Quick Write- Smell and Taste

To describe the best meal/food I've ever tasted by smell and taste alone is quite difficult. One things that I really love would be roasted garlic red skin mashed potatoes! When you first receive the mashed potatoes on your plate, you can smell a light scent of garlic, but it's not spicy. Because it's roasted, the garlic has almost a sweet note to it. The potatoes are creamy, and fluffy, with some texture from the skins. The skins are a little crisp and chewy at the same time. Temperature wise, the potatoes are quite hot as you first begin to eat them, but they cool down over time. Since they're mashed and not whipped, the potatoes have some texture to them, rather than being gummy and strange. They're seasoned with salt and pepper to enhance the flavours.

Quick Write- Imaginary Eden

I honestly don't know what my Eden would be. It would probably be in a garden setting, such as the original.  I'd like to have greenery all around in a safe little place. Trees filled with fruit, flowers, etc. there would be a cabin around the middle in a little clearing. The cabin would be small and cozy, made of wood. Within the cabin would be a few windows, a bed, a table, and a kitchen. The kitchen would have to be a gas stovetop and oven, but with a good ventilation system to prevent fires. A fire extinguisher close by as well. In the garden, there would be friendly wild animals around. Rabbits, dogs, and I'd build a little place for the penguins because I love penguins. The temperature wouldn't be too hot, just warm enough to walk around without a sweater. It would range from about -10°C to 20°C. I chose -10°C because I'd still like it cold enough for it to snow out. As you walk further from the clearing you would come across a stream that flows down a bunch of rocks, almost looking like a tiny waterfall. Sunlight everywhere, reflecting off the water, but the shade from the trees keep you from getting burnt. That's about the way I see my imaginary Eden. 

Skype Reflection

What went well?
I think that the kids were somewhat interested with everything we were saying today.  It seemed like there are some things that were a little out of their range in terms of understanding, but for the most part it seemed as though they were having fun.

What was the value in collaborating with the grade 3 class?
The value I find in working with the grade 3`s are the different ways of learning the exact same thing.  The way we speak and learn is about the same way they speak and learn, just at a simpler level.  What I enjoy most about Skyping with the grade 3 class would be the nostalgic aspect of it all.  It reminds me of how I was in grade 3 and the things we learned.  How everything was simple and easy, yet difficult and frustrating at the same time.

Red Bananas

I was at the store with my mom and sister and we found this...

Because green, yellow, and mini bananas weren't enough...

Adventures with Jenna

Alright, about a week ago Jenna received these movie passes from her mom for the screening of Neighbours. She didn't have anyone to go with, so I went with her.

The movie was to play on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 7:30pm, so we arrived at about 6:50pm. Now, the screening for the movie was to be played at the old Cinema City, not sure what it's called now.  Long story short, it's now an 18+ theatre, but usually with screening anyone can enter.

What we didn't realize was the the movie was rated R, meaning you had to be 18 or older. So what happened when we got there, we tried to give them our pass, but apparently you have to go to the concession to retrieve your tickets, so we did that. Since he didn't mention anything about our age, we figured it was fine and got food as well. Of course once we go to the enter the theatre the man asks if any of us are 18, which we aren't, so our plans for the movies crashed.

I'd never been to IKEA, and I knew that it was nearby, so I asked Jenna if she'd like to go check that out, and she was up for it.

Thinking it was only about a 10 minute walk from the theatre, we began our journey. Turns out it was about a 50 minute walk for us... Oops!

So we walked along route 90, aka Kenaston. We also walked through this one parking lot to stay further away from the road, but that meant walking through this damp grass. After walking halfway through the grass, we realized that the rest was mud, so we walked through that. Now, if you've ever walked through mud, you'll know that it ruins your shoes and the longer you stand the more you sink. Safe to say, Jenna's not exactly the most stealthiest person around.

To the left would be Jenna's prints and the right would be mine.

Anyways, walking back along the road we saw many geese and a rope coming from the ground, and we even saw a mattress. It stank as well.

Eventually we arrived at IKEA and it was pretty cool. The set ups in the showrooms were too cute!  I basically loved anything that was kitchen related and all the kids rooms.

Look at this kitchen!  Is this not a nice kitchen?!  The one I liked most, I forgot to take a picture of, but that's alright. 

There was also this set on the table. If I have kids, they're definitely getting these tiny teacups! Heck, I'm getting these for myself!

Found these curtains as well in one of the bedrooms, creepy!  I wouldn't want one of these faces staring at me as I sleep!

This is a very nice study room that I'd love. Of course it wouldn't stay this clean, but that's okay.

And check out this funky light!

Moving on to the kids room, isn't this cute! I love it!

And then as you grow up, you can move into this!  I sat in that chair in the back of the room, it's not very comfortable. Either I was too heavy for it, or it just isn't a very ergonomics chair. Whichever shoe fits!

Found these kids chairs as well. Now you see me...

Now you don't!

And here's Jenna and me in a kids tent!  It was a little small for us, but still cute!

We stayed there until IKEA closed, the went to Sargent Sundae to call it a night. I got two scopes of the butter pecan and she got a medium twist cone.

We had a great adventure together and it was a lot of fun! 

Fun fact: That was the first time Jenna and I hung out as just the two of us outside of school!

When I Was Creative

I made this back in grade 10 for art class using water colours. Now it sits in my room on a shelf above my bed.

How to Work at McDonald`s

Procedural Writing: How to Work at McDonald`s

1) Lower your expectations

Photo Credit: Micayla McNaughtan

2) Wear a lame uniform

Photo Credit: Micayla McNaughtan

3) Learn to clean up spills, even if they`re not yours

Photo Credit: Shelby Graham

4) Change your sleep schedule

Photo Credit: Micayla McNaughtan

5) Practice your cheesy smile

Photo Credit: Alysha Cho

6) Be a burger master! ...or burrito master.

Photo Credit: Micayla McNaughtan

Photo Credit: Shelby Graham

7) Live a McHappy Life as a McLifer

Photo Credit: Shelby Graham

Puzzle Update!

Well, my sister bought a 1000 piece puzzle about a week ago, so we began working on it. In an earlier post, I showed a picture of my mother and sister working on the puzzle. Now we have finally finished it!  And by now I mean about 2 days ago.

Here's the final piece!

And check out the funky looking pieces! Not your ordinary looking puzzle pieces.

I would have to say that I matched about 20 of the 1000 pieces. My help was much appreciated! Sort of...

The Day Before Easter

Alright, so here's basically how I spent my Saturday, aka the day before Easter.

8am- Woke up, got ready for work

9:15am- Got in the car to drive to work

9:30am- Began work.

Work was crazy busy! I guess when the store's closed the day before and the day after, people freak out and feel the need to go to the store just incase!  I work in the bakery at Safeway, and of course everyone wants some buns and treats on their table for Easter!  Anyways, every employee we had in the bakery was working that day. There was no where to walk and you bumped into everything!  A person, a rack, etc. Crazy, crazy morning!

1:05pm- Went on my first 15 minute break

3pm- Went on my half hour break

5pm- Planned to go on my last 15 minute break, but that didn't happen.

5:30pm- Helped a blind man find his groceries, which left me in a good mood. He was such a kind fellow.

6pm- Supposed to be done working.

6:20pm- When I was actually done working.

6:30pm- Arrived home

7pm- Went to my boyfriend's house for a while to watch House

10:30pm- Came home and worked on a puzzle with my mom and sister.

12am- Fell asleep on the couch

2am- Woke up and went to my room to sleep.

And that was basically my day!

Here's the puzzle I was working on with my mom and sister!

Taylor Swift's Video Surprise!

http://www.taylorswift.com/media/videos/17243

Here I have a link of a video posted by Taylor Swift.

I wanted to talk about this because I thought it was an adorable story.  What basically happened was, a fan of Taylor had been a long time fan, been to every one of her shows, etc. and decided to send Taylor a wedding invitation and a bridal shower invitation through Taylor's fan mail.  Of course the girl didn't honestly except anything to happen, but hey, why not? So Taylor received the letter and read it.  Unfortunately Taylor couldn't make it to the wedding, but the bridal shower was a different story.  So she hopped into her van, brought along a couple presents and surprised that bride and all the guests at the shower.  It was such a cute video.  The bride-to-be was so shocked and surprised! What I enjoyed most about this video would be the fact that this fan had just mailed Taylor the wedding and bridal shower invitation just for the heck of it and she actually got a response.  Sometimes, good things happen to good people.  Sometimes, when you keep dreaming, your dreams will come true.  And sometimes, if you write enough to Taylor Swift, she'll come visit you at your bridal shower!

IGNITE Presentation

Here is the link to my IGNITE Presentation

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0USwOa3vdjdTWIwWkJoREdtS1E/edit

And all photos credited to Alysha Cho like said on the last slide.

Tony Roma's and Bowling

The other day my sister got some upsetting news from the doctor, so she decided to go out shopping. While out, she called me asking if I wanted to go to Tony Roma's for wings, so I agreed. The only problem was that the Tony Roma's by Polo Park doesn't sell wings, so we had to go to the one on Pembina, only to find out that the deal they used to give for wings were no longer available. It was still a fun night though.  After eating, we decided to go bowling.

We arrived at the bowling alley at about 9pm, which was a perfect time because from 9-11pm they have a special deal where you can bowl as much as you'd like for only $40. Since there were four of us, we split it between ourselves. We went ten pin bowling because it's more entertaining, but I always have to cut my thumb nails off because the first time I hadn't, my nail broke off.

This is my cousin Alina bowling.

As you can tell, I'm not going to become a pro bowler anytime soon.

Oh, and did I mention we accidentally got a bowling ball stuck in the gutter and shooting another one at it only got more stuck? Oops!

It was a great night though. And the whole time we made fun of my sister because she found out she had a gluten sensitivity and she's that girl who loves pizza and pasta, etc. :)

30 Hour Famine

A few days ago I participated in a school even to raise money for Wold Vision. I had about 5 people sponsor me and raised $105. As a total our school raised about $24 000+!  I think that's insane!  We only had 240 people participate and we were able to raise that much for World Vision. I think it's amazing how much we've accomplished, considering our goal was $20 000.

During this event, all the kids starved themselves of food for 30 hours. All we could live on is water and juice. On Friday night we came back to the school and camped there. Activities were planned and movies were played.

My friends and I sat around in the cafeteria playing Mind Trap, which was a lot of fun and just talking about nonsense while drinking tea, water, juice, anything to keep us going.  At some points Micayla and I played Mario Kart on the DS.  The movies that were played was a documentary that I didn't watch, then we watched the Hunger Games, which I watched a bit then fell asleep, and finally while I was sleeping Hunger Games: Catching Fire was played.  All in all, a good night!

I'm very glad to have participated in this event for my final year at Sturgeon.  It makes me feel proud knowing how much money we raised and knowing that it'll be going to a great cause.

Mid Semester Reflection

        Six Word Memoirs

I found the six word memoirs to be fun.  What I believe went well for my memoirs would be the pictures.  I found simple pictures relating to each topic and used punctuation well.  What may have needed work on would probably be staying up to date on when to have the photos done, when to have the six words done, etc.  Although I was very close to when they needed to be done, I wasn’t on time, meaning that they were late.  Throughout this process of the six word memoirs, I’d have to say that I learned a whole new style of writing, and I learned to put a lot of meaning behind just a few simple words and photos.  I never realized how long six words could stretch, but it was a fun project.  I would grade myself an A in this project.

        IGNITE Presentation

Ignite presentations were something that I knew nothing about.  I had no idea what an ignite presentation would be, or even how to start it. I thought that the pictures I chose and my topic was a strong approach to this presentation.  I knew that quite a few kids had heard of the program because it’s in our school, but they probably didn’t know anything about what it’s really about.  I wanted to show everyone just how different the program is compared to the image they may have in their head.  I found that the timing was good, and what I spoke about went well with the pictures.  What I needed to work on would probably be presenting live rather than recording my voice.  Although I recorded my voice, that whole process was quite difficult.  I spent hours finishing the project.  I would grade myself an A for this project for finishing this project on time, and finishing it well.

    

       Blogging

Blogging was something that I was always interested in.  It seemed like fun and it fit into my interests.  I enjoyed writing and I liked to talk about my day.  It was almost like an online journal, but with pictures as well and a little less personal.  I always make sure to post on my blog in timely manners.  I guess it wasn’t something I thought about, if something interesting happened that day, I’d talk about it.  I make sure I’m aware that someone somewhere may be reading what I post, so I make sure to post appropriate things.  Personal additions are always done about two times a week.  If I realize that I may have done less in one week. I’ll add more in others if I have enough to talk about.  When it comes to commenting on others blogs, I try, but the problem is that my phone doesn’t seem to even allow me to comment on anyone’s post and I’m not often at a computer.  All in all I’d grade myself an A for blogging.

Connecting and Engaging

      When it comes to connecting and engaging I'd say that I'm not too horrible. When we Skype with the kids in Thompson, I don't usually talk, but I'll sit and listen. I guess I usually don't like to add to any class discussions when we have them. I'm more of a quiet person.  Online though, I'll comment on all that we have to for assignments usually. I do attend class on a regular basis. I believe I've only missed a few days of school and that's usually because I have prior appointments, but I usually make sure to get myself caught up. I would grade myself a B for this.

     Goals

       My three goals I'd like to achieve before the end of this semester would be:

1) Commenting more often on others blogs

2) Engaging in class more often

3) Finish reading at least 3 more novels in this class during our reading classes. 

Skills Manitoba

Today I competed in the Skills Manitoba competition for the Job Skill Demonstration and I demoed how to make a lost wax cast ring.

I won gold in the category so now I'm moving onto Nationals in Toronto!  Extremely excited!

Finished Giraffe Ring

So, I guess I forgot to update on my first post about the giraffe ring, so here it is!

Once the carving was complete I sprued the ring onto te base of a flask and began the investing process.

 During the investing process I mix a ratio of investment to water and the boils under pressure to release any air bubbles that might stick to the wax.

Next the flask is burnt out in the kiln and is placed into the centrifugal casting machine. We melt the silver casting grain to a molten stage, then quickly close the lid to the machine. The machine spins about 20 times a second, shooting the molten silver into the mold.

Here's the giraffe right after it's been casted.

 After cutting off the sprue, filing and sanding, and polishing the ring, it's complete!

Drag Racing Cake

It's Megan's birthday today so I decided to make her a drag racing cake.

I'd been planning this cake for about a month now and I was really excited to begin making it!  Surprisingly it only took me 3.5 hours to make, which I find quick!

I love seeing people's reactions when I give them a homemade gift. It's a priceless moment. I feel as though sometimes, homemade is better than store bought when it comes to presents.

Here's the cake!

Grad Dress!

On Wednesday, my mother and I had gone grad dress shopping.

First, we had gone to LA Collection and there was this one dress I found that I loved... But it was also $403 plus tax, plus alterations. I wasn't planning on spending that much money on a dress I'll probably only wear once or twice. I tried a few other dresses on there, but nothing appealed to me. I was surprised to find that it was quite difficult to find a sample dress in my size. I knew that all the dresses would be too long for me, so it wasn't the length I was worrying about. 

Anyways, after finding nothing there, my mom took me to the Le Chateau Outlit behind polo. There, I found this white dress that I loved, but the dress only came in an xxsmall or a medium. The extra extra small was too tight on me, so I went to the Le Chateau in Polo Park to see if they would have the same dress there in a smaller size.

I walked into the store only to find that they didn't, but I didn't mind. There were a few dresses that I liked, but the green on in the picture was one I liked most. The only sizes were extra extra small, extra small, and medium, so I tried the former two. My mom bought the dress for me as a graduation gift and while she was there she found a pair of boots for herself that are normally $80 that she got for just $30!  What I find funny though is that I ended up going with the extra extra small for this green dress, but the xxsmall for the white was too tight.

All in all, I'm happy with my findings. I'm glad it only took about 4 hours of shopping to find a dress and now I don't have to worry about finding a dress anymore!

Broken Necklace

So the other day I was walking around and the chain on my necklace snapped and broke. It's actually quite upsetting. It was a $75 necklace that I had for a year and a half that I wore everyday.

I wish that I could just solder the necklace back together, but the way the chain was made, if I were to fix the necklace, it'll just break again.

The reason why I find this as upsetting is mostly because it was the first present I received from my boyfriend, so it was a special gift. He was walking around Grant Mall and bought it for me because he says it reminded him of me. I thought it was a sweet gesture.

Well, looks like I'll be needing a new necklace!