Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My very first sports injury!

Image from http://www.zazzle.com/definingyou
 Yesterday was an amazing day. We won our second field hockey game, two in a row! (We only played two games and won both of them.) I had so much fun and even got my first sports injury, YAY!!! Officially my first because getting injured at practice doesn't count (If it does, then scrapping my knee was my first). Field hockey is my favorite sport in the world now... more than badminton. I can't believe it.

Getting injured is part of the sports experience. It makes it more real, tangible and memorable or maybe that's just me. It wasn't a major injury so I can gladly celebrate...but my mom freaked out, like moms always do :). This is why I never tell my parents if I get minor bruises and scratches since parents usually worry too much! but my sister let it slip.

And it's a little embarrassing since no one expects to get hit in the face at field hockey and yes, everyone saw.

This is what it kinda looked like in the morning, though it's not as prominent like the picture below. It wasn't  that noticeable after I got hit but last night, my sister asked where I got the pink eyeshadow from, since I don't own any! Hell, I don't even have proper eyeshadow. I usually steal hers! That's what sisters are for, right? Anyway, that's when I told her I got hit in the eye with the ball. Her reaction? "Oh my God, you loser!" ;) The "loser" is her emphasizing her concern.  

Image of a typical swollen eye
Another incident is when I didn't yell foul when I should have! I still don't know how to react. When I was reaching for the ball with my stick, a girl from the other team literally grabbed my stick with her arm. I thought, isn't that a foul!? But I carried on, pulling my stick towards me and she let go.All in all, the game was so exciting and fun since we WON anyway! ;) It's more memorable than the first game because of the competitive opponents, the swollen eye and running in my shorts in the heavy snowfall towards the dome. The games take place outdoors inside a huge dome (So technically, indoors?) in the Varsity center in downtown Toronto. GO EAGLES! :)

Do you have any memorable sports injuries?

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Movie Review: The Elephant Man

David Lynch's Elephant Man is a masterpiece. It's brilliantly executed and beautifully presented. Based on a true story, it revolves around John Merrick, named 'the elephant man' because of his severe facial and skin abnomalities. If you enjoy psychological movies, or if you like movies with great content with a social critique, you can't miss it. And yes, it's old but I only found out about this film recently and I want the whole world to appreciate this great movie like I did!

The movie is based on the real 'elephant man', Joseph Merrick
Plot:
Doctor Frederick Treves from a London hospital discovers John Merrick, deemed the elephant man at a carnival freak show. Treves is instantly speechless and utterly baffled at Merrick's grotesquely deformed face and body, resulting in others to label him as a monster. As one can imagine, Merrick is treated brutally by his 'owner' and endlessly exploited for his owner's selfish purposes.Treves is intrigued and motivated by science, willing to examine him in the hospital. The elephant man's owner states that he is an idiot but eventually, we realize Treves is bright, kind and intellectual and also capable of speech. However, Merrick is under danger once again just as he begins to adjust to his new life in the hospital ward after Treves' efforts. Watch the movie to find out more!

The Elephant Man offers a critique of the exploitative nature of freak shows and even science, as pop culture and science both want to make use of Merrick for its own purposes. Ultimately, it left me asking, who's the real monster?

Rating: 9/10

The movie is available on youtube, with the rest of the parts at the side bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1x2pndJfjg

Sunday, January 22, 2012

8 Awesome rooms!

I came across some awesome rooms while I was bored, browsing online. Here's a few impressive and unique rooms:

A pink, hello-kitty inspired room from digsdigs.com


 I adore hello kitty and pink and I LOVE this room but I would get sick of all the pink, eventually. Still an awesome room!

Hello, welcome to my pool...er, I mean room!







This is pretty great.First thing that comes to mind is pushing someone into the pool! :D

I'd love waking up to this view everyday! To learn more about this submarine room, click here.
Sickest view EVER. This is actually a bedroom inside a luxury submarine. Incredible, right?

The spectacular Conrad Maldives Rangali Island suite.
This is one sensational suite!! I wouldn't mind staying in bed all day, looking up at the "ceiling" if this is my room. This award-winning hotel even has a restaurant with the same breathtaking experience. Here's a video of it below:
If you're interested in learning more about this hotel, click here! 


Outdoor bedroom, overlooking Hong Kong's skyline. Click here for the source and more pictures.
Outdoor bedrooms in hotel suites usually have fantastic views like this! The view in this InterContinental Hong Kong outdoor bedroom looks perfect.

InterContinental Hong Kong's presidential suite master bathroom. Click here for more the source and images.
Although it's a bathroom instead of a bedroom, I couldn't help but include this in the list because of the remarkable view!
Batman is real! So is his lair...
 The batman lair can be booked for as cheap as 50$....for a 3 hours stay. Located in Taiwan, Kaohsiung city,  the motel has 46 rooms including the batman lair. Click here for the source, more information and images!

Jack Sparrow's room. Image source
 This room is so creative and amazing! I love the stairs leading up to the 'ship' as well.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I'm a LIAR!?



Is there anything worse than being wrongfully accused!? Yesterday, I was supposed to hand in a short paper in class. It's a huge lecture room. I was ready to hand in my response, waiting for the professor to collect it. If there's one thing I truly hate, it's handing in work late when you FINISHED ON TIME. It sucks so bad!

Anyway, people were just randomnly circulating their sheets and I didn't even know where the hell the pile went. The professor said to hand it in at the back of the room. Later, when lecture ended, I went on a break like everyone else (we get a 10 minute break before tutorial begins). It didn't cross my mind to leave my paper at the back then, and I figured I'd drop it after tutorial ends. Fast forward to tutorial, professor's gone (She stays for lectures only since tutorials are just movie screenings) AND so is the pile!!! FML. I emailed the prof...and??

 She doesn't believe me. She thinks I just did my work late and lied to her, and that I should have fully known where the stupid pile was. GREAT! Now I'm a liar!? If there's one thing about me, it's that I always try to be honest. I HATE being called a liar.

Next time, I'll just directly hand the paper to the professor the moment I see her. I don't care if she's not collecting it yet. I'll just give it to her and run, end of story.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Must watch video! 'Miss Representation'

If you've never watched the documentary or the trailer for Miss Representation, you MUST! It's highly thought-provoking and relatively short, I promise! 

WARNING: It has some sexually explicit images so it's not for children! (Still, it's not that kind of video, it's more of a critique!)


Watching this, even for the second time (previously watched it for another class), I felt emotional and even angry in class today. This video sums up one of the reasons I loathe the media sometimes. And ironically, one of the reasons I want to be involved in the media at the same time; to change it.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Fun facts about friday the 13th!

Click here for image source
It's Friday the 13th today. Strangely, this day has always been lucky for me. Just today, I found my keys I've been looking for everywhere! There's tons of superstitions and silly beliefs associated with this notorious day. Here's a few interesting ones I compiled:

The fear of Friday the 13th is called 'paraskevidekatriaphobia' 


Most people avoid marrying on Friday the 13th. In 1913, Friday the 13th, in Middletown, New Jersey, a pastor let couples marry for free as he condemned the day. ( Source )

It was in believed in ancient Rome that witches supposedly flocked together in groups of 12, while the 13th member was the devil himself!

Houses between the number 12 and 14 is numbered as 12 and half on streets in Florence, Italy.

 People with 13 letters in their name have the devil's luck. Examples include:Theodore Bundy, Albert De Salvo, Jack the Ripper,Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson who have 13 letters in their names.

According to a Norse myth, 12 gods having a dinner party in their heaven, Valhalla, had an uninvited 13th guest, Loki. There, the god of joy, Balder the Beautiful was shot by the blind god of darkness, Hoder.This was planned by Loki. Balder's death caused Earth to go dark and the entire earth to grieve on this day. ( Source )

Why are black cats seen as unlucky?

Click here for image source
This superstition derives from the Dark Ages (medieval times), known for witch hunts. Mostly, elderly women who lived alone were the ones deemed as witches and they kept black cats as their pets, which people thought were the witches' "familiars", meaning evil animals that the devil sent them.

 There's also another myth involving the devil transforming himself into a black cat when he mingles with witches. Sad fact: I head that black cats are the least adopted pets in shelters!! Fortunately, most people don't believe that black cats bring misfortune. I had great luck the one time I crossed a black kitty so I go out of my way to cross their path if I ever see one! In fact, in England, Ireland and Scotland, black cats are seen as bringers of good fortune when they cross your way. ( Source )

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Why should you join a team sport?


Women playing lacrosse. Image from sports-information.org/
I recently tried out for my university's intermural lacrosse and floor hockey team. Now, I'm not athletic to say the least! A little out of shape describes me better. Oh...one more thing! I never played lacrosse or floor hockey before either.
Why would I risk completely embarrassing myself? (Assuming how usually only skilled, experienced people try out to a university level team.)

Top 5 reasons:

1) My DREAM is to be on an intermural sports team! I was planning on this since high school.
2) Playing sports is so much fun! It's the BEST way to get exercise and stay/get fit.
3) Meet likeminded people who also love the sport.
4) Learn new skills like teamwork, cooperation and even time-management!
5) It's so rewarding. It'll look great on your resume and it's just a fulfilling experience.

6) Just a bonus reason: Team pride! GO EAGLES!!! <3 :)

 It doesn't matter if you never played the sport.You might end up absolutely loving it! So go out there and try out, even if you never heard of the sport before! ;) I forced my friend who NEVER heard of Lacrosse to try out with me and she LOVED it. She thanked me for forcing her! Besides, everyone has to start out someway.

Who knows what your next love will be? Mine is defintely floor hockey right now! (Lacrosse is #2).

Image from Google


Saturday, January 07, 2012

Places I want to see: Natural Wonders

There's so many exciting, beautiful world wonders out there to explore. More than anything, I want to travel the world and see what's out there; meet different people, experience new things, learn new skills and see life in new ways. If I could go anywhere, these are some of the many places I'd like to visit:


Kjeragbolten boulder in Kjerag mountains, Norway. Image from www.lolgallery.com/
Imagine standing up there wedged between those two huge boulders! According to the Mail Online, the small boulder isn't in any danger of dislocating but hikers standing on the dangerous surface could lose balance on a windy day. Just how far up is it? A staggering 1,000 metres up in the air! To see more pictures of this stunning boulder, visit Daily Mail.

Munnar, a south indian hill station. Image from www.indiatravelblog.net/hill-stations-in-south-india/
I feel disappointed to say I haven't been to this stunning place, though I'm from south India.You can see orange and tea plantations and see tea hand-picked and processed as you sit by a gorgeous lake nearby. Other spots nearby to see include the Echo Point, Nyayamakal waterfalls, Rajmala and the Anaimudi peak. For more information on this dazzling tourist spot, visit www.indiatravelblog.net/hill-stations-in-south-india/

The Giant Galapagos tortoise at the Galapagos Islands. Image from famoustourisms.com/
I absolutely love animals! I enjoy observing exotic animals because animals are fascinating. There's no better place to visit than famous Galapagos Islands to see  incredible creatures up close.There's a vast amount of species to see for nature-enthusiasts and the islands are also gorgeous! To learn more about this incredible place, click here! 


The Blue Grotto located in Capri, Italy. Click here for image source.

The Blue Grotto is a sea cave located in Capri, Italy. I'd love to explore the dark sea cave- I'm sure it's an experience to remember forever.The Blue Grotto is declared as one of the seven natural wonders of Europe according to sevennaturalwonders.org, where you can learn more about this magnificent wonder!

The Rock of Aphrodite. Image from wayfaring.info
The Rock of Aphrodite in Cyprus, Greece, is said to be the birthplace of the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Makes sense, considering the place looks so magical and sublime!  To learn more about the rock of Aphrodite and other Cyprus attractions, click here!

The Canadian Rockies. Image from www.therockiesguide.com
There are lots to see and do in the Canadian Rockies, which includes several dazzling natural wonders that are part of natural parks. Activities include fishing, skiing, biking, hiking and more! To learn more about the Canadian Rockies including other great Canadian wonders, click here!

China's Colored Fields of Yunnan. Image from molempire.com
Hard to believe, but it's true! This awe-inspiring photograph isn't a painting! This is a photograph of China's colored fields of Yunnan made up of infinite flower fields. Amazing, isn't it?

After searching for some of the natural wonders from around the world, I can truthfully state there's truly so much beauty and wonder in the world that I have yet to explore! I hope to travel and see all of these places someday.

What were the places you always wanted to see?

On a side note: I'm SO proud of my sister, who just published her first paper! A scholarly journal article!! So very proud of her :)  Here's the link to her paper:
www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0028863

Monday, January 02, 2012

Short story: Peer Helpers


 

Note: All characters are fictional.

Monday, 4:10 PM.

“Yo, Mrs. Chung cancelled today’s meeting too!” Vikas rubs his head full of thick, curly black hair. I move closer to the door to read the green post-it note stuck on; ‘Peer Helpers meeting cancelled.’ Mrs. Chung is the school guidance counselor and the head of the Peer Helpers club at Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School.

8:45AM.

Mrs. Chung’s usually glossy pin-straight hair looks coarse and untidy. Her once shiny, manicured nails are chipped and uneven, her elbows dry and cracked and her eyes heavy and droopy. Her noisy 5-inch pumps and suit is replaced with white running shoes and faded grey track pants. Mrs. Chung flies past me, clutching onto a folder overflowing with papers. She accidentally drops her Blackberry and jumps back; as she reaches for her cell phone, her folders slips from her hands, the papers flying to the floor. Mrs. Chung grits her teeth and scoffs.

4: 20 PM.

Vikas gently slaps the back of my head with a rolled-up Bristol board, “What’re you spacing out for?”

I shake my head, “We didn’t have a Peer Helpers meeting for 3 weeks now! I think something’s going on with Mrs. Chung.”

Vikas looks thoughtful, rubbing his stub of a chin, “hhmm… true. I could’ve sworn I’ve seen her crying in her car this morning.”

What if Mrs. Chung had a nasty breakup? Is she overwhelmed with work? Maybe it’s health problems. I’ll investigate. Even guidance counselors need someone to talk to. There would be no Peer Helpers without Mrs. Chung.

I walk to the school office. The soft grey reception desk is organized with a bundle of folders on one side, and colorful souvenirs and knickknacks on the other side. A mini Santa Claus figurine in an orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt and black sunglasses bobs his oversized head from side to side. Two identical reindeer bobble-heads with apple-red noses and matching sunglasses with a drink in their hands jingle their heads back and forth on each side of the Santa figurine. Mrs. Persaud likes to collect bobble heads.

Mrs. Persaud greets me with her best smile, her brown eyes sparkling “Hello dear, how I can help you?”

I set up an appointment with Mrs. Chung at 4:10 pm tomorrow. All appointments for today are cancelled. I scribble my signature and student number onto the sign-up sheet and head out, thanking Mrs. Persaud. She waves at me, the colorful charms on her silver bracelet dangling.

Tuesday, 4:25 PM.

I wait outside Mrs. Chung’s door, poking at Mrs. Persaud’s bobble heads. Mrs. Persaud returns from the cafeteria with a steaming cup of coffee.

Mrs. Persaud frowns, “Mrs. Chung’s not here yet?”

I shake my head and immediately spot Mrs. Chung through the glass in the empty corridor, speed walking. Her shoulder-length hair is caught in the handle of her violet Gucci handbag. She frantically tries to untangle her hair as she creaks open the office door. Mrs. Chung rushes into her room, placing her Starbucks coffee and leather handbag onto her cluttered wooden desk overflowing with transcripts, paperclips, a couple of pens and pencils and folders. She gestures at me, asking me to come inside. Her face looks haggard and tired. The wrinkles at the edge of her dark brown eyes are prominent. Her skin looks dry and irritable, her usual tan glow missing.

“So, what would you like to talk about?”

I stare at the pale grey-blue carpet. My mind remains blank and my body is stiff. I listen to a muffled ringtone coming from Mrs.Chung's handbag .

“Just give me a minute” Mrs. Chung grabs her cell phone out of her handbag and walks out the door.

I sink back in my chair, relieved. I gaze around the tiny room. The shelves are stuffed with thick encyclopedias and novels, and photos of her two young children; a boy and a girl. Everything looks the same like before, except the desk is more cluttered. I search for the family picture in a polished, wooden frame. I scan the room closely; it’s not here. Maybe it was a separation. I hear Mrs. Chung’s footsteps approaching closer. I sit back in my seat.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, Daddy will come by next week, ok? Ok, I love you.”

Mrs. Chung throws her cell phone onto her desk, nearly missing. Her face instantly reddens.

“Sorry, I just need to reorganize everything and I’ll be good to go.” she admits, tying her hair up in a messy bun.

I nod, unsure of what to say. The clock reads 4: 45PM. A student waits outside the door.

“Looks like my time’s up, Mrs. Chung. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure. See you next week in the Peer Helpers meeting!” Mrs. Chung smiles warmly.

Mrs. Chung shuffles her notes, organizes her folders and clears the food from her table. Half the clutter is already gone.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Let kids be kids

I never liked the show Toddlers & Tiaras. Most of the moms clearly want to live through their daughters...their very young daughters. It's sad and even a bit disturbing. As if young girls don't have enough pressure to look perfect all the time.


Here's a short clip from the show, where a mom forces her 5 year old daughter to have her eye brows waxed! Ouch!!



If you thought that video was disturbing, this one below is absolutely disgusting! A mom injects her 8-year old daughter with botox for a beauty pageant:


Whatever happened to letting kids be just kids?