The Last Week of October... already? yeesh

So it's the last week of October. Can you believe it?! I was sitting around at the beginning of October laughing because I had so much time to prepare for Halloween, ya right! Halloween just came out of no where and now I'm scrambling around to get an outfit and anything else needed for the festivities. What are you being for Halloween? I have no idea what I am being yet.. any suggestions???? No I can't be Aphrodite, I was Athena last year...
Last year, I carved a pumpkin with my best friend and it was awesome. I suggest you do it. carve that pumpkin and cook those seeds. Its a great wholesome experience and you'll be glad you did it. It'll ease your mind.

Blogging and Me

I grew up in a small town, and came to Winnipeg to attend school just over two years ago. I remember when I first moved here, I had to experience alot of things on my own as I didn't really know anyone or anything for that matter. Bus routes, finding my way around the school, the city in general, were worlds unknown to me. Little did I know, these new experiences would open doors to many more new experiences. Now I think back to when I was in highschool, and all I knew was my hometown. I am grateful and I love it. I love to see the difference in my life, in myself, from years ago to now. The reason I am doing some self evaluating for you to see is because I am going to share my opinion of blogging from a country girl, small town perspective. I want you to see that me, an ignorant 18 year old at the time, came to the big city and my eyes were opened to a whole new world that I would have never experienced if it wasn't for the new friends and opportunities I came upon on my journeys.

I will admit, I had no idea what blogging really was and what it consisted of before a month and a half ago. I am aware that this makes me look like an amateur compared to everyone else out there with two or three blogs that they have been upkeeping and writing on everyday for the past five years. But in reality, alot of people can relate to me, alot of people don't have a clue what a blog is and what it consists of.

I will give you a comparison so you can piece this together for yourself. I laugh because as I make fun of keeners, I am beginning to find out that I am a keener as well. Keener = over the top, smart person who studies during free time. Right now, I am just beginning to feel the keener inside me, I am not full blown yet. Just like me being an amateur blogger, I laugh, but really, in time, I won't be that baby anymore, I will be that five year blogger that checks their page all the time and responds to everyone's comments. This is not a bad thing, for what we have been taught in the past couple months is that in order to have a successful blog, we must up keep it, we must discuss things that involve our audience. And in order to be successful and get good grades, one must have some sort of keener inside them. I am sure everyone does.

Blogging to me, is an excellent way of communicating with new people. A blog is there for you to customize to yourself; this web page represents you as a person. The blog you create presents your ideas and values and opinions to the world. And if you're lucky, others will see these opinions and take time to read them and comment on them. Whether they agree or disagree, your blog gets action and you get some conversation. You relate to people, you disagree with people, you write on other's blogs. You can start controversys with a click of your mouse, you can make new friends, you can start a group, you can stand up for something or someone. It is really quite brilliant, and me, like many others, had no idea that a blog could produce so much opinion, so much controversy and ultimately, so much power.

So, in conclusion, blogs are a way for you to grasp the world and interpret it. After you grasp and interpret, voice your feelings and let the world respond. Blogging was just another way for me to see new perspectives, to hold on to the world and influence it in some way. Do it, grasp everything you can get a grip on, I recommend checking out the links I provided.
Click on:

Blogs.

Local Bands

There is so much more available out there, so many more blogs, and bands and places to see.

new experiences = happiness, friends, lessons learnt and broadening of the mind

Go for it :D

Buyer Beware - Gym Memberships!!

Who knew gyms were so sneaky? You know that contract you sign when you get a membership? Well there can be a heck of alot of things hidden in there! In Advertising class, my group, consisting of Shelley, Lindsey, Lauren and I, dove into the gym agreement world looking for answers. We started off by picking four major gyms located in Winnipeg. Curves, Shapes, The Y, and Good Life Fitness. Our goal was to get a contract from each gym, get information on what each gym offered, the costs of each membership, cancellation policies, extras and what the all around customer service was like. We each chose a gym and went there individually, inquiring about getting a membership.
We surveyed 60 random people whom we found in various areas throughout our campus. The survey included what gyms they have been and are a member of, as well as a rating of customer service at the specific gym and what kind of experience they had exiting their memberships.
Out of the research we did, the experiences we had at our specifc gyms and the opinions we got from various sources, we came to the conclusion that Shapes is deceitful and has bad customer service, Curves was mediocre, Good Life Fitness was good and The Y was great. The Y was the only gym that would give us a copy of their memberships.
So watch out when you sign contracts! You could have trouble cancelling your membership like many did at Shapes, or have money automatically taken out of your account, or get charged something extra that you don't know about, or only have access to your gym on a specific day at a specific time. Be aware of what is offered and what you're being charged because a signed agreement is legally binding and it'll be helll in a hand basket trying to get out of that if you're being swindled.

So aren't they supposed to be caring for these kids? or whats the deal here....

A recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press has pushed my mad button. Mike McIntyre recently published an article regarding the way CFS or Child and Family Services has been dealing with what Winnipeg is considering, one of its most "at-risk" youths. A girl who is under 15 and has been floating from group home to group home, has not yet been positively affected by CFS who are supposed to be helping and benefiting her. In the article, the girl's mother is basically crying out for help after CFS handled the situation terribly. The mother just wanted help and now her daughter is in the hands of CFS who are not keeping tabs on her and not reinforcing stability in her life in which she most likely needs. The mother is fearing for her daughter's life after the young girl ran away numerous times and was labelled a "missing person" over and over again. So what is going on here? Why are these kids being neglected? We depend on these services to take care of these kids, keep them safe and make the right decisions for them. In my opinion, CFS should step it up and stop letting missing kids happen, stop letting kids be put in danger and start doing their job as a protector of the youth of Manitoba.

To check out the Free Press article, click here

The Rollercoaster That Is, My Life, or our lives right now...

I am sure all of us CreComms are feeling it, we're seein it in our day planners, as the pages fill up. The heat is on, and we are sweatin. This week is a heck of a week... Baking, pitches, presentations, blogs, personality profiles, heck the list is gettin long! BUT, these are all just the twists and turns of the roller coaster that is our lives. These definately aren't bad things. Look at the roller coaster metaphor, when your on the ride, you're like, "whoa," and maybe you get a bit nervous, and you might sweat a little. Your face may go a shade of tomato red and you scream, BUT, once again, it's enjoyable because by the time you get off the ride, you're like, "hey, that wasn't so bad, that was actually fun, i'd even do it again." SO, in conclusion, we should all just hold on and ya, let out a scream in the privacy of our own homes if ya haven't already but just keep on keepin' on because this is what we are here to do, we are meant to be here and we're a team. so good job everybody! and a big pat on the back to the success of the bake sale!

o my

what does everybody think about Prime Minister Stephen Harper busting out his piano skills?! it's so random!

I have mixed feelings. I think he looks harmless enough without having to showcase his mediocre piano skills! And he sings too! my goodness, I think it may put a negative spin on his public image. As Canadians, I believe we struggle to project a strong, independant image. Stephen Harper playing the piano and not even that well, doesn't help anything really... what do you think?