Reflection of the Course

    As the course comes to a close it becomes time to reflect on the various aspects of the semester. In english 1080 I learned many different things about short fiction and poetry and how authors use different stylistic elements when writing their pieces. Some of the selections throughout the term that I really enjoyed were the spoken word poems(Dave Chapelle's poem in particular), Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown", as well as "Tyger" by William Blake. Some of the pieces that I really didn't enjoy were "Hills Like White Elephants" by Joyce Oates, and "Boys and Girls" by Alice Munro. Throughout the semester I noticed how authors used ideas of form such as theme, tone, poetic language, and rhythm(just to name a few) to help get the meaning of the piece across to readers. In the course I also found out that essays in university english are marked a lot differently than in high school. In order to do well and write a good essay much thought and planning must go into your work. I feel that being able to write a decent essay is a quality that is very valuable in life, because in the future no matter which direction we choose to go in, it is essential to be able to communicate your results/ideas with others, and an essay is a great way to do so. 

    Something that I found very helpful throughout the semester were the essay writing workshops. It gave me a general idea of how to properly format the essays and the sheets that we got in these workshops were great to refer to while doing my essay at home. The blogging component of the course also created something that was very different than what I was used to in an english course, we hadn't kept a "journal" in english since grade 4, so it was good to go back to that for a change. The blogs also were quite creative in some weeks and I enjoyed doing some of these fun tasks. They provided a good escape from the usual stressful and complicated assignments that I'm used to in other courses. I would like to conclude by saying this was a good term in english 1080, and I feel that I got lucky when it comes to the professor that I got because I thought you were very helpful throughout the course when it came to essay writing and always made yourself available to us. So thank you for a great semester sir. 

                                                                                   -Nick

How to never lose a game of Beer Pong

The most common party game out there has to be beer pong, every house party I've ever went to in my life always had a game of beer pong going on in some form. Whether it be on the kitchen table, a ping pong table, or a certified beer pong table it always created excitement  and a way to socialize. In this post I will show you how to dominate your fellow party goers in beer pong.


1) Before you shoot the ball always wet it in water first, it often helps if you have a cup on the table for rinsing the ball in. When the ball is wet it slips out of your fingers much more easily and proves to be a much more accurate shot as opposed to a dry ball.

2) Form.Form.Form. At every party you go to theres always people who have no idea how to stand while shooting, their feet are all over the place and often times they stand back way to far from the table. Be sure to not "lean" over the table when you shoot because this is often referred to as cheating, and the other team is generally not pleased with this. The basic form for beer pong should be one foot in front of the other(usually the foot that goes first is the one that corresponds with your shooting arm). The opposite foot should be not too far behind.

3) Always focus on one part of the cup, most people make the mistake of just throwing the ball up in the air and hoping that it will land in one of the cups, this is an inefficient way to shoot and it usually results in missing the cup. The two shots that are most common are the arc shot and the torpedo shot, the arc shot is just that, it forms an arc and drops into a cup, while a torpedo shot is shot downwards and usually doesn't create a spin effect, this is my favourite out of the two. 

4) Take advantage of the bounce shot. This is the single most effective way to steal a cup when your opponents aren't paying attention, the bounce shot is tricky to master, and takes practice to get right. Make sure you don't throw the ball against the table too hard or it will bounce too high and usually won't go in the cup, try to hit it just before the middle of the table with just the right touch, and you may of stolen yourself a point. 

5) Always be on the defence. If an opponent trys to bounce the ball into one of your cups, always remember you're aloud to swat it away with your hand. This is something that is easy to forget and it takes quick reflexes to swat it away in time. Another key point is to always remember to blow or finger a ball of its spinning. Girls blow and guys finger, don't forget this or you could end up on the butt end of a joke. Generally if the ball is spinning you have about a second or two before it goes in the cup, so be quick because every cup counts. 

6) Last but not least always always remember the dreaded trick shot, many people fear this shot because it proves to be difficult to get in, but once you get the hang of it, it proves to be a useful tool. Some common trick shots are the left handed shot, blind eyed shot, and behind the back. These are overused and really aren't that fun. Whenever a chance for a trick shot comes remember to be unique and have fun with it, it proves to be a great ice breaker with the ladies and usually gets a few chuckles out of your buddies. So be daring and try something unique such as shooting it off the wall behind your opponents and trying to use that bounce effect to land it in their cup. 

                                                                                        

I hope you enjoyed my tips and will use some of them in the future, and if you're ever in need of a partner at a party don't hesitate to look me up. 

Memes

Quotable

"I hated every minute of training, but I said don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." - Muhammad Ali

  This quote is very inspiring and motivational for me. Ali was perhaps the greatest boxer/athlete of his era, and he also overcame humongous racial boundaries at a time when African Americans were often discriminated against. This quote shows the true dedication and perseverance that Ali showed in order to become the heavyweight boxing champion. I can really relate to this quote because it sounds a lot like the university lifestyle to me, put in the hard work now and reap the benefits of it later in life. This is probably my all time favourite quote, as I have a poster hanging from my wall with this exact quote on it.

"I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison

  This quote is another great one. Thomas Edison was a very well known American businessman and inventor. He was known for inventing the motion picture camera, the phonograph, and the lightbulb. The only reason that Edison even managed to come up with these groundbreaking inventions in the first place was because of his dedication, and willingness to try new things and keep trying without giving up. He showed people that with hard work and a little bit of luck you can accomplish anything you want. This is another very inspiring quote that each and every person should model their lives after.

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi

  Mahatma Gandhi was the single most amazing human being to ever walk on this planet. He took the quote "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and incorporated it into a lifetime of helping others overcome their own struggles. This particular quote above is probably the most well known by Gandhi in his lifetime, it basically tells people to live everyday of your life trying to make this world a better place for those around you, and future generations of people to live in. He tells people to go out and make a difference in this world, because the world won't change itself.

It was very hard to choose three quotes to use in this project, these three are the ones that stood out most  for me, truly inspiring quotes from some very wise people to say the least.

Flash Fiction Analysis

   After looking through a few selections of flash fiction I came across a piece called "Last Rights". This piece really hit a spot when I read it, and I felt that it would be a great piece to reflect on. This piece of flash fiction basically tells us a story of a young woman who is dealing with the prospect of losing her father to cancer. Her father is terminally ill and has received news that the cancer has spread to his brain, which means that his memories are starting to fade.

    As the story progresses it seems as if the father wasn't there for his daughter throughout his life and this is a very sad thing for a young girl to have to go through. In the climax of this short story the girl says "I never did know what to say to you", and this comes across as her having a somewhat awkward experience with her father throughout her youth. Her father replies to this statement she makes by saying "don't be scared"and reached out to embrace her. The girl then says "good-bye" and the father replies with "don't say good-bye". This comes across as him regretting the decisions he may have made in his life, it shows that in his darkest hour he is full of sorrow. The girl then says "I brushed his greying hair from his eyes and for the first and last time in my life, I whispered I love you dad."This line is probably one of the most effective concluding lines I have ever read in my life and it really hits close to the heart to know that this girl didn't get to experience a loving relationship with her father. The setting is also effectively used in this short story, it is set in a hospital which represents sadness and sorrow.

    The underlying moral to this story is that this life truly is to short to live with regrets, the decisions that we make each and every day shape the outcome of our lives. We need to treat those closest to us with the upmost respect that they deserve because its not only our own lives we are hurting but we are hurting those around us too.


This is the link to my selection:http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/14854-last-rights

Letter to The Captain

Dear Daniel,

  As one of the biggest Ottawa Senators fans around, I would like to ask you the question all senators fans throughout Canada have been wondering about all summer. Why in the world would you decide to leave the only team and city you've ever called home to sign with the freakin' Detroit Red Wings? It felt like such a slap in the face when you did this, as I have idolized you my whole life and even flew up to see you play last February because you were supposed to "retire" after this year with the Senators. Watching hockey this year just hasn't been the same without seeing your patented top shelf slap shot on the power play. When you were in Ottawa you were royalty, you could be walking down the street right next to Steven Harper and more than likely you would be approached by citizens of the city rather than him. What confuses us fans so much is that we can't understand why you would give all of this up to go with another team, sure you have the chance to win a cup but lets be honest here, do you really think Detroit is going to come close to cracking the cup finals this year? Not likely. By doing this to us fans you've blemished your reputation with us big time, however we are also thankful for the 17 years that you have given to this organization and the patience that you've had with it. We're very sorry that you couldn't have gotten your stanley cup with the Senators franchise but at the same time don't expect us to be cheering for you now that you're on the opposing team.

                                                                                Yours Truly, Nick

In the News

   Recently at Memorial University the closing of the local on campus bar "The Breezeway" has students at MUN in anger. The closing of the bar was described by university officials as a money issue. It seems as if the bar at memorial was losing too much business to the downtown scene here in the city of St. John's. Students at the university are devastated by the closing of the only spot on campus to get drunk and blow of steam after a long week of classes, it even has several students thinking of transferring to other universities here in the maratimes. Many students have rebelled against the closing of the club, and as a show of their frustration they have started a binge outside the doors of the breezeway and have stated that they will not move until the breezeway officials agree to keep the club open or they get alcohol poisoning, whichever happens first. Campus enforcement here at Memorial University are concerned that the closing of the club will lead to civil unrest and possibly rioting around campus and they are pleading with the Breezeway officials to keep the bar open. It will be interesting in the coming weeks to see where these disputes and frustrations lead, and we will be sure to keep you posted on any other news that comes from this outrageous story.

Poetry reflective

  Poetry is often around us everywhere, yet sometimes we don't see it. An example of this that pops out to me is advertisements. In the world of advertising the creators of these advertisements have only a few seconds to get their point across and sell their product to the viewer. This is often the case in poetry because in many poems the writers often have a short amount of time and in some cases a limited amount of lines to express how they feel and get their point across. Advertisements are often short and sweet and very to the point, writers and artists often try to advertise their product in the least amount of words they can because they realize that people don't have time to sit down and read a paragraph about their product, therefore they need to minimize the amount that they write. A good advertisement that sticks in a persons head is usually very creative and is expressed through the use of words and a visual.

  In the visual above, we see a an advertisement that is not trying to sell a product but rather to sell the idea of sustainability. It tells us to save water and we can possibly save a life, this is illustrated by the fish in the tank losing more water each time the tap is turned on. This image is very expressive of what is on the artists/authors mind, this is very similar to poetry except it is expressed through a visual accompanied by text rather than just words.

 
The advertisement above shows the most famous sports company in the world advertising their product.      When they use the phrase "Light like air. Stronger than steel."it catches the readers attention right away and it uses a simile to compare shoes to air. A good advertisement can often use various poetic forms in it and advertisements are around us all the time but we never associate them with poetry. This goes to show that there are many things in the world around us that can also be considered poetry even though it isn't expressed in a stanza.

Movie Review

  The Movie I chose to review today is a favourite of mine since i was a kid. Remember the titans is a movie that combines an amazing sports story of a football team overcoming all odds and winning the state championships. However, what makes this story amazing isn't the fact that a group of young boys came together to win a championship, its that they did this despite being separated by race. This movie produced by the infamous Jerry Bruckheimer shows the struggles of black people to fit into regular everyday life in the 1960s and 1970s. These boys were at the front and centre of a racial war between African American an caucasian people, yet through the course of this movie they create a bond that goes beyond skin colour, and perhaps the most significant bond in this movie is between team captain Gary Bertier and star African American player Julius Campbell. This movie is based on a true story and is a big part of our history. The main character in this movie is Denzel Washington, who stars as the head coach of the Titans and guides them through adversity. A major part of the movie is the fact that coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is African American himself, and the city of Alexandria, Virginia has trouble accepting him as a head coach given the fact that he is of a different race. Throughout the movie coach Boone guides these boys to a championship and along the way he lays the stepping stones for these boys to create bonds with each other despite the racial difference. At first the young men are very reluctant to socialize with each other, but coach Boone uses his tactics to get them talking and from there everything else is history. To me this movie symbolizes all the great things about humanity and kindness. An instant classic, I would recommend this movie to anyone and I can honestly say that there is nothing about this movie that I disliked, an amazing movie to say the least.

Image Expressive

        This photo is pretty self explanatory, it shows a bald eagle soaring high in the sky. The bald eagle is one of the most majestic animals on the planet, and they are my favourite by far. This image in particular can connect with a lot of college/university students. We're embarking on a significant journey in our lives and we all need to put our best effort forward and then maybe we can soar like an eagle. The eagle symbolizes perfection, because of how smooth and effortless it flies through the sky, and then swoops down to capture its prey. Many people strive for perfection and try so hard day after day, and the eagle does this with little effort, pretty amazing if you ask me.

   The picture above shows the largest mountain on our earth. Mount Everest stands at a whopping 8848 metres above sea level. This mountain is located in the Himalayas and is one of the most amazing aspects of nature. Something that I find even more amazing is that people can actually climb and conquer this behemoth of a mountain. This shows that with hard work and dedication to doing something, you can pretty much achieve anything you want too. The oxygen level at the top of this mountain is next to nothing so its very hard for people to breath as they scale the mountain, this makes the task of climbing this mountain seem next to impossible, yet over 3100 people have climbed this mountain including a 76 year old man, a 13 year old boy, and a blind man. If this doesn't motivate someone to chase their dreams nothing will. 

Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing
And there's no way we ever could

Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

So we keep waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door

And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information
Oh, they can bend it all they want

That's why we're waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

It's not that we don't care
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

And we're still waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change

No, we keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
(Waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change

Read more: John Mayer - Waiting On The World To Change Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

  The song I have chosen to talk about is "Waiting On The World To Change" by John Mayer. This song is a favourite of mine because John Mayer sings about people in our world today and how we don't take a stand for what we believe in, and how we all simply expect things to change without putting any real effort to change our own lives. In the song, the stanzas are arranged in a more open form of poetry, which uses lines of varying length and avoids prescribed patterns of rhyme. A refrain used in the poem is the repetitiveness of the line "we keep on waiting,waiting,waiting on the world to change". This helps convey the message of the song by telling listeners that nothing will happen on its own, in order for change to occur we need to make changes in our lifestyle. 

   The speaker in this song is John Mayer, and he is addressing his fans and listeners, he's telling the "average joes" that if they don't take a stand, and make a difference the world won't change for the better, if even one person changes the way they act towards another person, or tries to make a difference in another person's life, then it can create a domino effect and spread the happy mood, or good deed onto others. The tone or "voice" of the author has a kind of sad aspect to it, as well as a sense of optimism in my opinion. John Mayer reaches out to people to change the world one step at a time and he shows optimism for the human race as a whole. An example of personification is used in lines 21-22 when Mayer says "when you trust your television what you get is what you got". In this example he gives human characteristics to a non human thing because a person cannot actually "trust" a television, he's referring to the tabloids and the ideas of the powerful people in our society. 

   This song is one of the best ever produced by John Mayer in my opinion. When I hear this song it tells me to take a stand in my own life and don't wait around for others to do things for me, if I want something, or if I want to make change in this world I simply have to go out there and do it myself. When I hear this song it's obvious to me that it has social and political implications. In line 5-6 it says "Now we see everything that's going wrong with the world and those who lead it". This line is referring to some of the corrupt minds of the leaders of our countries around the world, especially some 3rd world countries who have leaders who spend a large percentage of their countries GDP on guns, military forces, and other weapons when they should in-fact be investing it in things that are more important to these countries such as agriculture, and medical needs. There is also a social implication as well, in lines 18-20 it says "To bring our neighbours home from war, they would have never missed a christmas, no more ribbons on their door". This is something that most people in our society can relate to, losing a loved one through war because of meaningless fighting in other countries. As far as I know there are  no other covers of this song by other artists, and I think that's a good thing because John Mayer does a hell of a job with this song and I think it's a great hit. I hope you enjoyed this song and my reflection on it, and after reading my reflection I hope you choose to go out with your best foot forward and make a change in the world as well. 

My Life Be Like

My name is Nick, and I'm a seventeen year old science student here at MUN. I grew up in a small town called Port Blandford, Newfoundland. I'm a big sports fanatic and my main sport is hockey, the Ottawa Senators are my favourite team, and any maple leafs fan is no friend of mine(just kidding). Family and friends are a huge part of my life, and I believe that I have the best family and friends a person can have, I also have a younger sister named Jillian whom I think the world over. Some of my other interests include fishing, snowmobiling, and weightlifting. Coming to MUN represents a significant life change for me and I'm very eager to show the world what I'm made of, as well as meet lots of new people along the way. I'm a very outgoing and easy to talk to kind of guy, and I'm looking forward to a great semester in English 1080! Thanks for your time everybody.