Podcast at Woodbine

I thought my group might have left our last group project slip by, but we didn't. I took the initiative to suggest that we really try and get it done. It's a busy time for everyone right now, but most of us came through and completed the podcast assignment.
We decided to do a 'live to air from Woodbine Mall.' Coming to this decision again, went through several emails between our group members, but overall I think everyone was pleased with the outcome of our assignment.
We wanted to make our podcast entertaining, so we added a bit of humour. Through the use of our voices, you could say we were a little more excited about our experience at Woodbine than most. We did however, discover the mall really is a fun place to be. As a group we had a blast, interviewing little Matthew, a child at the Fantasy fair, a Cinnibon employee, a cute security guard, and last but not least, Santa.

We take the listener to different parts of the mall, showing the diverse experience Woodbine mall can provide you. We started at the Fantasy Fair, where we meet Matthew, a cute little boy, eager to play, who was perfect in helping us with our assignment. Not being able to resist the smell from Cinnibon, we made our way over there and made our first transaction, and boy was it worth it. We continued our walk to the Food Court and describe what's available to purchase, proving that there is something for everyone. We put further comfort in the listener when talking to a mall security guard. Not only can you find everything you need at Woodbine mall, but you can be safe while doing it. Rainbow Cinema was one of our last stops. We invite the audience to join us to watch the Bee Movie with us at 7p.m. Our last stop was an utmost treat. We visited Santa, who was in the centre of the mall, available to chat and take pictures with. I can't remember the last time I sat on Santa's lap. He seems to think we'll all get what we wish for.

This podcast could be used as an advertisement for the mall. I think we did a pretty good job putting a positive light on the experience Woodbine mall can give you. It definitely displays there is something for everyone and that the mall can provide a full day of fun.

This assignment, along with the others, have shown that initiative and a little imagination can take you a long way. None of these assignments were hard, they just required collaborative work, which in itself was a lot of effort. Once we figured out how we worked best, and the best form of communication, it was smooth sailing. I've learned to work with others you must be able to compromise, communicate your thoughts clearly, and be opened minded to others' ideas. Sometimes your thoughts are not always the best, and working with others can reveal that. The product that can come out of 6 people's collaborative efforts can be a beautiful thing if you just have a little faith, organization and trust in others.

Words from the Wise

Throughout this semester I had made note of my favourite quotes that my Professor, Mark Lipton, has used.

"The only way to improve your writing is by writing, and reading good writing."

(In regards to your essay) "As long as necessary and as short as possible."

"Your only limited to the limits of your imagination."

"If you don’t do the readings than you’re the loser."

"Ignorance is an unacceptable answer."

"You are all beautiful flowers. I love you."

"Love is a metaphore."

"The only safe sex is no sex, and for most of us, that is not an option."

...and these are just a few that come to mind.

A Little Time Please?

My desire to read unfortunately outweighs the time I can designate to this past time activity. Whenever I get a chance, there is a lot I want to read and learn about, but I can not name anything specific right now. Some of what I want to learn pertains more to my study of media than others, but all will help formulate my thoughts and beliefs, which can only make me a stronger, more confident individual.

Traveling the world has made learning another language something that is important to me. I've decided Spanish will be most beneficial to me. America is heavily influenced by the Latin population, and I can only think ahead of what this advantage can bring me. A business with workers who speak multiple languages allows communication with more people, which of course will put an advantage above other companies who are limited to just English. I think Spanish is a good base to European languages, and considering I love to travel, and hope to travel while I'm working, a second language is a must.

Lipton brought up a study he did on the effect of the use of words on people. Considering I'm getting into the world of talk, I think this would also be something beneficial to me.

I want to further my "tech-ie" side and learn how to wow people through visual images. A strong concept and a strong image, will combine to form a winning strategy.

I want to further my understanding of astrology. I want to study why and how the placement of the planets affect who we are, and why some days are better than others to accomplish specific things.

I want to read Biographies- of no one in particular, just someone interesting, which I think, is really everyone. Biographies, being very personal, can draw you in, allowing you to experience the life and thoughts of someone else . I think they are a great way to study, understand and re-live history. It's fascinating to see the similarities and differences of someone else's point of view of the world.

I want to study what is known about homeopathic medicine. I'm currently seeing two doctors with two different points of view, and need the knowledge to make my own decisions for my own health.

There's so much I want to learn about and do 'after school.' Hopefully I'll be able to put a dent in this list over the Christmas break, and contunue learning, shoveling the shit, to discover what means the most to me.

An Example of Living

I wanted to post this video here, simply because I can, and because it's a follow up to a previous post I have about the concept of "living." I'm in love with Katie Thompson's version of Tina Turner's, "Whats Love got to do with it." She has transformed the song to make it her own. You can feel the emotion oosing from her every pore. I hope you enjoy this expereince, as I have, over and over again.

You are Beautiful

Countless emails went back and forth between our group members when discussing what type of video we would produce. We were pretty set on doing an exercise video, but that has already been done, and I had another idea stirring in my head. I tried to think of something that people would actually buy, or that there is a want for. My idea was to make a motivational video that we would advertise to watch every morning to ensure you had a good day. I think mornings are crucial in determining the outcome of your day. When I first read The Secret, and followed their morning rituals, I truly felt a difference in my emotions throughout the day. What The Secret suggested was with every step you take from getting out of bed, to the bathroom, think of something you are grateful for. Continue this thought while you are brushing your teeth. Oprah, or rather, a guest on Oprah, suggested something similar: to keep a diary of “things I am grateful for” and write in it every day. The point is to acknowledge not just the big things, but also the little things, like the sunshine that is shining on me as I write this post. I highly suggest participating in this act of gracefulness on a daily basis, to remain humble, and aware of how lucky you are.

So we decided to make a motivational video to start your day. We each came with quotes that touched us, and that we wanted to share with others. After we started filming ourselves, we wanted to get others involved. One of our quotes was, “look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I am beautiful.’” So, we asked others to say “I am beautiful” in our camera, which we thought would liven up our video.

Before today, I don’t think I’ve ever said, “I am beautiful.” I know, I’ve said, “that’s beautiful,” or, “you look beautiful,” but, never to myself. It brought about a combination of feeling embarrassed, and not beautiful at all, based on the sheer lack of confidence to say these three words. I wasn’t alone with these feelings, as many people wouldn’t say these words into our camera. When asked why, one gentleman, said, “Because I don’t lie.” My heart dropped a moment, and realized that our little video assignment definitely made some people feel uncomfortable and bad about themselves. However, we did get some eager candidates, which was nice. Some even further extended the phrase by saying they were “so…beautiful” (cough, cough…Ian Reily) In all seriousness, I hope Ian does believe he is beautiful, because I do, and apparently so does Lipton. I thought it was cute in class when Lipton said Ian was beautiful, and I can’t help to think that this thought stemmed from our encounter earlier in the day. This goes along with what The Secret describes as the law of attraction. If you think beautiful thoughts, beauty will come to you.

Our initial thought of our video transformed into something else, as we were taping. We thought video taping people saying “I am beautiful” would be effective in visualizing our thought. To achieve success and emotional fulfillment, you must love yourself and truly believe that you are a beautiful whole entity.

I took on the job of editing and uploading the video onto You Tube, since only one person can really handle that. That in itself was its own learning experience, and I’m glad I now know how to do it.

I think this was our last group assignment, unless we fit in the podcast before Wednesday. If not, I think our group ended on a high note, and overall the process was a great learning experience. I’d like to thank my group for their collaborative efforts, hard work, and determination to get these done. We worked well together. Things just seemed to fall into place for us. I thank you all.

Society's Secluded Individuals

I’ve always wondered why some people choose to acknowledge you as you walk by them while others don’t. Does it have to do with culture, confidence, or the way we were raised? Maybe people just don’t give a shit about other people, and are too wrapped up in their own worlds to care about their surroundings? Maybe, there is no deeper meaning, and people just look where they look with no consistency at all? Or do people’s mood affect where they look? That sounds relevant. I know when I’m angry, which doesn’t happen very often, but when I am, I look at no one, and if I do, it wouldn’t be a nice look, which would lead people to believe I’m an angry bitch, when of course is not true.

It’s starting to seem like my questions have many answers, which really isn’t beneficial when trying to come up with a thesis. All I know is that I find it hard not to look at someone as they walk by me, yet many people choose to disregard my presence and look straight ahead or down. I think I’m able to tell the difference between the person, who simply can’t give anyone the time of day, and the shy, unconfident individuals, that emotionally can’t look at someone in the eye, for fear of…maybe rejection? It is these people that I feel sorry for. It truly affects me when I see people walking down the halls with their heads down. Sometimes I just want to give them a hug.

What about MP3 players, in public places? More and more people are listening to their own music, secluding themselves from the world. Besides being a safety hazard, I don’t believe these music devices should be used during everyday occurrences. I find it rude. I can only see it leading to social problems in the future. I believe interaction with friends and even strangers are healthy rituals that can build character and confidence. When we refuse to interact with others we’re cutting ourselves off from experiences that could lead to endless opportunities. Music is a beautiful thing, and I know I can’t live without it, but there is a time and place for everything.

Although one could argue you can engage in everyday activities while listening to music, I don’t believe your mind, or your heart can be fully engaged in either activity, which has it’s own implications. In a previous post I talked about living in the moment, being physically, emotionally aware of your actions, and when multi-tasking this is not possible. If you’re walking down a busy hallway, fully aware of your surroundings, the people around you, the conversations you hear, the path you take, you might come to conclusions and thoughts that listening to music would have distracted you from. Similarly, when you listen to music, feel the beat, analyze the lyrics, move your body, fully engage yourself into the music, and I promise you’ll experience music like you never have before.

Is one to be worried about our ever-growing technological culture? (No need to answer that one) What other extremities will we go to, to ensure our selves of constantly being entertained?

I’ve looked at restricting ourselves through our eyes, and ears, I guess our voice is next. I remember when soothers were in style (that is definitely something worth analyzing). Maybe they will come back, but 100 times more advanced. They’ll have MP3 players in them, and of course a camera. They’ll be multitudes of flavours that require your sucking in order to be consumed, leaving your voice to be silenced.

How's my shovel looking?

Shoveling shit! Ingenious. I loved Lipton's analogy today. Postman says we're surrounded by too much information, which is not really a positive thing. Sure we might have random bits of knowledge, but unless we are to take on roles and do something with all the information we receive, than it's useless. Lipton called this useless information 'shit.' There's a lot of 'shit' in our own learning, and he hopes he has provided us with the shovels to shove out the shit out, and decipher what information is worth reflecting on. Lipton seems to have perfected his shoveling. He said he will grade the beauty of our shovel; meaning, he's deciding on whether we are interesting people or not, based on the information we've chosen talk about and analyze.
I guess my last question to Lipton will be, "So, how's my shovel looking?"