A is for Advertisments

Sitting on the couch, waiting and waiting until the clock ticks 9 PM because this is when GLEE is on. What is GLEE? GLEE is a TV show has a glee club at their high school. A GLEE club is an organized club that sings songs. I know people that watch GLEE so much that they tape every episode and watch it over and over. But if they love it so much they buy the show on DVD.

Every TV show that is playing on TV has to have some breaks during the show this is called advertisements or more commonly today we hear commercials. Most commercials are just persuading people that the product is good, like Sham Wow, Slap Chop etc. Some advertisements can be very annoying or they can even be funny.

I think the best advertisements/commercials are the ones that are on during the Super Bowl. Super Bowl advertisements are probably the best because the companies know that there a millions of people watching the Super Bowl, so they spend a lot of money to make good advertisements. But, just recently they blocked out all of the US advertisements in Canada because the people in Canada that have the rights to broadcast eh Super Bowl are not paid by the American companies to play the American ads. So all that the Canadians get to see are the Canadian advertisements. If you wanted to see the American ads you would have to go to youtube to watch them.

My family owns a Home Hardware in Canada. My Dad and I went to this market thing where all the Home Hardware owners go and meet all the other Home Hardware owners and also the companies that sell their stuff to Home Hardware. Well, during the market time my Dad had to do a commercial for Home Hardware. To make this advertisement my Dad had to stand in front of a green screen saying what he was going to say in the commercial. Later, they put the background picture in where the green screen was. I remember sitting down and listening to what he was saying and what the directors were saying. It took awhile because the directors were saying do it again. When I finally saw the commercial on TV (during the Super Bowl!) my Dad was magically standing in front of a pile of lumber! There is a commercial on CTV right now where you can see my Dad. You have to be paying attention though because he is not on there long and he is the first guy that talks in the commercial.

To conclude my advertisement post, I just wanted to say that it is important to advertise your products well because if you don’t advertise them you don’t have a business. Also people won’t know what your product is, so they won’t buy it if you don’t advertise.

Life Lesson: “The business that considers itself immune to the necessity for advertising sooner or later finds itself immune to business.” Derby Brown

I commented on Emma S’s Blog on Parents.

S is for Songs

Imagine listening to this song:

Hey, hey, hey

Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brain

I knew I wouldn't forget ya, and so I went and let you blow my mind

And we do

Well by now I've showed you how much I believe in the here and now I wish

That you knew

lyrics from: www.lyrics.com

If you would like to hear the whole song of Hey Soul Sister by Train click here

You just saw the first verse of one of my favourite songs. Some of my other favourite songs are Vanilla Twilight by Owl City, Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz, Wavin' Flag by Young Artist for Haiti, Celebrity Status by Marianas Trench, Never Too Late by Hedley and so many more.

Every year at my camp (talked about camp in earlier post) the counsellors do a circle song for each circle. This year, the song that the counsellors taught us was to the tune of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" but the words were changed to be in a Harry Potter themd. Here are the words to this Harry Potter version:

Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Here at Tawingo, Escape from reality

Open your eyes

Look out to the camp and see,

I’, just a Seneca

Learning my wizardry

Because we’re Gryffindor, Ravenclaw,

Huffelepuff, Slytherin,

Put me where the hat sorts

Doesn’t really matter to me, to me.

Dobby, just marked me glum

Gotta try harder today

Mop the floors and sweep away

Dobby, we had just begun

And now we’ve gone and thrown it all away

Dobby, ooh

Didn’t mean to make you cry

If we’re not clean by 9:15 tomorrow,

Carry on, carry on , it really does matter

Today, our time had come

We’re leaving on our trip

Pretty please don’t lilly dip

Goodbye, everybody

We’ve got to go

Gotta leave you all behind and trip it through

Island of Rock

I don’t want to leave

Sometimes wish trip never did end at all

I see Voldomort coming through the door

Run away run away, Harry’s just a baby

Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very, frightening me

All girls (all girls), native day, (native day), skit night and musical

Ohh Musicalllll

Harry’s just a wizard from a muggle family

So as I showed you above that song was the song that we sang mostly everyday until we knew it off by heart. We would sing this song 4 times a day or more, it got so annoying after a really long time.

Back to the regular songs that you hear today. Somedays when I am in the car with my mom and my sister. A song comes on the radio and my mom starts singing along with the song. I said "Mom how do you know that song?" and she will say " Well, this used to be a old song, someone just wrote it again!" I am like "Ok?!?!" Usually she can name the year and things that she was doing back then. I wonder if the same will happen with me or you?

Yes, as I said that I heard a song on the radio. Songs can be played almost anywhere like radio, TV, iPod, Concerts and more. Songs can have different genres like Childrens, Pop, Country, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Musicals, R&B, Rap, Hip-Hop, Classical and more. My personal favourite genres of music are Pop and a little bit of Country.

Overall, songs can be very different from others and they can be made up by anyone. You can even write your own song if you wanted to! There are tons of songs to listen to and surely you can find something that you like to listen to. Everyday there are new songs coming out. Maybe one day you can make a song and become an artist.

Life Lesson: Don't be afraid to put your songs out in to the world, maybe you could be famous one day.

I commented on Pooja's blog on Pizza!!

H is for Holidays

A holiday is day where you have a special day off or it is an official holiday. Some official holidays are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and many more.

One holiday that I recently took was a holiday to go to London, England and Paris, France. We went with a tour company (forgot the name) with the touring company we got to see all the main attractions in both cities. Below I am listing what I saw in the cities.

In London, my family and I saw Big Ben, the London Eye (the world's tallest observation wheel), Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Kensington Gardens, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and more.

A cool part of London is going into the London Eye and seeing all of London just with a 30 minute ride on the world's tallest observation wheel. Oxford Street is a busy shopping area. Just walking down the street took a long time because there is probably 300 or more stores on just one single street. There are stores like Selfridges (a department store), bookstores, music stores, restaurants, Primark which is like the American Walmart, and so many other stores.

In Paris, my family and I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Cathedral de Notre Dame, the Palace of Versailles, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, the Champs-Elysées, the Opéra de Paris and more. Did you know that the lights on Eiffel Tower sparkle every hour, on the hour? But only for five minutes, so you have to be there just at the right time.

I liked going to the Louvre Museum because I got to see the Mona Lisa in real life, not just in pictures. One of the things was that it was hard to get right in front her portrait to get a picture because there was so many people wanting to get pictures of her.

Life Lesson: There is a lot of the world to see, so get out there and see it!

I commented on Rowena's Blog this week!

B is for Boots

Boots (not Boots from Dora the Explorer) Boots are a pieces of footwear that cover your foot and ankle. Your boots can be as short as your ankle or can come up to the top of your knee and even higher (like waist).

Most boots have a heel which makes the boot not flat so you don't slip (but maybe you will if the ground is wet).

What are boots made of? Boots are either made with leather or rubber, but today's boots are made of a lot more things that leather and rubber.

When do we wear boots? Boots are worn during the winter and the spring to protect your feet from mud, rain, snow and much more. Boots can also be worn for style and fashion. UGGs are one of the most popular choice of winter boots for teens. One thing that UGGs aren't very good in is salty snow, because that can damage the boot.

One day I was in my cabin at Tawingo (talked about Tawingo in last post) because it was raining and I had nothing else to do. So, my counsellor asked my friend and I if we wanted to go puddle jumping. We both said "Sure!" When we first went outside there was not many puddles even though it has been raining for a while, but after splashing around in them we found more. One time I went in this huge puddle and I got so wet that my boots got full of water. After splashing around in the rain for awhile the three of us decided to go back to our cabin because we were cold and wet. Overall, my boots kept my feet dry for a bit and then they got soaking wet.

Life Lesson: Wear boots to keep your feet dry and comfortable.

I commented on Hayley's post on snowboarding!

T is for Tawingo

One of my favorite times of year, is the summer because I get to go to Camp Tawingo for three whole weeks! Why do I love it? Because I get to have fun, I don't have to go to school, and I get to see my friends that I haven't seen since last summer.

Tawingo is a co-ed camp from the ages 7 to 16. Tawingo has campers who come from all around the world including China and other countries. I will tell you about the waterfront, the camp craft program, nature program, sports program, special programs, and the cabins.

The Waterfront:

Tawingo has a great waterfront that shares the same lake as another camp. If you want to canoe they have 75 canoes if you want to canoe during free time. You can also kayak, sail or row. Tawingo has five in-lake swimming pools that you can swim in and one of the swimming pools has two diving boards and a slide.

The Camp Craft Program:

Crestwood is a place where you can learn about different types of knots, fire building, map and compass work, and outdoor cooking. There are opportunities where you and your cabin can go on a trip away from camp for a couple of days but you stay on the lake.

The Nature Program:

SWAMP Lodge is the name of Tawingo's nature program. At SWAMP the campers learn about nature through hikes, games and observations. The letters of SWAMP represent different nature themes, Stars, Weather, Animals, Minerals, and Plants. SWAMP also has a nature museum where campers can bring animals they find to be taken care of.

Sports Program:

If you like playing sports at camp well the sports field is right for you. The sports you can play are mini - putt, archery, badminton, ball hockey, baseball, basketball, football, frisbee, tennis, volleyball and much more. You can also join tournaments during the time you are at camp.

Special Programs:

There is always some sort of special program going on. Tawingo has programs planned just for the boy’s camp, and programs just for the girl’s camp! There are three sessions and each of those sessions has one fun-filled day for all of camp.

At the beginning of each session at camp you have the chance to sign up for a musical that is presented in front of all of camp. One of the musicals in the past was The Lion King.

During each session there is a native council. This is where you get to see a native dance by someone who works at the camp and some stuff by the campers.

Each session ends with a banquet, sing song, a slideshow highlighting all the camp memories of the session. Some people cry during this time because it is the last night together with your cabin.

Cabins:

The first day you come to camp you will be sent to your cabin to meet your 6 0r 7 cabin mates that are your age. The same counselor stays with you the whole time you are at camp.

In each cabin there is a bathroom with a toilet and a shower with cold and hot running water. The cabins are bright and beautiful.

That was a run through of what my camp is like, I hope you are interested in coming.

If you would like to find out more information click here

Life Lesson: Try new stuff, you might like it!

C is for Cooking

Did you know that fortune cookies were invented in 1916 by George Jung, a Los Angeles noodle maker??

Over the summer, I did a cooking camp at a local restaurant. I went to 2 cooking classes over the summer. One class was to learn basic cooking and the other cooking class was to learn how to make desserts. I am now going to list the items that I learned in basic cooking and desserts below:

Basic = Rice

Fresh Pasta (Scratch)

Tomato Sauce

Béchamel Sauce

Tart Tatin

Fresh Cheese (made from milk)

Homemade Chips and Dip

Spicy Potato Wedges

Mayonnaise (homemade)

Coleslaw

BBQ Sauce

Herb Aioli

Sandwiches

Waldorf Salad

Vichyssoise ( a creamy potato soup flavoured with leeks and onions)

Desserts = Coconut Cake

Lemon Tartlets (pastry & lemon stuff)

Meringue

Giant Toblerone Cookies a la Mode

Brandy Caramel

Chocolate Soufflé

Strawberry Flambé with Whipped Cream

Chocolate with Cream Semifreddo

Muffins that taste like doughnuts

White or Milk Chocolate Mousse

Apple Streudel

Pie Pastry

Apple Pie Filling

Butter Tarts

Over the course of my cooking classes I have learned how to make stuff I have never know how to make before. Some of the thing I made I enjoyed so much that I would make them again.

I was making a couple types of food every day over the course of the week. We would make the food and then eat what we had made to see if was any good. Well, of course it was! Sometimes if we didn't finish eating our food, we could bring it home for our family to try. They sure liked when it was the dessert cooking week. I was bringing home three kinds of dessert every day!!

On the Friday, My whole class would invite their friends and family to come have a dinner that we would prepare for them. We ran the evening like a restaurant. Our family would make a reservation, we would seat them at the table that we had set. We would serve our family and then clear the table afterwards. Like all serving staff we would give them their bill because dinner was not included in the camp fee!

After the dinner the main chefs presented us with a binder and a wooden spoon with our name engraved. The binder had all the recipes that we made during that week.

It was a fun camp, and I am looking forward to taking another camp this summer and so is my family ( for the food!!).

Life Lesson: Cooking is an important life skill that everyone should learn.

D is for Dance

Ever since I was a 3 year old little girl I have been dancing. That is a long time, right? I have always been meeting new friends over the course of the time i have been dancing.

Once a week I go to my dance studio where I learn new dance moves. Some of the dance moves are reviewed from pervious years. Around Christmastime we do a small performance in front of the parents and students. This performance has a Christmas theme and it is held at the dance studio.

One of the big things that we work on during the dance year is getting ready for the end of year performance. This takes place at a Theatre on the university campus. Family has to buy tickets to see the show. If you want to get good seats you have to be in line early. There are four performances over three days. We have to practice at the stage where we dance to make sure that we are comfortable on the stage and know where we are supposed to be, and when.

In the past, for my May performance, I have been a bunny, sparrow, chocolate fountain, yellow brick road, a cornstalk, Straus Waltz, and Aque. The year that our class were cornstalks, one of the girls in my class didn't put her hairpiece all the way into her bun. Halfway through the dance her cornstalk hairpiece fell on the ground! When something falls or we drop something by accident, we are not allowed to pick it up until we are done our dance.

One time, there was a class dressed as squirrels, who had acorns the size of footballs. Two little 5 year old squirrels were picking up their acorns and they both wanted the same one and they started to fight over it. The whole audience was laughing! Finally the teacher brought out another acorn, so they were able to finish their dance.

This year the theme for our show is Dr. Suess. Our class might be "The Foot Book" or some other Dr. Suess-related thing. Around March Break we'll start learning our dance for the show.

Life Lesson: "Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."

— Mark Twain