Watch Out Steph! Little Ms Curry Might Wanna Take Your Place...

So, I dont always follow sports, but when I do, it'll be something big. And Stephen Curry's daughter Riley, needs no introduction. Her dad is the MVP, and MVD (Most Valubale Dad) right now. The little darling follows her dad around for most of his conferences (which is the definition of adorable, dad goals). Between her “Look Ma I’m on TV” moments and her fake sneezes, Miss Riley’s got a bright television career in her future. She throws in a few yawns here and there, complete with singing Drake's line in Blessing by Big Sean. She is definatley something! She even went to cautioning Curry on his volume. “That’s too loud, Daddy!” Riley reminds him. She, of course, grabs the attention of press and waves back to someone in the room giving everyone a big grin. Not everyone was a fan of the Riley’s five minutes of fame, though. Some say in was unprofessional of him to bring his adorable young one, but I say who cares! It shows that this star has a soft side, and wanted to share a really big moment with his daughter. I wouldn't object if my dad brought me to a NBA press conference, just saying. 

Journal Topic: Quote Of The Day!

To light a light is to cast a shadow. One cannot exist without the other.

To me, there are so many metaphors to go along with this quote. Day cannot exist without night, you cannot know success without failure, etc. etc. But, this quote especially, means to me, exactly what those metaphors do. You cannot have one thing, without having to sacrifice something else. Yes, this quote is symbolic, because they're not literally talking about a light source, nor a real shadow. They're saying there might be a good and a bad. You cannot have everything you have wanted, sometimes your going to have to give something up, in order to move on and succeed.

For me, there a couple of shadow that I've casted on to myself, unintentionally. Being Prime Minister, being involved in the school a lot was and still is an amazing opportunity, and yes for sure I'm grateful for it, but what did I give up? Hanging out with my friends. Sometime's I regret doing all these things, because I'm so busy with things and time that I could've spent having fun, and feel as though I might be drifting apart from people. Sometimes I only remember work, and not my friends. The ratio for business to pleasure is sometimes not even. When all of my friends are hanging out, or decide  to not go to things, they have a choice, because they don't have as much of a responsibility on their shoulders as I do, and they're always hanging out together, which is cool, and I don't blame or be bitter because of them, its not their fault. But for me, I'm obligated to go to every meeting for anything I've signed myself up for, because that's the path I chose for myself. Sure it sucks sometimes, but I have to remind myself my end game, and what the end goal is for me, and when its over, it'll all be worth it. So in this situation the light is the leadership, but the shadow is less free time.

Another shadow, would be related to high school. I have been accepted into the IB Program, which means I wont be attending the same high school as my group most of the people I know are attending, while as I only know  a handful of people at my high school. I know I chose this path for myself, and its whats best for me, but maybe I would enjoy high school more if i was surrounded by friends? Or maybe a fresh start is what I need? I honestly don't know as of yet, but only time will tell. I'm going to a program which will help me in university, and help me get into a good university, a program that will help me excel at what I do, but at what cost? Leaving friends, for something that could help change my life in the long run. Its sad that I had to pick this over friends and having fun with people I know in high school, but like i said before, its a must, and its honest whats best for me. I could always make new friends, and still have fun, while attending this school, but if i were to choose friends over something like this, I don't know what could've happened. The light is a good education, but the shadow that looms is having to start over. I try to look at the positive side of things, even when it might be tough.

It happens in day to day life really though. If you decide to stay home then go the gym like your usual routine, then your giving up valuable exercise time, to help whatever goal you had in mind. Or when you decide to splurge and buy something new, your letting a lot of money go, for the sake of something materialistic, even though you might want, need it, or both. Like we had discussed in class, if your a good speaker or speech writer, you tend to not like to listen. I do consider myself doing great in the literacy field, but not so much the listening. No, not hearing people out, that I'm good at, the whole giving advice and hearing people out when they wanna vent, I can do, but I can be stubborn sometimes. I tend to stick to what I say, and stand my ground, which can sometimes be translated into stubbornness. The whole have full or half empty thing seems to happens in books too. Now, a good example of this in text, is The Hunger Games. In THG, the protagonist of the story Katniss Everdeen, must compete in an annual fight to the death, hosted by her corrupted government, The Capitol. Now all the towns (known as districts in the book), are very poor, of course minus the districts that are very close to The Capitol. Katniss does win, but along the way falling in love with a fellow competitor. Though in the second book, she realizes just how wrong things might be within The Capitol, and with her attitude in the games, it sparks a revolt against the government, a rebellion. Now, the light is the fact that she is standing up against the injustice, but at a very high cost. The Capitol is very harsh and cruel with anyone who seems "ungrateful" to their treatment of their citizens. Many lives were lost, especially people close to her (no, if you haven't read it, I'm not spoiling it for you). But throughout the book, President Snow does everything he can to make her life a living hell.

Like I had said before, there are many examples which show that the bad and the good always balance each other out. For me, there is some regret for thing's I have done (bad or good), but I cannot imagine life any other way. For the things I have decided on, and done shaped who I am. High school itself is a whole other story for me, and I cant wait to begin that new chapter in my life. It does sadden me a little, when I look at my friends and think "I'm barely going to see you again", or when I miss out on a fun time due to a meeting. But when I think of the good that had caused me to miss out on all of this, it reminds me that I'm going to have to make sacrifices anyway in life, and I cant have both. Not to say that I pick work over play, but I do have an idea of who and what I want to be, and sometimes I can't help but have tunnel vision.

Battle Of The Bars!

I decided to take two of my favorite songs right now, and put them head to head, on a Battle of The Bars! Decide on which you like best! In this corner we have: *sigh* Taylor Swift. Does something about her bug me? Yes. Does her music career stand solely on her failed relationships? Mostly. Did Kendrick Lamar save her song Bad Blood? Absolutely. I am by no means a "Swiftie" (her fan's name), but I have to admit, I really like this song. Yep, I'm talking about Bad Blood, mainly because it's the ONLY song of hers that I can enjoy without my ears bleeding. Now, I like this song, because of Kendrick Lamar's rap (I told ya'll why rap was my favorite genre, check out another blog post of mine http://furqanscreativespace.blogspot.ca/2015/05/journal-topic-songs-i-can-stand.html), and because this has happened to me before, someone being a friend, to be nothing to you. "Bad Blood" translates to, "damn things are hella awkward between us now, it's so sad, and that sucks". In the song, Lamar raps "I don't hate you, but I hate to", which means that I don't enjoy this thing between us, it's just the way it has to be. She sings that "its so sad to, think about the good times, you and I", meaning that things were so great between us now, but now, not so much. Not to mention a bunch of huge kick-butt women were in this video, awesome! Kendrick was amazing in this song, so bonus for that.

And now, two queens in one song I can't even  >.<!!! It's "Feelin Myself" By Queen Nicki & Queen B! *Cue angelic noises*. This is one of the hottest songs right now, and it's obvious why! The song gets you pumped with confidence, and makes you feel like you can take on anything! It's infidelity a power confidence anthem! Beyonce's line speakes volumes, "male or female makes no difference I stop the world!" Which means no matter your gender, if your a BO$$ at what you do, you best be slayin. I love this song, as Nicki writes her own bars, so this especially came from her, and she and Beyonce love empowering young women, and this song is doing just that. Keep keepin it 100 ladies!!

I really can't decide, as both songs really speak to me! What do you think? 

Kudos To Ireland!

It's official folks! You now can get married in Ireland, no matter who you are! Ireland has become the first country in the world, ever, to legalize gay marriage by popular vote! Over 62% percent of people had voted yes! Faith in humanity RESTORED. Now, many might be wondering what my stance might be on gay marriage. Simple, I don't have one! Why do people care so much who someone chooses to spend the rest of their life with?! I am of Muslim faith, and homosexuality is a big no-no in my religion. But at the same time, Islam is a non-judgmental and peaceful faith, so really, we wont shun you if you are gay. If anyone outside of Islam is gay, so be it! We respect the person's wishes, and move on. It's that simple! Every religion has a right to teach it's children what they believe in, but when it's someone else's life, bud out. It does not cause you physical pain to see someone else happy, so mind ya business please and thank you! Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said it was a "small country with a big message for equality" around the world, and hopefully it does! Everyone has a right to make their own life choices, as long it does not hurt anyone in the process. Thanks for setting a good example for the rest of the world! Wish you all the best Ireland! Cheers! 

Trip To Ripley's Aquarium!

On May 21st, Beaumonde's Grade 7 & 8s took a trip to Ripley's Aquarium! It was pretty cool, so here's what went down!

We had started off with a bus ride to our destination, which was fun considering we headed downtown with amazing views.

When we had arrived, we were greeted with a giant infinity like pool! I have a bad fear of the ocean, but this was breathtaking!

During our time spent there, we learned about how different animals need certain environments, the different sea life they had, and much more! From checking out the types of sharks, going in the moving tunnel, to seeing this cool jellyfish display! I had an amzing time at this trip, hanging out with friends along the way, which made the experience even better!

Thanks For Having Us Ripley's!

Toronto's Own!!

If you know me, I really love my Youtube & Netflix, but today I'll be focusing on Youtube a little more. Some of my favourites include Tyler Oakly, iiSuperwomanii (Lilly Singh) JusReign, Jenna Marbles, Ryan Higa, etc. Both JusReign & Superwoman are Canadian based, and that's what makes me enjoy watching them even more, knowing that theyre repping us, more specifically, the City of Toronto. Both Youtubers have music, as JusReign has a cover of Fetty Wap's "Come My Way" and Lilly having 2 of her own songs "LEH" & IVIVI, both with a spoken word artist Humble The Poet. Both Internet Icon's songs have reached iTunes Top 100 Charts!! My favourite song right now, is IVIVI (which means 416 in Roman numerals) becuase it talks about my hometown. The city I was born and raised in, which brings me a sense of pride. In the song she talks about the diversity, and how awesome TO is. Example: "I love em black, white, Porterican and Haitian, Somali, Desi, Tamils, and all my Aisans, yeah I love all raises if you wanna seem all one place then lemme welcome you to IVIVI". The song goes onto say that there is "no city in the world with a better mix" (True). Not to mention her line "Salam in my city, Wagwan in my City" and goes on to talk about Bhnagra (Talking about the festivals we have in Albion) and the Carabana we have every year. Like I said before, the 6 is my city, so when I hear a song by Drake, or by Superwoman, I'll be Blasting it!!

JusReign's song with the help of his friend Fateh, dropped an awesome remix, with a comedic twist! His voice is pretty dope in the song, as is the rap!

#TeamInternet is taking the world by storm! A little while ago, beauty vlogger Bethany Mota was on Ellen, as was Tyler Oakly just yesterday! These people are making a career out of being themselves, which is awesome!

Finger's crossed my favorite comediennes from the 6 collab! 

Musical Spotlight!

Every week, I will display a song that I really enjoy, and why! So here it goes!

This week's song is "Shouldve Been Us" by Tori Kelly! She has an amzing voice, and most of her songs on her debut album are written by her, and you can really relate to them. 

The song talks about almost getting somewhere with someone. Like things were so close, and then they all fell apart. Lyrical example: "thinking we could be different, but maybe we missed", insinuating that maybe things would've turned out differently, but somewhere, somehow, things took a bad turn. The title refers to how herself and the other person would've been perfectly compatible, that they didn't get the chance they deserved, and if she could start over, she would.

I really love this song, because her voice is stunning! It instantly made me think of my own past experiences, and that "aha!" moment when a song fits a moment in life perfectly. That, and the fact that the song is so real! Her emotions are raw, and the song is relatable. For me, I had stumbled onto this song, while I was listening to another one of her amazing songs "Unbreakable Smile", which I have mentioned on this blog before. It had shown up under "Suggested For You", so I took a listen, and liked it immediately. 

Hope this convinced you to give this song a listen, and enjoy her other work as well! :)

Silhouette Art

In 80AYY our latest Art endeavor was making prints, using the outlines (silhouettes) of our favourite symbols, shapes, logos etc. So here are the steps to make your own silhouette prints!

What you'll need:

-cardboard 

-textbook

-exacto knife

-Paint

1) So you start out by picking a silhouette of your liking. 

2) Grab a cardboard piece, and start to cut out the silhouette. Paint over the print, and place it on the paper. 

3) Paste the silhouette on the page, and press a textbook on top to keep it neat. 

4) wait about 6 minutes, and take the textbook off, voila! Here's your print! 

Photography!

Just some unedited photos I took of my lovely neighborhood  :) 

The Music That Drives Me Insane...

Let me start of by saying I love all music. Seriously, I do, (Hedley, Paramore, Deadmou5, Panick! At The Disco, Maroon 5, The NBHD, Eminem, Drake, Tyga, Kid Ink, to Chris Brown, Sam Smith, all the way to DJs/Mixers and Producers like Dr. Dre, DJ Mustard, DJ Khaled, Tiesto, Alesso, and Zedd) but there are some songs that get on my nerves. Firstly, Justin Beibers' "Lolly" is really annoying (no shade). The beat is catchy, trust me, but you can't exactly sing the lyrics out loud, due to the fact that the song (no matter what synonyms you use) he's still talking about the same thing. Secondly, Beiber has a lot of fans a lot of them at least younger that 11. So we sing something like that to kids who don't know what in the world IT means? Then when some kid finds out, he'll tell all the other kids, then it's game over. I know he can't limit himself due to his fan base, (no musician should have to) but seriously, as much as I hate to say this, he's got a decent set of lungs, he could do better, like his song with Skrilex and Diplo "Where R U Know", which I really enjoy. Another song that gets to me is Taylor Swifts "trouble". The song literally makes me want to rip my hair out. She talks about a guy forcing her to do things as if she doesn't have a brain! For someone who's a role model to young girls, she should be more independent, or else young children will not be in control of themselves, and will always blame someone else for their actions, because if she can, why can't they? I on the other hand, do like her song Bad Blood, as it actually talks about something that happens, people being friends to becoming strangers. Theirs not a specific genre of music I hate, as I said before I like all music, but seriously though, these songs are just plain annoying.

Another genre that is annoying, is heavy metal. Now before all ya'll AC/DC fans have my throat, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I love music, but when a song that is mostly screaming and thrashing comes on the radio, then I'm honestly going to change it! One of my favorite genres is rap, because lyricists (people who write their own lyrics) Eminem, The DOC, 50 Cent, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, etc) are clever with their lyrics, and put blood, sweat, tears into their work. Metaphors, vocab, puns and clever wording, can be found. This is why it's one my favorites, and have a of of respect for these people, because they are writers and it's their craft. But if someone's only come up with 5 lines max, and the rest is screaming and violent use of instruments, it isn't going to appeal to me! I like a song that makes me wanna nod my head, or go "oooh!" when I hear how the person strategically placed certain lyrics. When the lyrics are creative, and express how they feel, and are relatable, that's real music to me (that and anything with a good beat).

WARNING: LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiOmXeKyrxo

Take some of my favourite songs for example. Songs like "This Is Gospel" by Panic! At The Disco, or bands like Paramore, to rappers like Eminem and Nicki Minaj. those songs make you think, the lyrics are clever, and don't always have to do with anything THAT explicit. Take "All Things Go" by Nicki Minaj. She raps "life is a movie, and there will never me a sequel", meaning that you only have one shot at life, and there are no second chances.The lyrics actually mean something. Or Till I Collapse by Eminem "Cause sometimes you just feel tired, Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength, And just pull that sh** out of you and get that motivation to not give up, And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse." This song says that you just have to keep pushing, even when you feel like there is way you'll finish. Believe that you can accomplish, and you can. This, does not mean I hate songs like Wiggle or Trumpets by Jason Derulo, Drunk In Love by Beyoncé, or Fetty Waps' Trap Queen, or anything like that. I just think about the music behind it also, does the singer have a good voice, or is it just auto tune, and when I buy tickets to their concert, do I later regret it?? Is it a song you can turn up to? The songs that are funny to belt out with your friends, and the ones that everyone screams to, when you know all the lyrics! Those, I like. Or the ones you sing along with. Those I can actually enjoy! Even when the lyrics are dumb, everyone still knows what's up! People still sing Call Me Maybe to this day! No matter how dumb the song, or funny the parodies. No matter how annoying some songs can be, they still get stuck in my head!! 

BAC INITIATIVE: 555 FOR NEPAL

We all know the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal less than a month ago. BAC caught wind of this, and decidied to step in. We have created the 555 FOR NEPAL Initiative! On May 5th (The fifth day of the 5th month) every student in Beaumonde Heights JMS brought in 5 dollars to help support them with food, shelter, and other basic needs. To help with the proceeds, the government of Canada said that any donations would be doubled!

Students donated throughout the week, Cant wait to see the grand total!

Nose & Mouth Sketches

For this task in art we had to draw realistic sketches of a nose and mouth, using knowledge of shading, and value. Here is the one I had drawn. Enjoy! 

Children's Mental Health Week

Does social media have a negative or positive impact on  children’s mental health? Be specific and cite examples in your response.

Yes, as a teen growing up with social media, I can say that for the most part, social media's impact on children can be negative, because of the way the media portrays what a "perfect" human being should look, talk, and act like. From celebrities, and magezines showing what "beautiful" is, to what the standards are. So how do they think I would feel? When virtually all of these standards are impossible to reach? And how many models do you see that are diverse? Not just the typical Caucasian, blonde hair and blue eyes, perfect body and hair. The media is in its baby steps for trying to make everything we see diverse. And on Instagram we see girls in Malibu with "prefect" beach bodies, and lifestyles. And it's the same for guys too. The pressure's there for both genders. They're also bombarded with what the "perfect" man should be, masculine, tall, built, god-like features, etc. Both girls and guys of this generation are spoon-fed what they need to be, instead of being told to be happy with themselves. But times change. During the 1800 to early 2000s women who were thin were desired, so the women who were of larger built were what's known as today as "fat shamed". But in present day, women who are curvy, are more appreciated way more than women who aren't. Its shown in hip hop and rap, and in magezines. Songs like All About That Bass by Megan Trainer, and Anaconda by Sir Mixalot show more favour for women of a certain body type. But now who's left out? The women who are not as curvy! So when one is appreciated, the other is shamed? There really is no song that says all women can be proud of what they look like, no matter what type of body they have, and when their is, I'll be the first to buy it!

All of this pressure to look a certain way, can cause so many things, like depression, anxiety, anorexia and bulimia, and self harm. Girls who want to be desperately thin will stop at nothing to be "perfect", and that leads to anorexia, which leads to anxiety and depression, and if what she wants is unreachable  (in which it almost is) they turn to the only way out of this box with closing walls, self harm which eventually turns to suicide. There have been multiple cases of this, and it could have been prevented, if the media had just been a little more realistic.

I guess in some cases though,  there can be some positive things in the media. For example, Donyale Luna, the first ever female of African Decent, to be on the cover of Vogue, or Andreja Pejic, the first ever transgender model, these are just a few examples from the handful of times the media has shown diversity and acceptance. Even though social media can cause some issues, we still do need it in our day to day life. It connects people, old friends, celebs to  their fans, and even distant relatives. Social media is not the problem, more specifically MEDIA itself. Media stigmatizes and stereotypes, and then social media just portrays the issue. It's more so the messenger than the villain.

In the long run, the media hasn't been very positive with children's Mental health, but with every dark side, there must be some light at the end of the tunnel, like I had said before, the media is just taking baby steps to try and make it a more positive space for teens like me.

Favourite Photo Assignment!

Now, I had arrived in 80AYY a little late in the year, but my experience here has been great nonetheless. This would have to be my favourite photo assignment, because it had taught me a lot. From light and composition, to saturation and angles. I had my group memebers (who are a some of my best friends) teach me all of these things, and sometimes that's the best way to learn, from someone you know. For this asignment, the task was to take photos to represent a section of the book The Cheat, for a specific character. Apps used were Over, Snapseed, and Picstitch (Picframe). Here it is!

Speech 2015: Gun Control

Load. Click. Finger. Trigger. Aim. Shoot. Blood. Screaming. Crying. Chaos. 

Then Becomes

Don Bosco. Thistletown Collegiate. York University. Eaton Centre. Same story, same people, same reason. All of these places have one thing in common. They have all been affected by useless, and preventable gun violence. As Im sure as you all know, in Canada, it is legal (with proper documentation) to own a firearm. How much sense does it make to say its okay for you to own a gun, but please don’t shoot anyone, because then it’s illegal? 

And stop, before you say anything, I know the common argument is ‘guns are form of protection’. I’m sorry, aren't other countries invaded using the opposite of that logic? Because I can think of several countries who have been invaded due to the fact that they were just ‘protecting’ themselves. If guns were illegal, there would be less people to protect yourself from, who had guns, using a gun. Less guns in general, would mean less people need a gun! 

Now, I know some people will also argue that people will still find a way to illegally purchase firearms, so there is no point of making them illegal. True that, true that, which must mean weed is legal, oh wait… We need to crack down on those druggies who get high in their basements and harm no one but themselves … Oh, guns, let’s make those open to the public. Weed, illegal, gay marriage, illegal, crossing the street not at a crossing walk, illegal! Owning a shotgun that could ends someone life… Okay after a simple background check, here you go, we trust your judgment.

Let me be less sarcastic, and let's start looking at the facts and statistics. In Canada, when in comes to guns, the rules are straight forward. There are 3 categories. Authority, for example, soldiers, police, RCMP, etc. Then there is licensing, if you are a hunter, or work in high risk areas, and the minor rule, which frightens me. Why? Because it states that anyone under the age of 18 who hunts, or does target practice,  for 'recreational purposes' can legally be in the possession of a firearm, under “parental consent”. I'm not old enough to vote, but I'm old enough to handle a weapon? The reason I'm not allowed to vote, is because I'm too young to make such an 'impacting desicion. Makes sense I guess, but shouldn't the same reasoning apply when it comes to a gun? But the stats are even more alarming. According to NOWTORONTO, Canada ranks right up there with Israel and Northern Ireland, when it comes to deaths among children under 15, because of guns. Canada's firearms-related homicide rate is three times higher than Australia's and six times higher than England's! Handguns accounted for 40 per cent of all homicides in Toronto between 1998 and 2013. Not to mention over 600,000 guns are registered in Canada, 10,000 of them being right here in Toronto. And we're telling the Americans to clean up their act? While we're here handing out guns like lollipops!

Now, your probably thinking, Furqan, it's not the legal guns that are causing problems duh, it's the illegal ones! The scary thing is, ironically, almost every gun used in a massacre, to date, in North America, was registered. From the Stanfield International Airport shootings earlier this year, to the Eaton Centre shooting back in 2012. The very guns that your fighting so hard keep, are the very ones that are killing our people. Legal guns are more dangerous than illegal ones! These stories all lead back to one thing. A registered handgun. It all comes down to that decision of having a gun in your home. By not establishing gun control, we put a lot of families in danger, including your own. 

Now, we all remember the Parliament Building shooting last year. No one is safe when it comes to gun violence, not even our leaders. There was a lot of debating going on, just because of the gun he had used. And people have a right to be outraged. The Winchester Model 94 is perhaps the most common and recognizable deer-hunting rifle in North America. Which means he could've gotten the weapon from anywhere; by stealing it, or even borrowing it from someone licensed. If this gun (along with many others) had been illegal, then maybe there would've been less casualties. We hear all these stories on the news, from students bringing their parents registered gun to school, to mass murders in public places, it's already a given, that we don't need guns. I personally, just don't see the reason! As I said before there are ridiculous things out there that are illegal, but crazily enough, owning gun isn't one of them. According to the CDC, Gun owners frequently state that they own guns for protection, even though the guns in their homes impose a much greater risk to their lives than an actual intruder! Jokes on you! You have more chances of being shot by your own gun, then someone breaking into your house and shooting you with another. Let's look at gun control this way. Take a box of matches for example. They are used to light a fire, usually for warmth for. But falling into the wrong hands, they can be dangerous. A person holding a box of matches, can easily become a arsonist. Guns can also be dangerous. Falling into the wrong hands, they can be fatal. A person holding a gun, can easily become a murderer. 

Every time I hear people talk about making guns legal, I can't help but imagine my own family, a perfect day, then someone coming out, and shooting at us. Murder by a weapon our government has basically spoon-fed to those who are not supposed to have them. A life lost due to poor decisions. I can't bear to think about loosing someone so close to me, to something that could've been so easily prevented. We need to make guns illegal all around. No special privileges, no permits, or warrants. Guns are for those who have guns in theirs job description. We can't change the past, but we can help make the future a little safer. 

Einstein had once said “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.  So, what can we as students do? We can sign petitions at DoSomething.org, teachers and parents can sign adult petitions as well. Donations are also helpful to go towards helping people get the resources for campaigns. You can donate to the Everytown For Gun Safety foundation, they help educate families and communities on gun safety. Don’t give in to peer pressure when it comes to all spectrums of violence, and in general just be kind to people. I know there isn’t much we can do, as it is a political issue, and in the end up to our leaders but the change has to start somewhere! History wasn't made by the lazy. For equality, King spoke, for peace, Ghandi preached, and now I have used sarcasm, wit, and cold hard facts to convince you why we, as civilians don't need firearms.

Gun control has been a heavily debated, and controversial topic. But there has been so much proof that guns should be illegal. So tell me. How much more, is it going to take you, to open your ears. To hear that loud popping sound in a dark alleyway, a child screaming, a mother crying, a father mourning. How much more is it going to take you, to listen. How many more? How many more collages? How many more classrooms? How many more movie theatres? How many more houses of faith? How many more shopping malls? How many street corners? Enough. Before we all know someone who is on that list. No more who they might’ve been, or if we had just done something before? Its time. As a human being, as a Canadian, as a member of this community. As I had said time and time again in this speech, we don't need guns. Giving people a gun just opens doors to a series of more problems. The whole "with great power comes great responsibility" thing doesn't work well with humanity. You can't give a person a weapon and expect them not to use it. At the end of the day, guns don’t kill people. Surprise! People kill people. And we do it with worse things, like hatred, jealousy, and anger. We can’t eliminate human nature, but we can help to get rid of gun violence, and establish gun control. The next time you are debating against gun control, I want you to imagine a loved one, someone you can't bear to think of loosing, at the other end of that registered hand gun.

Load. Click. Finger. Trigger. Aim. Whatever happens next, is up to you. 

Favourite Journal Topic: Dream

The other day I had a hilarious dream. (Now I say this as humbly as possible) I was the Prime Minister of Canada (For the record I was a conservative). Now one day I was just minding my own business, then had this idea to ask one of the CSIS Agents to look up some people for me, figured I might as well see if some of my friends were still around. My researching was successful, and had found them. The funny thing is that we were all grown up, and had jobs! Katherine was a nurse, David had owned a pharmaceutical company. Reshmi was a leading research scientist. Lexie and Ismaeel had owned successful gyms, and Ryan had owned a sports bar and grill, the list could go on! Now, me being curious, I had looked up what dreams about the future mean. It says that people who dream about things that haven't happened yet, are worrying about change and are over thinking about what happens next. Now I'm not one to believe in superstition, but this description kind of makes sense. Graduation is right around the corner so there's alot for me to think about, leaving my friends, aka my second family, will be hard for sure, but change is inevitable. Knowing my friends, and their personalities, and ambitions, some of this might have some truth to it. Who knows?

Grade 1 Science Fair

Today we had the amazing opportunity to view the Grade 1s and the structures they had built! They were very excited to share what they had learnt! Various buildings and bridges galore! The grade 1s, and they're teachers had put together this event to showcase what they learn in class! We had gathered around the big gym to view their take on a soiree! 

They have shown how they built they're structures, the materials they had used, and their experiences. while walking around their event, I had asked a few of the kids some questions such as "What Was Their Favorite Part"? Or "How Long Did It Take You To Make This"?. They were very eager to respond. One child had said that her favorite part, was when her structure had broke, and she "had to build it all over again" and got to build it with the help of her mom. Talk about initiative! Another builder had said that he liked gluing his pieces together multiple times, in order to see  how strong he could make his structure! Wow, these kids are only in Grade 1 and have so much ambition! The creativity was visible! Some kids had created a bird-feeder, and there was even a lighthouse with a working LED! I had enjoyed seeing how excited these children were to show off their science skills! 

Can't wait to see more extraordinary events from the grade 1s to come!