Reading Assignment #7: Creating Conversations

Shrek the Musical (118)

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers SHREK! Oh man this is so great! Two STALWART friends of on a whirl-wind adventure!! Aren't you excited? #roadrip #bestfriends

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Listen. We are NOT friends, we are just going to get this princess and THATS IT. And stop singing!! #whyme #donkeysshouldnttalk

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@layers Did I hear correctly? A brave night and his stalwart friend are coming to rescue me? Hooray! I'll be ready! #excited #finally #love

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely Yes, we're coming. But we are still NOT FRIENDS, OKAY? #nomoredonkeys #lessonlearned

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers Oh come on Shrek, that's not true. HEY! Is that a castle I see up ahead? I think we are getting close! #frenemies #castle #exciting

Shrek @layers
This is it! Man, the size is great, but just look at the location! #haha Now crossing the bridge to the dragon's keep #adventure #lava

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers WAIT hooold up. You expect me to just prance across this rickety bridge over a boiling lake of lava? #noway #tooscary @goinghome

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Oh come on, you're already half way there! Just WALK. I won't let you fall. #sigh #justkeepswimming #almostthere

Donkey @captainfuzz
OH MAN what did I do to deserve my amazing friend @layers! We crossed that bridge TOGETHER! That's what I'm talkin bout! #bringiton #nowwhat

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Okay, now you wait here, I'm gonna go get the princess and take care of the dragon. #brb #heregoesnothing

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
THEY ARE HERE! I mean, of course they are. I knew it would be today! I bet my prince is so handsome! #excited #finally #truelove #itstoday

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers SHREK!! I FOUND THE DRAGON! AAHHHHHHHH!! #idontwannadie #help #sos #pleasesendhelp

Donkey @captainfuzz
@layers This just got weird. The dragon just fell in love with me or something! Come quick Shrek!! #awkward #help

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely Sorry for the detour- gotta go save my ass. #herotime @captainfuzz I'm coming. Just cuddle while you wait #sorrynotsorry

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@layers YOU DIDN'T SLAY THE DRAGON?!! Oh boy. This is bad. Very bad. This is all wrong! #youredoingitwrong #fail #lordhelpus

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely @captainfuzz There. We are free. Everyone happy now? Good, now let's go. #keepmoving #relax #safe

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@layers You did it! I'm sorry I doubted you... I mean, you're a little unorthodox, but you rescued me!! #hooray #finallyfree #myhero

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
Oh no... This can't be. My night turned out to be an ogre! This is all so wrong. Everything is going wrong. #worstdayever #depressed

Shrek @layers
@princesslonely Look Princess, Lord Farquaad sent me to rescue you, okay? HE wants to marry you. #ofcourse #whatdidiexpect #nolove

Donkey @captainfuzz
Hey, now that we rescued this princess, I could be ANYTHING! I could go to carnivals, or pull beer wagons even! @layers #whoyouldyoube

Shrek @layers
@captainfuzz Well, I guess I'd be a hero. Someone people look up to... Instead of just running away in fear. #iwish

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
Soon I'll be with my true love and the curse will be broken... I won't have to hide my face anymore at night #soon #iwish #itwillallbeokay

Donkey @captainfuzz
@princesslonely Princess!! What happened to you? You were all pretty and normal looking outside! #confused #whathappened

Princess Fiona @princesslonely
@captainfuzz Donkey! This.. is a curse. Whatever you do, you can't tell Shrek... or anyone!! No one can know! #secret #orelse

Shrek @layers
Maybe the Princess isn't so bad after all. But she couldn't love me, could she? I'm an ogre... Well, here goes nothing. #wishmeluck #inlove

Reading Assignment #6: Fine Tuning Text Connections

Shrek the Musical (118)

Text to Text/World Connection

Shrek the Musical bears some resemblance in terms of plot to Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. In A Tale of Two Cities, there is a large class of peasants and lower-class people who are governed by reigning aristocrats. These aristocrats, called Marquis, held a lot of power and used it irresponsibly, showing very little interest or care for the lives of lower-class citizens. One example of this is when the Marquis St. Evrémonde is riding through the streets of Paris in his carriage and orders the carriage to be sped up until he is recklessly careening through the streets. In the process, a peasant boy is run over and killed. As compensation, the Marquis tosses the father of the late boy a single coin, displaying that he clearly does not care for the lower class. The aristocracy depicted in this book differs from, but is similar to the monarchy ruled by Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Farquaad expresses distaste towards the fairy tale creatures, who represent the lower class in this particular connection, or otherwise an oppressed minority. 

In the lower class in A Tale of Two Cities, a group forms, calling themselves the Jacques. This is a revolutionary anti-aristocracy secretive clan than grows and eventually forms a forceful revolution of the French government, killing anyone who steps in their way. The fairy tale creatures in Shrek the Musical don't go quite this far, but akin to the novel by Dickens, the fairy tale creatures, representing the oppressed lower class band together with plans to overthrow the government. They come together and end up executing Lord Farquaad in a sense, as they direct a dragon to eat him. Just like in the contrasting novel, he is publicly killed and made into an example for others who might try to stop the revolution.

The two stories do not align perfectly, though both feature a flawed government with too much power, an oppressed lower class, and a revolutionary band that comes up from the lower class to overthrow and execute the current figures of power. Though this is primarily a text to text connection, I also listed it as a text to world connection, as A Tale of Two Cities is based on the French Revolution, a real even that took place in France in the 1790s.

Reading Assignment #5: Character Tweets

Shrek the Musical
Tweets by Shrek

Why are there fairy-tale creatures on my swamp?! Nobody seems to get it- it's MY SWAMP! Why can't they just leave me alone? #iwish #annoying

Off to get my swamp back, last thing I needed was a SINGING donkey! I hope it gets hit by a carriage or something.. #sorrynotsorry

Found Duloc. Looks like this Lord Farquaad guy is compensating for something with his castle though. #ifyouknowwhatimean #funny #tinyking

Apparently Lord Overcompensation wants me to find a princess for him before giving me my swamp back. MY swamp. #badday #seriouslyitsmyswamp

SOMEONE MAKE THIS STUPID DONKEY STOP SINGING RIGHT NOW. Never going on a road trip without duct tape again. #lessonlearned #whyme

Just saw a cat wearing boots and a hat. Is this stuff normal outside the swamp? Why didn't HE get arrested too? #strangeworld

Finally at the castle. Dragon, princess, and out. Let's get this over with. Also, apparently Donkey is afraid of heights. #imaknight

Found the delusional princess... and the dragon is in love with Donkey. What a weird day. #thisiswhyilivealone #imouttahere

Just as I expected. The princess was expecting a Prince Charming, not some big, stupid ugly ogre. I hate people. #duh #beinglikedisoverrated

Ya know, my life would be a lot better if I were a hero. I could do anything... That's who I'd be. #iwish #ifonly #bigbrightbeatifulworld

The princess is kinda nice after all. But even if I did like her- not saying I do- 'cuz I don't. But she's a princess, and I'm...an ogre #if

Some friends Donkey and Fiona turned out to be. Backstabbing jerks. #lessonlearned #gonnabuildawall #nevercomingback #noplacelikeswamp

Apparently I was wrong- Fiona likes me! But with the wedding, its too late now... Still hate Donkey a bit. #frenemies #crushed #lovesucks

Crashing a wedding. Wish me luck. #howdidigetmyselfintothis #noturningback #yolo #brb

IT JUST HAPPENED!! Officially married to an ogre princess and much less confused now. #wow #solucky #imabeliever #vivalarevolution

Reading Assignment #4: Character iPhone

Literature: Shrek the Musical
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the movie Shrek

Shrek's iPhone

Applications:

1. DBC: Similar to the British Broadcasting company, the Duloc Broadcasting Company is a TV station that provides news and entertainment for the viewer. Shrek occasionally uses this to unwind, or simply to keep up with all that is going on in the province of Duloc.

2. Fairy Tales: Everyone has their preferred literature to stimulate their mind, and Shrek passes the time reading fairy tales. As his eyes scan the pages, he silently has a deep, hidden longing to become a hero himself, to overcome a great beast and save a damsel in distress. However, being and ogre this desire is nearly impossible, and so Shrek uses his fairy tale stories to escape his own reality.

3. Ogre Recipes: From Swamp Toad Soup to Fish Eye Tartar, this app has it all. Ogres must learn to live alone, including making their own food, and so bizarre and unethical, yet somehow delicious recipes are created by ogres for their own livelihood. The app even allows the user to add their own favourite recipes, and so some of Shrek's own proud creations have made it into this app.

4. Duloc Map: Duloc is a large jurisdiction, which a person can easily get lost in. This app allows users like Shrek to easily navigate around, and should the user desire to go on a great and noble quest to save a princess, directions can be provided by the Duloc Map app.

5. Graphics Pro: You would probably not assume ogres to be extremely artistic, which is true. However, ogres like Shrek tend to decorate the boundaries to their swamp with brightly coloured warning signs telling people to stay out. This app allows Shrek to design somewhat artistic banners that are sure to grab the attention of a wanderer before he steps foot in an unfortunate place.

6. Netflix: Being an ogre, Shrek tends to have a lot of time on his hands. Generally he has no trouble finding things to do around the swamp, but on those late nights, it is nice to have some for of lazy entertainment. And so, Netflix provides Shrek with all the movies and TV shows he cares to watch.

7. Layers: Shrek lives alone and completely independently from the world. Naturally, this means that he has a lot of daily tasks to partake in. Layers allows ogres like Shrek to organize these tasks into a format that is easy to keep track of, and will remind him of things he needs to do.

8. Journal: Being a hermit, Shrek tends to be rather lonely. He has come to live with it happily as a fact of life, but the faint desire to speak to someone or something still exists. The Journal app allows Shrek to channel all his thoughts into words which will be safely kept in a private diary. Shrek took up journal writing back when he was seven years old, as he was sent out into the world completely alone and had to learn how the world worked first-hand and all by himself.

9. iStellarium: One tradition that ogres have maintained beautifully is astronomy. Ogres such as Shrek love to gaze into the stars, finding constellations and telling stories about them. iStellarium allows its users to gaze into the vast night sky at any time, map out constellations and much more.

10. Silence: In dramatic contrast to the standard issue Music app, Silence allows its users to plug in noise-cancelling headphones and enjoy hearing absolutely nothing. Shrek enjoys relaxing without distraction, but sometimes there are things such as obnoxious donkeys that interfere with that. So, this app allows Shrek to kick back and enjoy the sweet sound of silence.

iPhone Appearance:

Shrek lives a simple life, relaxed with not a care in the world. He doesn't have much to call his own, nor does he live very elegantly. On the iPhone itself, the phone is charging, which shows that he doesn't leave the comfort of his home much. On the case, he has a picture of his swamp; his humble living grounds, and just about all he has to himself. Shrek doesn't care for much, but of course his home is and always will be dear to him. He keeps very little and holds tightly to what he does have, and so his swamp remains pictured on the case of Shrek's iPhone.

Reading Assignment #3: Text Connections

Text to Text Connection:

The concept of breaking free from social standards that is referenced with the fairy tale creatures in Shrek the Musical seems familiar to me. The characters have been oppressed in the past for just being themselves, and they sing about this in Freak Flag. During this scene, they decide that they shouldn't be treated badly just because they're not like everyone else and decide to break free from the expectations of their culture. This reminds me of a scene in Billy Elliot in which Billy and his friend Michael have an interesting discussion about cross-dressing. Michael enjoys wearing women's clothes and ends up encouraging Billy to ignore what others want and take up ballet, telling him to be himself. This then goes into a musical number entitles "Expressing Yourself", in which Michael continues encouraging Billy to be himself and step outside of cultural norms.

Text to World:

It seems that Shrek the Musical addresses ideas that are far beyond a mere children's story. One particular element that appears in the story is revolt and revolution. In Shrek the Musical, the fairy tale creatures realize that they are being oppressed and singled out as a minority, and in turn they are sent to less than ideal resettlements- being dumped on a swamp or in a landfill, which to me sounds similar to reserves or even the Japanese internment. Just like in the show, the Japanese Canadians were oppressed for their race and sent away to camps and treated less than human. However, the fairy tale creatures responded with revolt, similar to events that have been happening recently in Northern Africa. Problems in government of several countries has led the people to turn against the government and overthrow those in power. In Shrek the Musical, the fairy tale creatures overthrow Farquaad's tyrannous reign and he is even killed (eaten by the Dragon) in the process. Not really entirely a children's movie after all, Shrek the Musical discusses oppression, government corruption, revolution and assassination. Those are some pretty mature real-world problems if you ask me.

Reading Assignment #2: Tweets

Shrek the Musical (71) How did Fiona not notice that Shrek was an ogre with his helmet on? He is still green. #daftprincess #comment

!- Loving all the cracks at Farquaad's height. Also how those jokes go right over Fiona's head. #puns  #funny

Seems to me that princesses make a pretty big gamble while waiting in a tower. Who know's who will rescue them? #romance #bigidea

Not sure text can compete with Eddie Murphy's sassiness. Donkey is just too great. #parfaitsaredelicious #bookormovie

Waiting around in a tower aint gonna give you what you would expect. Unless you really dig ogres. #noonedigsogres #lifelesson

6 Word Memoir #4: Grandeur

Writer's Note

This is my favourite of the 6 Word Memoirs that I created. Many people strive for success, fame, or greatness, though I have decided that I want to aim for something higher. I find that many people who achieve notoriety do not actually deserve what they have accomplished. Rather than just wanting to be seen as great, I want to be someone who is worthy of this notoriety. I felt that a statue accurately represented this idea, as a statue is built to commemorate someone who has achieved greatness. The text stands like a noble proclamation, a declaration of who I want to be. In this photo, I used a handful of effects, including solarization, manipulation of brightness and contrast, gradients, and other effects to get the desired look. 

6 Word Memoir #3: Hate

Writer's Note

The idea behind this memoir is that hate is often talked about carelessly, though it is a rather big deal. In my opinion, there is no point in holding on to hate, but rather forgiveness. In fact, hate tears down relationships and needlessly ruins lives. The image shows a person sitting in the dark, lonely and sad. This implies that the sadness is because of unnecessary hate that has eaten away at the person, driving him into a state of loneliness and emptiness. The text in the image looms, bold and demonic-looking taking up an obnoxious amount the picture represents hate itself. There is no punctuation in the sentence, as it is a straight-forward statement. In this image, I used many effects, including darkening, old photo filters, vignette, desaturation and several others.

Log Book: Finale

There is no picture to accompany this post, even though it has been a while since I've posted a log book update. This is because last week was show week, which you may have deduced from previous posts. The performances of Shrek the Musical have finally arrived, and ended quicker than anyone would've expected. The whole experience was wonderful and fantastic and the cast I was fortunate to be a part of quickly became very closely knit. It was well worth several months of work and two and a half hours of makeup every day. It was worth every moment, and was an incredible experience in its entirety. It seems strange to say, but I'm sure most of us would agree that we wouldn't mind giving up more Sunday afternoons or getting up early for rehearsal if we could do it all again. So, after all that happened, I don't regret doing Shrek the musical, despite how much I didn't want it last year.  In fact, I don't think I would've enjoyed it more if we had done a different musical. And now, it has all come to a close, though the cast has yet to dissolve.

Dialogue Assignment

     Malcolm humbly descended to the ground, in hope of directions. His associate, Zoe followed immediately behind.  They looked across the barren land, spotting a few Native people close by.

                “Hey!” Malcolm called out to the arctic dwellers. “Come here!”

                “You could try being polite about it at least,” Zoe scolded. Turning to the now approaching people, she said, “It’s okay, we’re only looking for directions.”

                Shrugging her off, Malcolm inquired, “Could you point us in the direction of Persephone?” With full knowledge of the city this stranger spoke of, the Inuit-like person examined Malcolm’s face before responding.

                “May I ask who you are?” The young woman asked. Her voice was soft and gentle, but had a tone of slight reservation.

                 Zoe stepped forward, without hostility.
                “We are travelers. Currently we are taking a load of cargo to Persephone,” she said, gesturing to the giant, looming mech that sat like a dormant statue, waiting to be awoken.

                 Studying the giant machine, the parka-clad woman decided to herself that she didn't yet trust the strangers who came in the walking metal beast.
                 "Don't you have computers and compasses?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
                 "Yeah, well it seems they don't work in this wasteland." Malcolm shot back, getting annoyed. "Seems nothing around here does." He gazed across the tundra in distaste.
                  Taken aback by his sudden bluntness, Zoe shot him a look.
                  "Making a real good impression there, aren't ya?" Zoe hissed at him. "As if we need to raise more suspicion than we already have!" Shaking her head, she turned back to the snow-dweller. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "It's been a long and tiring journey and we've run into a a lot of problems along the way. Can you please help us?"
                  "Yes," the small woman said, nearly whispering. "Come with me." She gestured towards Zoe to follow. She figured that the man was probably the leader, or the mech's captain, but she didn't trust him. She didn't like to judge people, but this man was impatient and came across as rude.
                   "What now?" Malcolm grumbled to Zoe as they trudged towards a nearby igloo. "We don't have time for this."
                    Zoe only shook her head at him as the woman disappeared into the igloo. Before long, she returned, to which Malcolm was thankful. The small lady held out a mitten-clad hand after standing up as if to hand something to the pair. Zoe instinctively reached out her hand to receive whatever it was that the stranger had to offer. Slowly opening her hand, a small compass dropped into Zoe's.
                    "This," the mysterious woman stated, "will not fail in the cold." She had a smile of understanding as if some unspoken connection had taken place between her and Zoe during the interaction. It was almost as if she knew what was really on board the mech and had decided to help and to protect the travelers.
                     "Thanks," Malcolm retorted without evident gratitude, "but which direction are we supposed to go from here? I mean, really, thank you for the little compass, but we are lost. Which way?" There was a hint of angst in his voice as this help was not the help he was looking for. He had asked a specific question and the woman seemed to avoiding answering the question straightforward.
                      "East." The small, blanketed woman responded with unexpected abruptness. "And eventually you will reach another village like this, but with a tower in the middle. There you will find fuel to continue on your way, and they will point you to Persephone from there." This was not at all the answer that Malcolm was looking for, but he was tired of trying to get a specific answer from this woman. He was tired, and assumed nothing more would become of the situation. Annoyed, he turned to walk back to his vehicle. As he turned, the woman discreetly handed Zoe a map.
                       "Good luck," she whispered with a forgiving smile and a wink. It was all she needed to say.
                       "Thank you." Zoe turned to follow Malcolm. Glancing back towards the igloo, the woman was already gone. But both the women knew what had just occurred, and they both knew why. Zoe smiled slyly as she climbed back into the machine.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/190503he4ybjsjpg/original.jpg

Log Book: Show Week

This is it: show week! The musical has officially hit crunch time, with our first dress rehearsal being yesterday. Needless to say, I am very excited to perform, beginning on Wednesday!

Log Book: God Bless Us Everyone

A choir I am in had the opportunity to sing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The concert was lots of fun, and rather amazing to be a part of.

Log Book: Candles

At youth group on Friday, there was a prayer-focused evening. It was cool; there were different stations with different things to do at each one. Each station was marked with a number and a few (fake) tea light candles. 

Log Book: Band Concert

Thursday was the annual Band and Choir Winter Concert. In my opinion, it went fairly well, and it was a good time.

Eavesdropping

1. i) To eavesdrop, I wandered aimlessly, resting occasionally in populous areas of hallways and the cafeteria.

    ii) Most conversations I could effectively hear and record for under a minute, and I usually spent around five minutes listening, depending on whether I deemed the conversation to be active and interesting.

    iii) All the conversations I intercepted were between students. 

    iv) It was interesting recording conversation. I suppose it felt a little sneaky, akin to a spy movie; quietly observing and recording my observations, unbeknownst to the subjects of my listening.

2. Often people were unaware that others outside the security of their friends were listening, and it seemed that their filter would shut of when they thought no one was listening, though this seems obvious. I found that in conversations, one or two people would usually dominate the conversation, and others would simply go along with it, without speaking much. Sometimes it was also apparent that people were not really engaged or listening, for various reasons: some were studying, and others seemed to like the sound of their own voice.

3. It can be useful in writing dialogue to understand that most people change how they speak depending on the audience. Also, conversations can be quite drab and without substance if the people conversing are disengaged, or have nothing of interest to talk about. People often also enter a conversation with a particular mood or motive in their speech, which is difficult for others to affect with any opposing or neutral opinion.

4. Dialogue reveals personalities by the way those conversing listen and speak. Often a person with a dominant personality will speak more than listen, whether they have wisdom in the subject they speak about or not. A thoughtful person may listen more intently and pause before speaking to think and process their words carefully. Even tone of voice can reveal a person's personality. For example, someone who speaks with sass and talks a lot is likely overly confident, and possibly opinionated. If a person is overly agreeable and quick to se ind a statement, they may have low confidence and seek acceptance by agreeing with everything a person say in hopes that the agreement will build a connection between the two. They will likely change what they say in order to make sure that their opinion matches yours, rather than back f a solid opinion of their own. All in all, there is a lot to learn about a person simply by listening to the way they speak.

5. I find that in conversations involving several people, often two people will take charge of the conversation and speak most. It becomes difficult to communicate effectively in this environment as everyone has their own opinion, and as a result each person is trying to pull the conversation in a different direction. Often this will result in a competitive atmosphere  in which introverts will not speak out, resulting in feeling left out of the conversation, while the extroverts struggle to have their voices heard, some even wanting to be the centre of attention even if they don't have anything logical to share. Conversation can easily become convoluted and innefective with many participants and no moderation. Patient voices will go unheard, and opinions will be buried.

7. I feel that written conversations often have more siren iron and purpose. This is because life is complicated. In any given day, a person may have hundreds of interactions on different levels with many people. However, if a writer were to create a television show about a detective solving crime, he will likely leave out a brief interaction between the detective and his mailman. This is because this interaction doesn't matter. It does not contribute to the plot in any way, it it just a simple, unrelated occurance. It is for the same reason that on television or in movies you don't often see any scenes involving characters waking up, relieving themselves or thing their shoes. These are all things that don't often contribute to the plot and are just extra information that wastes time in the show or movie. 

Often in life, we have interactions that are simply empty conversations, void of substance. Also, we will have many interactions in a day, not necessarily related or following a theme. So, I find that written conversations are more purposeful, as only the important interactions to the plot need to be mentioned in a story.

Reading Assignment #8: Imagery Paragraph

"In the middle of the town, a community-conscious landowner had opened up a vacant lot and permitted a travelling troupe of enterprising migrants to set up their carnival with rides, booths and portapotties. The rides were best viewed in the dark, an escapade of gaily lit rust, powered by unmuffled tractor engines that competed with the wavering carnival music which squeaked loudly from somewhere in the middle of it all. But on this warm summer night the roaming, cotton-candied masses were out to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. A ferris wheel slowly turned, hesitated for boarding, turned some more for unboarding, then took a few full rotations to give its passengers their money's worth; a merry-go-round spun in a brightly lit, gaudy circle, the peeling and dismembered horses still prancing to the melody of the canned calliope; carnival; goers threw basketballs at hoops, dimes at ashtrays, darts at balloons and money to the wind along the hastily assembled, ramshackle midway where the hawkers ranted the same try-yer-luck chatter for each passerby." (This Present Darkness, page 9)

1. This passage describes a cheap carnival of wild partying to an abundant degree. It effectively paints a picture in your mind of the chaotic scene.
2. There is a lot of visual imagery in this passage, describing the various sights of the night carnival.
3. "A merry-go-round spun in a brightly lit, gaudy circle, the peeling and dismembered horses still prancing to the melody of the canned calliope." I think that this passage is effective because it is full of imagery to give a clear image of the carnival, using both visual and auditory imagery to describe the gaudiness and overall sketchiness of the scene. It clearly creates a picture of a low budget, ill-maintained ride.
4. I think this passage creates an imagery of mindless partying and recklessness, which certainly gives a negative vibe. Due to words such as "gaudy", "peeling", "squeaked", and "best viewed in the dark" tell us that the carnival itself is functional, yet not in great repair. Moreover, words like "cotton-candied masses" and "ramshackle", which are directed at the crowd indicate that this is a less than sophisticated gathering, once again, a negative feel.
5. The mood created here is a dark, mindless party where patrons go for cheap entertainment, likely also void of the law. The great, surging mass of people is plainly driven by the will to enjoy themselves however the participants desire.
6. The purpose of this paragraph is to set the scene with a certain darkness, absent of all good and just actions, effectively exposing the crowd as a lawless mass seeking cheap pleasure. It sets up the scene for the entrance of two characters, angels who pass by, overlooking the scene.

Imagery:
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Smell
Taste

6 Word Memoir #2: Define Me

Writer's Note

The text in this image talk about how music is a very important part of my life. This relates to the image well, as the guitar in the picture is the instrument that I have been playing longer than any other: my classical guitar. Music is important to me because it has always been a large part of my life, as my father is a music teacher, and music will be a large part of my life in the future as well, as I plan on going into music as a career after high school. The text is set along the edge of the guitar, to give a sense of flow and connection. In this photo, I used various effects including a lot of touch ups, hue and saturation manipulation, darkness adjustment, vignette and others.

6 Word Memoir #1: Time

Writer's Note
The words in this image send the message that time is constantly slipping away, being lost forever and that we should take hold of the time we have before it is too late. The image shows a clock, many times over under a kaleidoscope effect as if it is spiralling away, with the text caught up in that shape as if it too is passing away. I feel that I should clarify the punctuation just in case of mistake, the semi-colon implies a break in the sentence separating two thoughts. I used many effects in this picture, including colourization, vignette, and the kaleidoscope effect. 

Log Book: Monotony

Nothing particularily interesting happened yesterday. Yet another run though of Shrek took place, which was fun, though not much else in terms of productivity. It leads me to think of a Ferris wheel; round and round it goes, yet without going anywhere at all. As I look up at the great curvature of steel, I consider that this is what life is like to some. They let the wheel turn, and watch as time passes by. All in the sake of continuation, they sit back and enjoy the ride. Futility turns the wheel, and yet a line still leads up to the ride. I've been on it long enough to have memorized the view. Others still repeatedly gaze off into the distance expecting change without any basis. Now, I've let my feet touch the ground, and though it doesn't seem like an immediate improvement, it changes the perspective. Seeing the same thing gets old, and I've gone in circles enough to be ready to change the direction. There is nothing special about a fish that can swim downstream, but perhaps one that finds a new path will find himself in a more satasfactory place. Alas, there is more to life than survival.

Log Book: One Week

Shrek the Musical is in one week. Needless to say, I am super excited, yet also a little nervous. Yesterday we ran through the entire show, and there is still work to be done, but it'll all work out great.

Log Book: Jazz Concert

Last night was the annual Jazz Winter concert for our school. It was great, and lots of fun with the exception of one panic-filled moment. As I sat down to play guitar with the grade 12 jazz band, I noticed the name on my music folder was not my own. Somehow I had taken the wrong folder. I left stage and ran to the cafeteria where my guitar case was, then to the band room, all with no avail. As a last resort, I grabbed the original copies of the music from the band room and back. I was very grateful to find that Mr. Johnson had taken the opportunity to say thank you's for the evening, effectively stalling until I returned. The picture above shows an empty music stand, and I think it is clear how that relates to all that madness.

Log Book: CMU

Friday was a campus visit day at CMU especially for music students. It was fun, and very informative, and will be my second choice for a university.

Log Book: Snap

On Thursday, my friend allowed me to play his new guitar- a beautiful Taylor. Somehow, in tuning the instrument I managed to break a string on his brand new guitar. I have absolutely no idea how it happened, though full of guilt I intend to buy strings for him.

Log Book: Strings Attached

Last night I went out with friends before remembering to restring my guitar for tonight's jazz concert. So there I was, setting up my guitar past midnight for today's performance.

Imagery Quickwrite: Alone

Kyle always knew he was different. Despite countless times he had been reassured, told that he was loved, he never seemed to feel less empty. As if he was all alone, yet surrounded by people.

This morning began like any other. Woken up by his mother, he went through the motions of a regular day. School was followed by supper with his family, and after this he found himself at the shopping mall with his mother. That is when it happened- Kyle looked up, blankly scanning the crowd. There was no sign of the familiar body and face that he knew to be his mother. Being a child presented certain disabilities in terms of height, and the young boy's vision was crowded by rushing  bodies of all colours at waist height. Panic began to set in.

With eyes heavy full of tears, Kyle clutched his stuffed bear tightly. Its soft brown fur brought him only the slightest bit of comfort, and he inhaled heavily in order to suppress his tears. A dry, musty smell filled his nose and the sound of footsteps seemed to thunder around him. Footsteps everywhere, yet no familiar clicking of his mother's heels. Oh, how he longer to be wrapped in her cold and rigid, yet comforting arms.

Kyle often wondered why he was different. Moreover, he longed to know why everyone around him couldn't tell. He squeezed lightly on his own arm, pondering his own soft, warm flesh. He looked closely at the tiny hairs that covered it and then back up to the crowd. Closely examining those around him, he noted that no one else had these tiny hairs. Was he sick? Dying perhaps, but no one wanted him to know so they wouldn't tell him? Kyle yearned to know.

A man bumping into him jerked Kyle our of his thoughts and back into his current situation. Still no sign of his mother. His tongue felt huge in his mouth, yet dry and sticky. His mouth tasted stale and his palms became clammy. The sudden realization of how much his feet ached drove Kyle to fund a bench and sit down. Lonely and afraid, he was left to his thoughts, and to his thoughts he returned.

Feeling the sweat on his hands, though about his friends. Their hands had never became wet like this, or else he had not noticed. They, too, were cold and stiff.

Kyle's head felt stuffy, as if it were packed with tightly-fitted tissue paper. He felt the wetness of a single tear as it rolled down his cheek. He had never been lost before. Instinctively reacting to the cold, wet feeling, he pressed his stuffed friend against his face. It was fluffy and comforting, but blocked his vision. He did not notice the single figure approaching him.

"Kyle?" The woman said to the crying boy alone on the bench. Her voice echoed through his head, pulling him back to reality once more. "Thank goodness, I have been looking all over for you! Come, let's go home now." The boy immediately jumped with sudden enthusiasm to embrace his mother. A soft, hollow thud sounded as he ran into her. She bent over and hugged him, and wiped her dry blue sleeve on his face to dry his tears. Hand in hand, the two left the mall.

Clinging tightly to the cold, rigid hand he knew so well, the thought crossed his mind once more: Why am I different? He would find out. Someday, somehow, he decided, he would learn why he was so unlike everyone else. But for now, he had the comfort of his mother's firm hand. He was safe now. Someday would learn about himself, but for now he was happy just to be found.

http://io9.com/5907815/concept-art-writing-prompt-a-lonely-child-on-the-planet-of-robots

Log Book: Soon

Nothing particularily exciting happened yesterday, though we ran through the second act of Shrek the Musical. The performance is approaching steadily and becoming near, and I am quite excited to be honest. It's been a lot of fun to prepare, all coming together for the performance.

Log Book: David

This past Sunday, a friend who I worked with at camp was baptized at North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church. His name is David.

Log Book: Free Movie

Cineplex had a promotional event at which free movies were played with $2 concessions. On that day, my friends and I went to see The Amazing Spiderman.

Log Book: Gorgon

One game I particularly enjoy playing at youth group is called Gorgon. The point of the game is to assemble an object, usually a flashlight or spray bottle, and conquer the "Gorgons" by using this device on them, whilst avoiding being tagged. What makes the game interesting is that all the lights in the building are shut off for the game. 

Quickwrite: In the Belly

Though I inevitably knew it would come, I never had thought much about this impending day. After countless hours on a small shelf of with a few companions, I had nearly forgotten my fate. Each of us there knew in the back of our minds what was to come, yet as time had passed it had become merely a distant memory of fear rather than the ever-present thought that it once was. But yet, my time had come. It was just yesterday that I was plucked from my position on that shelf, as a silent scream failed to escape my mouth. I realized in that moment what was to happen next. The truth which I had avoided for so long was finally thrown in my face.

This morning, I woke up feeling stuffed, with pain in places that seemed new to me. My insides rattled with any movement and I remembered where I was. I watched children play with glee as some strangers took me. I was strung up as a public display, a prisoner awaiting my gruesome execution. Thoughts of who I once was crossed my mind, spurred on by the sight of the children. Their joy and excitement brought me only sadness with the realization that I would never see my loved ones again, nor hear their soft laughter. I was ripped from my memories by a sharp yell from one of my captors. The children rushed over, eager to take part in what was to unfold. The first in line wore a crown, and was given a blindfold and a large club. The small crowd around me cheered with excitement as the horrible deed unfolded. Quicker than I could think, the child struck me with his weapon. Pain seared though my ribs and tears came to my eyes. Just a little longer, I thought. This would all be over soon. I cringed as blows were given, and pain surged though my body. I wanted to shout, scream, run away or anything that would stop the violence but I was bound by a heavy cord and could not escape. Alas, my day had come; the inevitable day on which they would come for me and as a cruel ritual beat me until I was no more. One final blow tore open my body, and it was all over. I was now free of my oppression and pain. It had to happen sooner or later, I knew from the beginning. Thus is the life of one like me: a piñata.

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/image/27554940036

Log Book: I Think I Got You Beat

There is one particular song in Shrek the Musical that has some unusual instrumentation in it: farting. The song, called "I Think I Got You Beat" is a duet between Shrek and Fiona in which the two contest over who had the more burdensome childhood. In the middle of the song is a duel of expelling gas between the two. Needless to say, I never thought that I would have to rehearse farting rhythmically for a performance.

Log Book: Gardner

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra had another rehearsal of which I had the opportunity to sit in on. This rehearsal was for their upcoming concert titled Basie and Beyond, at which they will play music from the Count Basie Orchestra. This concert will feature a fantastic trumpet player named Derrick Gardner, who was at the rehearsal.

Quickwrite: Minions

If I were to receive a number of minions of a week, I would first set them to the task of completing any homework I have. With that out of the way, their next job would likely be to clean my room, and to fix my car. My car is having issues as of late that cause it not to start, so fixing that would be the highest priority. Once that was finished I would have them do body work on the car, taking care of any rust and any other problems. Other minions I would re-string my guitars, and clean my instruments. Aside from these things, there's not a lot I would have them do, though I'd probably also have the minions bring me food periodically.

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/image/66027852107

Quickwrite: Dreams

In answer to this question, I will have to remain vague as I am not entirely sure about the contents of the dream I would create, nor to whom I would send it. However, I know that I would not create a nightmare. I would find this to be abuse to this ability, and instead I would want to create a message to the recipient which could not be simply conveyed face to face. This reminds me of the movie Inception, and like the movie, I would use this ability to plant an idea. I would only have one opportunity, and so this idea to plant in this person’s brain must be of great importance. Perhaps I would implant the idea that fear is something created in the mind, and teach this person confidence. Or I might give a message that would cause them to strive for success rather than accepting second place. No matter the idea, it would be something specific to the recipient. Something that said person must learn, but yet an idea that cannot simply be taught. There are some concepts which must be learned from oneself, yet through dreams I could cause someone to come to a realization with upmost confidence that this was their thought alone. I would choose a person wisely; someone I know well enough to understand what they must learn. I would allow this person to have an epiphany that would change their life for the better. I would use a dream to set a person free from their own mind.

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/image/41409991566

Log Book: Engine Maintenance

In a direct follow up to my car trouble on Friday, my dad and I set to work on repairing my vehicle. With the alternator, spark plugs and their respective wires and a few gaskets replaced, we have yet to find the primary source of the problem. The next attempt will be towards the starter of the car, with fingers crossed.

Log Book: Run Through

In our most recent rehearsal for Shrek the Musical, we completed a run-through of the second act. As expected, it was rough, but an accomplishment nonetheless. 

Log Book: Saturday

I regret to say Saturday was a lazy day. By this I mean that I accomplished nothing of value other than continuing on existing. The day finished off watching TV with one of my good friends, so though it was unproductive, the relaxation was pleasant.

Log Book: Stall

This past weekend, my cherished automobile went into slumber while travelling down Portage Avenue. This was during a rain shower, which certainly did not affect my mood on the situation positively.

Log Book: Comic Con

The Central Canada Comic Con took place recently at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, and I went with a few of my friends.

Log Book: Tricks

A games night took place recently at Ness Baptist Church's youth group, which I am a part of. At this games night, I wound up playing Rook with a few of my friends which was quite enjoyable. Each play in a round of Rook is called a trick.

Log Book: Mita

Mita Kaikatat Kivonen is a song that I recently performed with the SJASD Senior Divisional Choir. The song is written in 5/4 time, which I enjoy a lot as compound time signatures are less common and more difficult than 4/4, for example. This piece is a lot of fun to perform and I enjoyed learning it.

Log Book: Vocal Jazz

In Vocal Jazz, we were assigned to research other singers or vocal jazz groups. Vox One is a group that I discovered through this assignment that I enjoy very much.

Log Book: Snooze

This is my view as my eyelids reluctantly peel open on a Monday morning. My routinely vile nemesis called "morning" looks me in the eye with a cruel grin and cruelly whispers: "you're late". With the shudder of realization of the truth of this statement, I take a running start to my day straight out of my bed.

Log Book: The Art of Tango

I had the opportunity to attend a recent Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra concert featuring Michael Phillip Mossman. The concert showcased selectively Tango music, and was appropriately titled The Art of Tango.

Log Book: Paganini

I play classical guitar, and as of recently I have begun working on a piece called Grand Sonata for Guitar and Violin, mvmt II: Romance. The piece was written by an Italian composer by the name of Nicolò Paganini.

Log Book: Youth

For a youth event at my church, We had a "Fear Factor" night. Among several game involving eating strange and repulsive food combinations, throwing jelly beans into a friend's mouth and a few other things, this game involved tying a balloon around your ankle. The object was simply to pop other people' balloons with your feet and be the last one left with a balloon intact.

Log Book: Wind Ensemble

I play French Horn for the school Wind Ensemble. It is a lot of work but all worth it.

Log Book: Good Morning

Thanks to a first period spare, I often find myself with a few friends at Tim Horton's in an attempt to wake up thoroughly. Though I enjoy it every time, I occasionally think about how frequently I spend money on this habit and the effects on my diminishing bank account.

Log Book: Celica

I own a 1989 Toyota Celica, and I enjoy it famously.

Log Book: Serenity

This is a quote from a movie called Serenity. The movie is based on a sci-fi TV show called Firefly. After recently watching the series, it has quickly risen to the position of my most favoured show.

Log Book: Dialogue

During a rehearsal for Shrek the Musical, there was one specific line which I for some reason simply could not say. Due to the bad picture quality, it is nearly impossible to read, but it says as follows: "Hey, I told you already: I live alone! My swamp, me! Nobody else, understand? Especially useless, pathetic, annoying talking donkeys!"

Log Book: Theory

The notes on the staff in the picture relate to choir, as I helped a classmate to learn music theory for choir class by helping him to identify such chords as the one above.

Log Book: Loops

I used Garageband to create a background track for rehearsing jazz soloing. I did this by recording in a bass line, guitar comping and inputting a drum track. I then set the recording to loop, and soloed over it.

Log Book: Blues

This was a Blues form used in Jazz Band one day to practice soloing. The Roman numerals refer to chords based on scale degrees in that specific key. Also, lowercase numerals represent minor chords while uppercase numerals show major chords.

My Digital Footprint

Depicted in the above drawing are various logos reflective of my footprint on the digital world. Among them are the logos for the school I attend, the church and youth group I am a part of, and the Winnipeg Parkour group. Also pictured are the logos for the summer camp I serve at, the Royal Conservatory of Music, Facebook and Apple.

Quickwrite: Teacher's POV

Describe a day in a class from a teacher's point of view.

It has been a long day, prodding high school students along in empty hopes that they will do their work. Though the work is not all that difficult and the tasks are small, for some reason the students don't seem remotely compliant, rather apathetic about their assignments. My patience has not worn out completely despite the smell of younger students, immature statements and quietly defiant attitudes. Alas, it is the last period of the day. I don't mind too much, as this is their education and not mine, but it would be encouraging to see my own passions about reading and writing passed on to at least a rare few of them. This class is different however. Due to an assignment that I have given for this class specifically, this group of seniors are straying from their usual habits of engrossing themselves with the screens of their mobile devices to eagerly post stories written in very short amounts of time to a blog. It's only a small thing and I know many of them are still a ways behind on a vast amount of their other assignments, yet it gives me a stroke of satisfaction, yes, a glimmer of hope to see my students engaged in an activity that brings me even a small amount of elation. Perhaps through this one or two of them may realize that they share this passion, carrying on in my footsteps.

http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/image/10757317003

Quickwrite: Robot Servant

If I had a robot servant who could do anything in my bidding, I think that I would start simply; with obvious choices for tasks: household chores such as cleaning, washing laundry and dishes and cooking food. I’d certainly have a function for an alarm clock, as I’d need all the help I can get waking up in the morning. I also imagine that it would be handy to have a tracking system that would memorize my belongings so that they could be easily found if lost. This robot would help me to tune my instruments to save time while practicing. It would not speak much, but when necessary it would have a soft voice, though not too human, as a voice that sounded too human-like could become unsettling coming from an inanimate creature. This robot would remain around my house and assist me upon my command.

Reading Survey

To be honest, reading is not an activity that I often find myself doing just for the sake of enjoyment. I, like everyone else, have a unique array of hobbies, and I have always enjoyed the prospect of adventure; something that literature is rich with. However, I have never had a large appreciation for activities that do not seem to accomplish anything. I suppose you could say that a lot of literary material falls into this category for me, as aside from the enjoyment of the story and some potentially intriguing ideas, in reality I see myself as not doing anything greatly productive or beneficial during that time. Yes, I love adventure, however I suppose you could say that I’d rather seek out adventure of my own rather than merely being a spectator. This is not to say, though, that I have anything against reading. Instead, when I read it is often for the purpose of gaining something- to learn, to absorb information. For example, I have spent time in the past reading instructional articles on the internet or studying famous composers from library books, but there is one specific piece of literature that I tend to spend more time reading than anything else. I am a Christian, and so the Bible is something that I find to be rather important and interesting as well. It has intriguing stories of kingdoms thousands of years ago. It has poetry and philosophy and anything in between. But more importantly, it is quite literally a guide book to follow Jesus-which is the purpose of being a Christian. And to follow suit, I haven’t read much of anything recently with the exception of the Bible. Recently I have been reading the book of 1 Chronicles, which recounts a lot of events during the reign of King David.

I have no cellular phone of any kind, but I do have an iPod touch, which functions in a similar fashion where Wi-Fi is available. I also have a laptop, both of which I am capable of bringing on a daily basis if needed. Both of these devices can be used for reading and writing, and I have no e-reader or other such devices. In terms of social networking, my use is limited in comparison to a vast majority of my peers. I have a Facebook account, which I use solely for communication among my friends, and keeping up-to-date with groups I am involved with. Aside from that, I have a blog set up specifically for my role in the school’s musical theatre program. This was also an assignment, and we were instructed to make posts in character of our role from the musical, Shrek. As I have done it before, I have no problem with making a blog for this class.