The BIG Awards Extravaganza! (1/4)

I think it is only fair to share the support and generosity that I’ve received; I have many to thank and spotlight, so stay tuned! Rules are posted at the end. Anyone who feels like sharing their opinion, please feel free to answer the last 11 questions as I am genuinely curious.

The Tag! Award

Thank you to Shaun at his inspiration blog for giving me this one.

11 facts about me:
1. I own a pair of bright neon green converse.
2. I lam ambidextrous. In cartwheels.
3. I always feel narcissistic doing this part.
4. I love amusement parks.
5. I love raspberries.
6. I love blackberries.
7. I love strawberries.
8. Berries are my favourite kind of fruit.
9. I wish I had the willpower to be a full-time vegetarian.
10. I swear by Mozilla Firefox as my internet browser.
11. I collect newspaper comics irregularly.

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11 questions I must answer:

1. What is your favourite colour? green

2. Where have you been to in the world, away from your country? USA, Indonesia, France, Hong Kong

3. If you had a time machine where would you go and why? Possibilities are endless! Besides meeting family, one place I would like to go to is the 60′s or 70′s so I can be a flower child and dance at the disco.

4. What food do you love most? Noodles

5. What is your favourite TV show? Arthur and Big Bang Theory

6. Who is your favourite Actor? Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway

7. When was the last time you were in Hospital? 5 years ago for a fractured wrist

8. When did you 1st fall in love, if not, when would you like to? I fell in love with life before I can even remember.

9. Do you understand String Theory? Nope

10. Where IS Waldo? Downstairs in my basement library

11. What type/make of Mobile phone do you have? Don’t have one. Here’s why.

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My 11 questions for you (I’m going to reuse some good ones):

1. Pen or pencil?

2. If you had a time machine, where would you go and why?

3. Now I’m curious. What internet browser do YOU use?

4. What type/make of mobile phone?

5. What is your favourite household chore, or rather, one you least mind?

6. A bucket list item?

7. Will you check out my blog? (Ok, I’m sorry, that was a cheap one.)

8. First classical composer to pop into your head?

9. What do you think of Canada? (Honestly, spill some dirt if you wish.)

10. Alligator or crocodile?

11. How long can you hold a handstand?

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The 15 Nominees!

1. greenembers – a person full of heart (check out the Rome Construction Crew!)
2. discoveringgarrett – musician in the making!
3. thenerdyscribe – humour and sophistication
4. willowdot – always heartfelt
5. digitalhegemon – fun bits of video and music
6. ambitious poet - diligence in creative poetry
7. myadventureoflife – honesty in everyday chronicles
8. Saunved – thoughtful and artistic pieces
9. TOKIDOKI – diverse photography of San Diego
10. women’swindow - for building a community of inspiration and faith
11. Delawhere Comics – quirky, original comics
12. beyondtheflow – beautiful writing on a “philosophy of life”
13. lblivingbetter – generous with helpful tips and life experiences
14. sandbagheart – thoughtful words (the name is quite an image, isn’t it?)
15. GeoSans – deep meanings in simplicity

And here are The rules:

1.  Post a picture of the award on your blog

2.  Tagback the person who tagged you to let them know you’ve accepted the award.

3.  11 facts about you.

4.  Answer the 11 questions I’ve asked you.

5.  Tag the same amount of people as their are letters in your name.

6.  Ask your OWN 11 questions to the people you’ve tagged.

7.  Contact the people you’ve tagged to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Phew! That’s it, Part 1 is done. It only gets better, so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Walks ’til Magic Hour

Source: photok12.org/?q=node/11

Oh glorious day!
Sunshine blazes through canopies of green, crowds filter into High Park
A blackbird calls, its red and white marks peeking through the brush
Algae foams above the pond, where breezes sweep through the gardens
Strolling a maze of hedges and wading pools
Sit with face to the sky, indulge in quenching fruit salad and gelato
Hike hidden sandy trails imagining a place without city noise
Emerge into picnics, lawn bowling games, and playground cheers
Snapping photos and laughing chats all the way
Have a mini barbecue in shady grass, with softened rays of the dying hours
Contemplating why we work so hard to seclude ourselves from nature,
When we love so much to wallow in it?

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Perfect way to end the long weekend: had an absolutely fantastic time with my family and my only regrets are that I had homework nagging the back of my mind and that I didn’t reapply sunscreen, not because of sunburn, but because it is too soon to already get this tanned. Summer feels so close but so far away, and I am feeling very unmotivated to go back to school and don’t-even-mention exams. I just have to remember to live every moment because before I know it, grade 11 will be finished.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

A Work in Progress (with Guest Artwork)

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Confucius

It has been a very busy week preparing for our annual showcase. Long days leave us with hanging limbs, aching muscles, cracking ankles, and lots of homework waiting in our school bags. And I love it. Even when it means the rest of Canada is celebrating a long weekend while we have rehearsals in two out of the three days.

Don’t  get me wrong, I enjoy being lazy. There truly is nothing like lounging around on a couch reading a book, watching nostalgic television shows, and blogging away here on WP, but being busy is satisfying. Having work and goals leads to personal growth that makes us feel like a contributing part of society. Vacation is great, but I think, as human beings, if we had all the time in the world we would still find some project to work on, because we are naturally curious that way.

In ballet, it is much the same way except we can’t decide when we dance from when we want to, but also when we need to – it’s about discipline as much as desire. Maintaining strength and stamina is especially important the days leading up to a performance because often, muscle memory isn’t enough. After getting into the routine, our bodies crave the exercise, and sometimes even the soreness, strangely enough.

Ballet is a never-ending process of discovery. Each day, we get into class practising the same movements we’ve been doing for years. But then again, it’s never the same because bodies change and we are constantly finding new ways to engage our muscles and refine our artistry. Perfectionism is a raging epidemic in dancers because everyone is in pursuit of pure, classical, virtuosity. There is an internal hunger in all of us to reach the ideal, ballerina whose picture only becomes more perfect the closer we get. It’s what keeps us on our toes.

The older I get, the more I realize you cannot have a successful career unless you are head-over-heels-flat-on-your-face in love with ballet. Work is paired with passion, and learning about the art form and yourself is just as important as the performance onstage. With the words from my teacher, I’ve realized that there is never a finished product and that we are not “finished dancers”, especially as students still in a school. There is always more to learn and more to improve on to fulfill the potential that sometimes we don’t see in ourselves. And this does not only apply to ballet.

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I would like to acknowledge Bradley for his beautiful sketches (that he drew for me a LONG time ago) and that inspired me to write this post. Please check out the original art and his blog here!

As you’ve read, I have incorporated an excuse for my inactivity in this post and am itching to complete all the ideas that I had a few weeks ago in my What Now? list. There is a lot of school work to be done this weekend, and as I’ve mentioned, rehearsals, but I am determined to write at least one little something each day.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

World Heritage Sites: Nature and Culture Conservation Unite

Courtesy of famouswonders.com

MACHU PICCHU: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

A world heritage site is a place in any country of physical or cultural significance that is protected from major industrial changes. A list of world heritage sites is created and monitored by the World Heritage Programme and the UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization) World Heritage Committee, which is composed of 21 state parties. The program was officially founded on November 16, 1972, with several organizations contributing to its ideas and campaign. By 2010, 911 sites have been listed, with about 700 cultural and 180 natural. Sites such as the pyramids in Egypt, old cathedrals, and the Great Barrier Reef are recognized as treasures to the whole world and humanity, and so are preserved so that everyone can enjoy them.

Machu Picchu is a creation of the Inca Empire before the Spanish Conquest in the 15^th century. It is often called “The Lost City of the Incas” and is believed to have been built for the emperor Pachacuti. It stands 2,340 m above sea level and is located in the Urabamba Valley in Peru. It is made with polished dry-stone walls, in the classical Inca style, with three primary buildings: the Intihuatana, the Room of the Three Windows, and the Temple of the Sun.

Its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. [1] The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna. [1]

The estate was started around AD 1400 but abandoned a century later at the time of Spanish colonization. Although known locally, it was brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. [2] In 1981, Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary and in 1983, a World Heritage Site. In November 2010, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement in which all artifacts held in Yale from Bingham’s collection in the 20^th century were returned to a Peruvian university.

Works Cited:
1. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu

Published from Geography class 2010.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

To Mother

Because her honest advice and singing laughter is the best thing you’ve ever heard.
Because she brought warm tea to bed when you were paralyzed with flu.
Because she knows what’s in your heart, though you say not a single word.
Because she stands beside, sword in hand, when the world has turned against you.
Because she always thinks of everyone before herself.
Because without anyone noticing, she tidies counter, closet, shelf.
Because she’s a guardian angel day after day
We say I LOVE YOU in the earnest possible way.

My mom’s favourite kind of flower.

And for smiles:

Comic by none other than Bill Watterson

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Personally, I had always thought it silly that “Mother’s Day” was a celebration. Shouldn’t we treat the people who have devoted their time to nurturing us all our lives be treated with full adoration all the time? But I guess a day of extra special treatment is always welcome. I went for brunch with my mom at Cora’s (where she got free Lindt chocolate) and tonight we went for Chinese downtown at King’s Noodles, handmade and fresh, which was really yummy. My sisters attended a church art club and made lovely drawings and bookmarks for her. It was just too bad Mother Nature did not seem in the mood to be appreciated as it was a rather cold, gusty, and rainy day. Nevertheless, there is nothing like a family movie on a Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day to mums everywhere!

Also, today’s Google Doodle was sweet. You can make your own Mother’s Day card through the animation. Here’s the one I made. Very clever idea!

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Allegory in Short Film: Neighbours (1952)

Stop motion by Norman McLaren:

In the award-winning film “Neighbours”, concrete elements are used to powerfully express abstract ideas. The fence plays an important part as both a set and prop, and presents an allegory that is linked to the timeline of events in the film. The fence’s role and purpose change throughout the story, and its degradation can signify the transformation of the men’s relationship. Friendship between the two was found before the existence of the fence. The fence first appears as a territorial mark between the two properties as the two men claim their land. As the argument escalates, the pickets are used as a weapon as the men start a light duel. The fight worsens, and the blows hit by the wood get harsher and more deadly. As war is declared, the fence’s original purpose as a boundary is terminated and its destruction symbolizes the breaking of a barrier. The splintered wood decorates the coffins of the two men, portraying peace once more, and the end of a terrible fight. The fence’s state changes and each different stage can be related to the cycle of human relationships and the fomenting of war.

Published from November 25, 2010.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Woe of May Flowers

Warm breezes gently breathe, stuck in stuffy nose
Yellow dust of unhatched life surf waves of the air flows
Soaking up the sun and green and reach for a tissue
I love spring, I only wish I didn’t have – achoo!

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead