What did I learn from Disney? How to lie.

Something that has always pissed me off about Disney is the lying. The constant, non-stop lying that various characters on multiple TV shows do. And the reasons for their untruthful demeanor are always really, really, REALLY stupid, as are the consequences and the lessons "learned".

Take Hannah Montana for example. That show basically consists of Miley Stewart telling an unnecessary lie, getting into a foolish situation, lying some more, getting caught, telling the truth and supposedly learning her lesson while getting some lame-ass punishment. What really irks me is that she NEVER LEARNS!!! (She is extremely frustrating). 

aggravating...

Picture this: California. Mid 2000s. Your 15 year old daughter is upset that you won't let her go to a concert in another state because you are unable/unwilling to take her yourself. So she calls her "aunt" lies to her, lies to you, buys plane tickets and hops on a plane to travel across the country. You find out what she's doing and manage to get on the same flight as her. When you confront her mid-flight, she says sorry while you admit it's all your fault because you don't want your baby girl to grow up and y'all hug it out. And that's that.

AHHHH!!!! NOOO!!!!!! If I was ever to do something so stupid, my parents would probably burn my passport, put me on a no-fly list and lock me in the house till I turned 30. Confessions and hugs don't solve problems nor do they gain people's trust. I understand that it is a children's show and lots of stuff is just for comedic effect, but every once in a while, the truth is nice. It's sort of like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" situation. If you constantly lie, people will find you unreliable and untrustworthy.

But lying is commonplace on Disney and this same format can be found everywhere on shows like Cory in the House, Wizards of Waverly Place, Pair of Kings, I'm in the Band, The Suite Life on Deck, etc. (I watch a lot of Disney...). I feel like they teach children that lying constantly and without reason is okay. But in reality, it will really screw you over. They need to write cleverer shows with problems that arise out of more varied situations. Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen because why would they change a money-making formula?

Thoughts?

- Turtles

p.s. 5 points if you found my Golden Girls reference :D

Journey to...Blog: Revamp

I'm thinking this blog needs a revamp, a reboot, a change. Something different. I've been pondering it for a bit, and I know it hasn't been around too long, but I Saw A Turtle On A Fence is turning 5 months old soon. It's time for an update and some action relating to my Journey to... goals. Much has been happening in my life and things are changing. I think the blog should change with me. So I'm going to spend the next few days shuffling things around, adjusting colours, layouts, fonts, etc, hopefully to be ready in time for Canada Day on Friday. If this were a physical object, it would get the customary glitterizing and/or finger painting that most of my stuff eventually succumbs to, but alas, I find the internet much more difficult, so we'll just have to wait and see what this blog will look like...

- Turtles

Edit: It's finished, sooner than expected. But I like it :) There will be some minor changes here and there, but over all, it's done. Here's what it looked like before, for the record.

LipDubs

As I am writing, my laptop is hooked up to my television because my mama and I just watched Shrek 4 (it was alright...). It's kind of cool to try and type without looking at my keyboard while watching a giant screen, which I am waaayyyy to close too. Anywho: lipdubs.

From wikipedia: A lip dub is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song. 

I was on Facebook when I saw an event that said Uof♥ Lipdub and I got really excited. Ever since seeing the video that UBC made last year, I have wanted to be a part of one. UBC's was pretty popular and was on Yahoo Canada (my source for all info (except FB of course)). As I was browsing the page, I noticed the regular interuniversitary dissing, claiming that Uof♥'s would be better than all others. It was then that I realized how many Canadian univeristies actually did this or were planning to.

 The UBC lipdub

People posted videos of two other universities in British Colombia that had already done a lip dub. There were posts to other Facebook groups as well, all from Ontario (because that's where I live). I have heard of at least 6 other schools who are planning on doing this. So far my uni seems to be the biggest, with over 5000 people signed up on FB and that number will probably grow. There's an executive committee who were interviewed for theire position and so many people are trying to get local artists and famous alumni to be in the video. UBC had Marianas Trench, a popular Canadian group, as well as an actor from a well known kids show and a So You Think You Can Dance Canada contestant. My uni wants to one up all that and we will. I have faith!! So I am very excited to see what each university plans to do in the fall and I can't wait to see all the videos which should be out before Christmas. It should be awesome!!!And naturally, Uof♥ will beat them all :D


University of Victoria: Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Bublé (♥♥♥Michael♥♥♥)
University of BC Okanagan: We Are Young by Mika (and other songs...)

Edit: I just found this site that has is called University LipDub that has videos from universities all over the world. It's pretty cool. Check it out!

♥ Turtles

note: Uof♥ is what I am referring to my university as, because I have not yet decided whether or not I want to tell the name. Plus, love is awesome.

Riots

You may have heard by now, but there were riots in Vancouver. Wednesday was the Stanley Cup Finals (the finals for hockey), and its was game 7 in Vancouver. The Canucks were facing the Boston Bruins for the trophy. I'm not going to get into technical hockey terms about what exactly happened, but Vancouver lost. Badly. 4-0. I didn't watch the game, because quite frankly I had no interest. I cared to know if Vancouver won or not, because I had to support a Canadian team, but that's it.

The flag of British Colombia in front of a burning cop car

Thursday morning, I walk into my mom's room and she's watching the news. I see burning police cars, angry crowds, looters, breaking glass. My first thought was "Where is this?", never suspecting for a moment that this was in Canada. But alas, I was wrong. After the game, people (dumbass people) started rioting and causing destruction. There were police on sight, prepared for this, because in 1994 when Vancouver was in the same situation in relation to the Stanley Cup, there were riots when they lost then. The police presence was larger this time, although no one really thought a riot would happen. Unfortunately, they were surprised by how quickly everything escalated. Some reports said that the police were overzealous and in some ways resembled the G20 in Toronto.

Quite frankly, I felt disgusted by what I saw. I thought of the majority of the crowd, who had nothing to do with the destruction, and were just disappointed hockey fans, got caught up in their surroundings, trying to get away and go home. A headline by the Chicago Sun-Times said it all: Hockey fans didn't  fuel Vancouver riots, idiots did. It is sad that because a bunch idiots, probably drunk, saw the opportunity to riot, they took it. They weren't doing it for some sort of cause; certainly not for hockey. But  just because they could.

This "Kissing Couple" became very popular

Now, Vancouver, a beautiful and wonderful city, has this dark shadow and a PR nightmare. After the success of the 2010 Olympics and just a general good reputation, they been sullied by stupid people. But even amidst everything that happened, there was still good (in a way). A video was released of a man who was bravely fighting off looters, trying to get them to stop from stealing and breaking windows. Unfortunately, some of those looters turned on him and started beating him. He was saved by bystanders who stepped in to help him. Screen captures of this incident were posted on the front page of the Toronto Star, making the (then) unidentified man out to be a hero, when I think he was really just some who didn't want to see he city destroyed. (here's the article). Although one wonders what he was doing beforehand. Especially since the issue of what those taking the pictures and recording the videos were doing and the role they played.

Here are some other links should you care to read more about what happened or watch a video.

The Toronto Star:
     Vancouver Riots could have happened anywhere
     Vancouver crowd turns ugly after Canuck's heartbreaking loss in Stanley Cup final
The Vancouver Sun
     Vancouver police grossly understaffed for Game 7 riot: union
     Youtube videos of Vancouver Riot destruction
     We will overcome the riot and its stain on our city

- Turtles

Covers

I have been watching a crazy amount of random YouTube videos lately and one day I happened across a cover of Beyonce's Why Don't You Love Me by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. That got me thinking about covers and a musician's ability to take a well known song and alter it to fit their style, while still keeping the song's essence. I love covers because it's always interesting to hear a different interpretation and sometimes I end up liking the newer version better than the original. So after some searching and thinking, here are some of my favourite covers (links because a lot of videos would slow down page loading).

• KINA GRANNIS - Disturbia (Rihanna Cover)
• MARIA ARAGON - Born This Way (Lady Gaga Cover) (This is by an 11 year-old girl from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lady Gaga fell in love and flew her out to perform at her concert in Toronto)
• KURT HUMMEL/CHRIS COLFER (Glee) - Rose's Turn (Cover from the musical Gypsy)
• AMY WINEHOUSE - Me and Mr. Jones (Billy Paul Cover)
• THE MAINE - Roses (Outkast Cover)
• BOYCE AVENUE - Superman (Five for Fighting Cover)
• MERCEDES JONES/AMBER RILEY - Bust Your Windows (Jasmine Sullivan Cover)
• RAY LAMONTAIGNE - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley Cover)

Comment question: Have any covers that you like?

(p.s. I know, I write a lot of lists...gotta change that...)

Is this what death feels like?

Is this what death feels like? Knowing that something is about to end and there is nothing you can do to stop it?  That feeling in the pit of your stomach that swells as time diminishes?

Death is not necessarily physical. There is death of an experience: of a friendship, of a voyage, of a time of highs and lows. It is in the end that we fully see what has taken place, and are able to look back and exam ourselves. We can see the actions we took and the emotions we felt; the times we laughed too hard and loved too little.

Now I think I know why people believe in reincarnation: because we always change. Something will end and the person you were before is not the before you have become. Your life is different and it will never be what it once was.

 

Inspired by a friend.

Journey to...

I have always been jealous of people who know what they want and go after it; people with goals and dreams and the drive to accomplish them. At the same time, I am inspired to examine my life and the path I am on. Is it the right one? And where will it take me?

Last night I came across the website thosegirlsarewild.com. It is a blog style website run by two women in Toronto: actress and singer Andrea Lewis, and author and photographer Shannon T. Boodram. They are two very funny people who, in addition to having this blog and their own busy careers, create sketch style YouTube videos that are thought provoking, silly and humourous.

While browsing through their YouTube channel, I came across a segment called "Journey to…" where either Andrea or Shannon discussed their goals and plans for the upcoming months and how they planned to achieve them. I admire their drive and dedication, something I have always lacked. I decided to create my own "Journey to…" post because I figure if I share my goals, maybe I would have more motivation to complete them. Nothing on this list is terribly life changing or exciting, though each thing means something to me. I guess this would be my journey to a happier me.

1. Declutter: I have been feeling the need to clean out my life, if that makes senses. Physically, I have too much stuff; I keep everything. I love organization, I am just not terribly organized. Non-physically, I need to figure out what is important and what is not needed in my life.

2. Music Video: I have no aspirations of being a professional musician, or a film maker, though I do enjoy both music and movies. Quite frequently, when I listen to a song, I can visualize a whole music video in my head and I often replay the song to "edit", if you will, my mental music video. I think it would be cool to actually make a video, because of the creative process it involves and variety of interpretations a song can have.  It's a new creative outlet I'd like to try. (Note: not my own music because I lack musical talent).

3. G : In Ontario, a G license is the final license you can receive, permitting you to drive basically anywhere.  I could have gotten this license sometime last year but I haven't due to a stupid fear of driving that I developed. But it's time to conquer this fear, get back behind the wheel and drive. I need to practice, because my parking's pretty bad, but I also need to rebuild my confidence and be comfortable knowing that I will most likely not kill someone and/or myself when I drive. 

4. Braces: I don't know if this is a goal so much as a done deal that has not happened yet. By the end of June, my poor mouth shall be riddled with uncomfortable metal wires.
 

5. My Faith: It's lost and needs to be found.

6. Job: Once I return, I am going to go on a major job hunt. I feel like a burden to my parents and I hate it.

7. ASL: Should I find employment, I would very much like to take some American Sign Language classes. One of my aunts is deaf and it would be awesome to be able to communicate better with her.

8. Spanish: Gotta find me a lovely Spanish companion with whom I can practice talking. Or maybe I'll just watch more telenovelas…

9. Etsy: I have been heavily contemplating starting my own Etsy shop. For a long time now, people have been saying I should sell the things I make, although I don't think they're all that. But recently, this idea has been coming back over and over. I think it would be kind of cool, but I would first need employment. (Dammit, why does everything cost money?!?!)

would you buy a bracelet made of safety pins and beads?

 10. Blog: What would make me happy is if I could find some direction in terms of this blog. I know of a few people who have recently stopped blogging because  they either lost interest, or they are moving on to other things. I was considering it at one point, but I like the challenge that this blog provides. I also enjoy the medium, although at times I find it difficult to come up with something to post (and I write too many lists). I feel like it's all over the place, with no real consistency. My goal is to figure what will become of the turtles on the fence post and see where it takes me.

Fave Posts: Written Work

I know I haven't been posting much but there are two good reasons.

1) I haven't had much time. It's been quite busy here in Québec with activities every day and now that exams and final projects are all next week, lots of homework.

2) I haven't had anything to write about. I like to feel somewhat motivated to write a post and nothing has come to me lately. I was doing laundry the other day and spent an hour and a half in the residence's basement trying to come up with something and all I got was two half written poems and a lot of unfinished thoughts.

But I decided today that I would list some of my favourite blog posts from some of the people I follow. The blogging world is still reatively new to me, but there are lots of people who post interesting stuff. Today, I'm dealing with written pieces, be them poetry, short stories, articles or people's thoughts.

1) Insightful Youtube Comment - Egyptian Nerd Popcorn
This very truthful post talks about Youtube comments and the things people write. Captain K also wrote a post on facebook which tells a lot of truths as well.

2) Civil Disobedience - Little Orange Jeep Girl
In a humourous way, she talks about civil disobience, an essay by Henry David Thoreau written in 1849. I quite enjoyed this insightful post and if I remember to read more, I'll definitely look this essay up.

3) Childish Games - Little Orange Jeep Girl
She's back again with a great article that she wrote and was published on teenink.com. I actually love this article so much. A little bit of silly is what we all need.

4) A list within a list - some poems by Jaime from Space Cadet Escapades. She is a wonderful writer and always comes up with beautiful titles that fit her poems so well :)
A Place Father Time Skipped
Love and Logic
The Value of Instead
Old Fabric

5) Mortal Oak is a British blogger who writes great short stories and is an active member of Nerdfigteria :D Here's a link to his short stories on his blog Acorns of Epiphanies (awesome name btw).

6) Five Diseases I'm Glad I Don't Have - A Slave to Pen and Ink
Those are five diseases I'm glad I don't have as well. Check out Zimri's life lessons too; they make me smile because they're so true.

7) I Am Not A Skinny Girl - Words from a Nerdy Girl
The title says it all.

♥ Turtles