was difficult to get started on the letter on account of I don’t know anyone over there fighting but eventually I got the hang of it.
As I was writing the letter, I thought about when the soldier would receive it and how they would feel.

Writing about Poetry

dabarr — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:15:10 +0000

During the time period we had to write poetry, I noticed many people stepping up and creating well-thought out poems. It was interesting to see all the different idea’s and perspectives on the type of poem we had to do.
For instance, the Journey to Nowhere poem were especially good because each person’s poem was different.

When I write poems, I like to write about things that relate to me or are connected to me in some way. Nature, I find, is really easy to write about because its all around us and comes in a vast number of forms.

When Nekayla wrote a poem about my auction line, it was spectacular. She took a simple line and created a masterpiece. The poem was about when we come out if a dark place in our life and we feel the release. It was very original and mature.