Couch Potato Conglomerate

This is the essay that was published in Challenge the Experts. It's a variation from my usual form of formal writing, and I only had two hours to work on it. The topic is: Many experts believe that voter turnout continues to decline because people have lost faith in their political leaders. Do you agree or disagree? and Why?

Couch Potato Conglomerate

By: Annie Li

Theodore Roosevelt once coined the phrase “A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” Neither the target nor the rifle has changed, so the fault is ultimately bequeathed to the user. The 1960s marked the gradual decline of voter turnout, and statistics reveal that the waning is predominantly determined by young voters. In a decade that saw mankind extend its fingers to touch the moon, it is necessary to recognize the debut of the tributaries of technology. Media propelled the debutantes of society onto a world stage and assumed the directorial position to advertise the indulgent behaviour that keeps voters grounded at home. This time, it is not a struggle against the red flags of foreign powers or their axes of evil to preserve democracy.

Instead, it is a fight against the couch potato conglomerates. Modern political leaders continue to trudge solidly along the steps hollowed out by the dedicated individuals who first intoned democracy. It is the masses that constantly writhe in fevered inconsistency, easily influenced by remote obligations and heedless of the ramifications of their conduct. The youths of today are confined within the materialistic ventures of Ipods and MP4s, spending 25 hours of their 24 hour day tapping away at computers. The immature citizenry tolerate extravagant lifestyles that far surpass society’s romantic view of civic duty. Every action is first evaluated against the effort and energy consumed as opposed to the consequences. In this case, though the leaders have not lost their appeal, it is simply too much of a hassle to vote.

Indifference and apathy are also major contributors to a declining voter turnout. Throughout the history of democracy, the value of one vote is often regarded as insignificant when placed adjacent to the whole. Though this fact will never change, when it is coupled with the belief of a ballooning population, it is much too discouraging. It is not the loss of faith that stimulates a conscientious voter to maintain sufficient distance from a ballot. There is no lack of remarkable political leaders, nor is there a lack of political passion. In this day and age, the enormous time commitment essential to understanding the party platforms and the candidates themselves is too expensive for many to consider while maintaining a fast-paced lifestyle.

The overexposure of the electoral campaigns to the public years before the actual election is another disincentive. On the other hand, while smear campaigns and attack advertisements aimed to reduce candidate credibility does trigger a loss of faith in the government, it in turn encourages the public to take action. To uphold the standards of democracy, it is necessary to utilize a more dramatic approach to resolve the conflict. Perhaps Australia’s compulsory voting system should be adopted - a breath of fresh air to poke fun at the idle clouds.

---
 
Some parts are quite awkward when I read it now - but I suppose it's because I never had the chance to let it sit and then go back to it. I wrote it in one setting without doing a proper rough copy and hardcopy edits. The last sentence is a specific example. I was actually trying to link the image of clouds with the image of potatoes (which then links to couch potatoes) in the readers' minds, but I don't think it was as effective as it could have been.
 
However, I do believe the essay discusses several issues regarding the decline in voter turnout, none of which is caused by the lack of faith in political leaders. If you didn't believe in the person who was representing you, wouldn't you do something to change that state of disatisfaction? You'd want to be more involved, as opposed to staying away. In addition, I don't believe that our current political leaders are necessarily less capable of fulfilling their duties than previous leaders. In the end, everything really depends on public image.

Malaysia!

Earlier this year, I won a trip to Malaysia (cool, huh?) and went away with a couple of other students for eleven days. I have to say that it was an experience of a lifetime.

My friend (one of the students who went on the trip) said this about it: (my comments are in blue)

Once the thrilled students stepped foot on Malaysian soil, they were immediately greeted by the warm 30 degree weather, a well earned break from the frigid subzero climate of Canada at the time. They were able to experience an incomprehensible spectrum of experiences from traditional to modern. For a few days, the participants found themselves navigating the labyrinth of bustling streets of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. This city has more bombardier rapid transit trains than Toronto, some which are even driverless. Here the students experienced places ranging from historical sites to houses of worship of several religions.

[We had to transfer at Taipei, and you could just feel the humidity and warmth of the air. Coolest thing about their transit is the section that's in the air.]

One evening, students were aggressively bargaining with street vendors in Petaling Street, a famed market in the city’s Chinatown. Another evening they were exploring the several floors full of brand named stores ranging from Gucci to Adidas at the Suria KLCC, a grand shopping complex at the foot of the majestic Patronus Twin Towers lit up in full glory beneath the night skies.

[I bought a shirt at Petaling St. for 20 ringgits, and then found the same shirt at the KLCC for a couple hundred.]

The students braved some 272 steps to reach the Batu Caves on the outskirts of the city. These caves are a Hindu pilgrimage site with ornate carvings and a population of friendly local monkeys who enjoy munching on food thrown by visitors.

[I fed a monkey an orange! I'm not so sure now that it was so wise - considering it was a wild monkey and it was hanging off my arm. But still very cool!

There's my monkey.]

The Canadian students also had the opportunity to tour a local Malaysian school and learn about local students of their age.

[That's a small sentence to sum up a big experience. They put on special performances and had special food prepared for us at the school. Their cooking classes are like the ones you read about in mangas - where each student has a little desk and has the opportunity to make stuff.]

Since the experience was government funded, students enjoyed a private bus as well as enthusiastic tour guides. The lavish and colourful bus was decorated with intricate patterns and glossy curtains. Thanks to this bus, the students were able to get out of the big city and head elsewhere. One morning students found themselves eating a decorative seafood lunch at the Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant, which is essentially a hut floating alongside a lakefront with dazzling views of the house of the Prime Minister, the 116 metre minaret of the Putra Mosque, and other architectural marvels within the administrative capital of Putrajaya. That very evening they devoured dinner sitting down on the floor and using nothing but their right hands to go through large portions of rice, vegetables, and meat plated on banana leaves and all grown in their very own backyards. They were now at the Kampung Dorani Homestay, a traditional Kampung village that offers foreign visitors a taste of traditional life.

[Yeah - the bus was pretty awesome. But on the topic of food - we were served really well. The restaurant he's describing there floats on a lake and has the most amazing view ever.

This (the pic) is what we could see.

The Homestay is my fav. part of the whole trip - as you will see later.]

At the homestay, the students experienced the true Malaysia. There were vibrant green rice paddies as far as the eye could see dotted with Kampungs, traditional colourful wooden Malaysian homes on stilts. In pairs, the students spent two nights with foster families, immersed in their gracious hospitality and the Malay language. Some of the families spoke little English. Students also experienced several traditional activities including eel fishing in the rice paddies, batik painting, and bahulu “kite” making. They also went to a colourful traditional Malaysian wedding, local food processing industries, and even on a river cruise to watch a rare sight of thousands of synchronized flashing fireflies.

[This is the only line that most of us learned on the two hour trip to the countryside. “Di Mana Saya Pergi Tandas?” The line literally translates to “Where I go washroom?” The picture below was taken by another friend on one of the mornings.

The homestay experience took my breath away. We split off into pairs and had our own "family". My partner and I ended up with a family that lived in the cutest house ever! They had a coconut tree in the front of their driveway and their house was painted in yellows, oranges, greens and blues. Our room was richly decorated (with a wedding-style bed - hahahaha) and had windows that overlooked the red flower bushes.

I wrote this in my "journal":

The sweet aftertaste of the cold coconut juice we were greeted with lingered until we’d split up into pairs and left with the “Father” we were introduced to. Sitting on what would be Canada’s driver’s side of the car and driving on the other side of the road was a new experience for me. Our car speeded past stocked mango stands as we weaved through the small, close-knit community. The house we were brought to seemed to come right out of a storybook. The driveway was lined with bright green bushes overgrown with red flowers. A coconut tree stood high beside the house, weighed down by the clusters of coconuts that reached for the ground. The colour of the house was a bright yellow orange, highlighted by beautiful, flat paneled shutters. Looking out from the second story window into the endless blue sky and mango grooves, Malaysia never seemed more real.

It's impossible to express everything that happened there, but I'll describe what I believe were the two coolest things.

Kite making was absolutely amazing. It wasn't too difficult, and I was the first person to go out and fly my kite. The sky was endlessly blue - and the wind was just perfect. All the coconut trees were swaying a bit on the side of the road, and my kite just flew up into the air.

There were a few times when it got caught on some weird eddies and started twisting, but soon, it was up as high as it could go.

I can't describe that feeling - simply standing near a paddie field and watching a kite fly on forever.

(I had to magnify my camera like 12 times to take this picture. It flew up really high.)

The other experience was the rain. It rained a couple of times in the short time we were there. But it wasn't the wet and disgusting kind you get in the city. It was seeing nature in nature. I remember the couple of us kicking around a coconut (as a soccer ball) after a whole day of activities (such as eel-fishing), and just running around the area created by the house stilts. Next thing we knew - the sky had turned dark blue and large splatters of rain were dropping from the sky. Within moments, it just started pouring.

A section from my "journal" again:

The sun that’d bathed the world in such bright light hid its face behind the clouds. Within moments, buckets of rain poured down in torrents, cutting us away from the rest of the world, in a place where life could be simple and happy. Where stress could find no foothold in the confines of such tranquility. Where laughter trickled alongside the water.

And it was true. I had no worries, no unpleasant thoughts, and felt a certain kind of peacefulness that I haven't encountered since.

Though this is an old image of a more traditional house than the homestay headquarters (where everyone goes to for the activities), just imagine standing underneath the house and feeling the rain blow in. It's unforgettable.

And rainbows, amazingly, aren't a rare sight. You can see one almost after every rainfall. ]

~

Another day, the students found themselves within the historical city of Melaka along the Straits of Malacca, once a prominent Portuguese seaport for the great spice trades. Highlights from this town include its authentic cuisine influenced by a variety of cultures. Students enjoyed a Portuguese influenced dinner and a Nyonya lunch, which is a complex style of cuisine utilizing a variety of spices and is influenced by local migrants from China and India throughout the past few centuries who married into Malaysian families. One night, the students cruised around town in trishaws, three-wheeled cycles topped with colourful sheaths of a variety of artificial flowers and designs. These vehicles dazzled as they traversed the roads flashing with flashing bright lights ranging from green to orange while blasting out their loud radios. They squeezed through every street corner from the bright red lanterns and Chinese flavour of the Jhonker Street markets, to the colonial styled churches and elegant gardens of the Dutch square, and even down the pristine riverfront.

[Trishaw experience!

That's what a trishaw looks like.

We also ate at a very modern seafood restaurant where there was a live performer. The couple of us sang rowdy English songs at the "stage".... and took secret pictures of a goodlooking bartender.]

After nine days of the jam-packed Malaysian experience, the Canadian students headed on the nearly 30-hour journey home. Each one carried with them at least 300 Malaysian Ringgits ($100 Canadian) worth of Malaysian crafts, imitation brand-named clothing, souvenir key chains, and tea back to the land of hockey, Tim Horton’s and the CN Tower, which to the students was now dwarf in comparison to the Petronas Towers. It was a sad wave goodbye to the smiles and hospitality of the great Asian nation. This unbelievable experience has opened the world and all it has to offer to the students. Malaysia is a must-see for everyone!

[He didn't mention our night in Kuala Lumpur - when we went into the megamall at the bottom of the Petronas Towers and then hanged around the park that surrounded the city centre. KL is super green. They've got trees everywhere. When we were swimming on the outdoor ninth-floor swimming pool, they had trees dotting the border of the pool and tennis court.]

I had some serious issues with going back. I kind of didn't want to.

I'm def. going back to visit someday.

- Annie

Ps. And the 30 hour plane ride wasn't that bad. I watched at least three newly released movies and played tons of video games. Asian airlines are pretty cool.

Pps. One of my hotel rooms (We always had a good view):

Manga/Anime Review: Artist Recommendation: Hayao Miyazaki

Artist Recommendation: Hayao Miyazaki
Director, Artist, etc

I have always loved Miyazaki's films.

It is amazing that I encountered each of his works individually and loved them beyond words before realizing that it was one artist behind all of them.

My favourite movie ever is called Kiki's Delivery Service, and though it's very childish to admit that now, I can't help but love it. I watched it during one of those long lazy summers when I was still in elementary school, and haven't watched anything since that made me feel even close to what I felt then.

It was more than inspiration and hope - it was almost magical. Every time I think about the movie, I think about how it would feel to just fly above a beautiful coast city and enjoy the wind blowing by. What would life be like in a world where you could live each day as it comes, with no expectations or worries or fear of letting life escape through your hands in carelessness?

Then came movies like Castle in the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro. Could anyone watch them and not love them inexplicably? Watching each moment of the movie became feeling each of those moments, and I simply didn't want them to end.

I remember the day I watched Spirited Away. I wasn't even aware of the man named Hayao Miyazaki at that point. In fact, I was a bit miffed that Spirited Away won the Academy Award as opposed to Spirit (the movie about the horse), and didn't hold it in high regard.
It was after the movie ended that I realized I had been holding my breath for the last few moments, hoping to make the "magic" last just a little bit longer. The music, the scenery, the art, the characters - everything was just so perfect. I turned from a skeptic into an advocate.

I couldn't believe it when I found out that Miyazaki was going to make one of the most enchanting fantasy books - Howl's Moving Castle, into a movie. I nearly died of happiness.

I suddenly had countless screensavers saved on my laptop from the movie and my ipod was filled with every song from Howl's Moving Castle. Sophie and Howl became common names to me, and I looked forward to every update by Studio Ghibli.

Since then, I have watched every movie made by Hayao Miyazaki, and have been touched every time. I don't know how he does it, but the fact that I'm not the only person who's been influenced by his works is a testament of his ability to create beautiful masterpieces.

Here's a list of his works.

~~~

Director, screenplay, and storyboards

Yuki's Sun 1972 (Pilot film for a never-realized anime series)
Future Boy Conan, 1978 anime series
The Castle of Cagliostro, 1979 film
Sherlock Hound, 1982 anime series
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, 1984 film
Laputa: Castle in the Sky, 1986 film
My Neighbor Totoro, 1988 film
Kiki's Delivery Service, 1989 film
Porco Rosso, 1992 film
Princess Mononoke, 1997 film
Spirited Away, 2001 film (winner, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, 2002)
Howl's Moving Castle, 2004 (nominee, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, 2005)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, 2008 film

Shorts

On Your Mark, 1995 music video for Chage and Aska
The Whale Hunt, 2001 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Koro's Big Day Out, 2001 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Mei and the Kittenbus, 2002 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Imaginary Flying Machines, 2002 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum as a part of the exhibited material)
Ornithopter Story: Fly! Hiyodori Tengu Go!, 2002 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum as a part of the exhibited material)
Monmon the Water Spider, 2006 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
House-hunting, 2006 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
The Day I Harvested A Star, 2006 (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum)
Film Guruguru, ? (Short film exclusive to the Ghibli Museum as a part of the exhibited material)[26]

Scene design, layout

Heidi, Girl of the Alps, 1974 anime series
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, 1976 anime series
Anne of Green Gables, Episodes 1-15, 1979 anime series
Concept, screenplay, storyboards, scene design, key animation

Panda! Go, Panda!, 1972 short film

Screenplay, storyboards, scene design, art design, key animation

Panda! Go Panda! and the Rainy-Day Circus (パンダコパンダ 雨降りサーカスの巻, Panda Kopanda: Amefuri Sākasu no Maki?), 1973 short film

Screenwriter, storyboards, executive producer, sequence director

Whisper of the Heart, 1995 film

Story consultant, key animation, storyboards, scene design

Animal Treasure Island (どうぶつ宝島, Dōbutsu Takarajima?), 1971

Key animation, storyboards, scene design

Hols: Prince of the Sun, 1968 film

Organizer, key animation, storyboards

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (アリババと４０匹の盗賊, Aribaba to Yonjūbiki no Tozuku?), 1971

Key animation, storyboards, design

Puss 'n Boots, 1969 film
Flying Phantom Ship, 1969 film

~~~

Even after everything, my favourite is still Kiki's Delivery Service. It brings back memories of ripe blackberries, geese eggs, and a bright green summer.

I wish I can recapture that feeling I had when I watched it for the first time, though I am unsure...
if it's anticipated or half-remembered.

Interview: Premier Dalton McGuinty

This interview took countless emails and several months to arrange. This was before I got on to Toronto's Supercouncil, so I suppose it would be somewhat simpler now. In the end, it was really nice how he answered each question in-depth.


My Interview with Premier Dalton McGuinty
1. What did you aspire to be when you were in high school?

Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor. I grew up in a large family. I have nine brothers and sisters … and that’s a lot of dirty dishes. My mom would ask me, as one of the oldest, to help out a lot around the house. I would say to her “but mom, these are surgeon’s hands.”

My mother would have been happy if I’d followed that path. She had plans for her sons to become doctors and physiotherapists and dentists, so we could look after her. But we became lawyers instead.

A lot of people don’t know this but I actually went to university for biology. It’s funny how life turns out.

Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to be. You’ll find your place … or it will find you.

2. What made you head down the political path?

I have been fortunate because I found my biggest sources of inspiration right at home. My mom and dad showed me a solid work ethic, and taught us all to always look out for those around us.

My father was the MPP for Ottawa South — where I am MPP now — and taught us about the value of public service so I was inspired to follow in his footsteps.

I asked for this job so I can make changes to improve the quality of life for all Ontarians. Especially changes to improve education, to improve the quality of our health care and to build on the strength of our economy.

There was a saying in my family: “None of us is as strong as all of us working together.”

I got into public service because I want to make sure that every Ontarian finds the opportunity they need to succeed here. And we can only do that when we work, build and dream together.

3. What do you like about your job?

This is the best job there is, but I have no idea how long I’ll get to do it. So I’m enjoying it — the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows — and I always try to do what I won’t regret later.

And it doesn’t really matter what the world throws at us — I know Ontarians will always find a way to rise above.
What I really enjoy about the job is when I’m doing things that I know have a connection right in Ontario homes. So when we work together to bring class sizes down, or get kids with learning difficulties a little bit more help, or help families make their homes more ‘green’, or a grandmother or grandfather have a shorter wait-time for a hip replacement, those are the kinds of things I like best.

Those are the things that really make me feel good about the job of Premier.

4. What is the most difficult aspect of your job?

The most challenging part of the job is just trying to stay normal. There are so many demands that are unlike those most people have to grapple with — both in terms of time, and duties. You’ve got to show up at events, you’ve got to give speeches, and some days I think I actually spend more time talking to the media than to my own kids. Well, how normal is that?

5. Gun violence stemming from gang activity is an issue in many Ontario communities. What do you plan to do in schools to target this issue?

As a father, when I hear stories of young lives cut short by senseless gun violence it affects me deeply and personally.

And as Premier, I have a responsibility to take action, to get the guns off the streets, to show young people better choices and to put criminals who use guns in jail.

I believe in you. I believe that if given the right opportunities, you will make the right choices. That’s why we’re working hard to create opportunities for our young people.

Our government is committed to being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.

Over the next four years, we will double funding for our community use of schools program, so that space for after-school activities is affordable for all Ontario families and free in communities that need it most.

We’ve raised the school dropout age from 16 to 18 years old and supported that with new kinds of learning opportunities both inside and outside of school. Obviously, you’ll have a better life if you finish high school.

We will continue to work with police and community groups to add more prevention initiatives to our safe-schools strategy.

We have launched the $45 million Youth Challenge Fund and the $28.5 million Youth Opportunities Strategy to give young people, especially those in at risk communities, real opportunities to achieve a brighter future.

If there is even more we can do to make our students, schools and communities safer - and help young people make good choices - we have a responsibility to do everything we can.

We have to keep working together to get the guns off of our streets to create safer streets.

Gun violence is wrong - plain and simple. We cannot and will not become complacent in any way. We will continue to do all that we can to fight gun violence. Young people who pick up a gun will face the full force of the law.

6. Will you be proposing any new plans that will enhance the education in high schools in your new term?

Young people are our most precious resource, so when we invest in your education, we invest in our shared future.

We will build on our successes by expanding after-school homework help and introducing online homework help.

We will also expand Specialist High Skills Majors that will let you bundle courses to prepare for specific careers. You can also take advantage of dual credit programs, expanded co-operative education and innovative Lighthouse projects that could include credit recovery and alternative education.

Students are also receiving better support through new Student Success Teams, a dedicated team that provides extra attention and support when needed, and a new Grade 8-9 transition plan.

7. How are you targeting students that are dropping out and planning to drop out of high school?

We won’t give up on you.

Our government will continue working to improve graduation rates in our high schools, and ensure more young people keep learning beyond high school.

We will raise the graduation rate to 85 per cent by 2010 by expanding learning options for all students and by providing focused supports for students who are struggling academically and students at risk of dropping out.

Our government has introduced the Student Success/Learning to 18 Strategy that helps you stay in school until age 18.

8. What do you think about money going towards private religious schools?

Our government believes that our schools should be places where all our young people, from all faiths, come together to learn from one another and grow together.

I see tremendous diversity in our publicly funded schools. And that diversity is a tremendous source of strength for Ontario, as long as we continue to come together as Ontarians, the way we do in our publicly funded schools.

It would be wrong to disrupt the education of almost two million students — 95 per cent of all the students in Ontario, including the majority of students from every faith.

It would be wrong to divert our funds, and our energies, from our publicly funded schools to private religious schools.

We are focusing our resources, and our resolve on improving our publicly funded schools.

9. Students are becoming more environmentally aware as schools are bringing this issue into the classrooms - is Ontario aware?

There is a proverb that says “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Nothing is more important to our success, our quality of life, our future, and even our survival, than a clean, strong, healthy environment.

When it comes to climate change, it’s true that we can’t do everything. But we can all do something. We can all take action in our homes, in how we get around and in our schools and businesses.

We have launched two websites — http://www.obviously.ca/ for secondary students and www.ontario.ca/ezone for elementary students — that explain the challenges facing our planet and how you can take action to protect the environment.

We will make schools greener. We will make sure all new schools will conform to better energy efficiency standards. We are putting in place all of the recommendations of our Curriculum Council so that environmental education is part of every student's learning.

10. What message would you like to leave the students of Martingrove Collegiate Institute with?

I want to thank the students of Martingrove Collegiate for all your hard work. I want you to know that anything is possible. I mean anything.

When I was growing up, one of the things my parents impressed upon me was that all you had to do was work very hard and nothing could hold you back.

They taught us that where you start out in life is not relevant and that what counts is how hard you take hold of your opportunities to succeed.

You can overcome any obstacle — if you dream big, work hard and seize every opportunity.

I believe in you. With your energy, your enthusiasm, and your idealism, you have what it takes to build an even better Ontario, with a more prosperous economy, and a stronger society, in the years ahead.

Our job is to equip you with the education and skills you need so you can each reach your full potential.

1000 Marbles

Though I hate chain letters, I couldn't help but feel touched by this one.

"1000 Marbles"
By: Anonymous



The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business.

He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles."

I was intrigued and stopped to listen.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."

He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a thousand marbles.

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail, and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.

So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to roundup 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.

It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 75 year Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going OUT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

MAY ALL SATURDAYS BE SPECIAL!

Book Review and Interview: Daughter of the Forest; Juliet Marillier

Fiction: Daughter of the Forest
Author: Juliet Marillier
Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Romance

I remember that fateful day when I asked the librarian for an interesting fantasy novel and she picked one off the shelf, stuffed it in my hands and told me that I just had to read it. Little did I know that it would eventually become my favourite novel. If you’re a sucker for romance fantasy novels, perhaps you should flip through best-selling Daughter of the Forest and see how much you might like it.

Daughter of the Forest is basically a spin-off of a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale called The Six Swans. Like numerous fairy tales, the main character Sorcha has to deal with an evil stepmother who not only spellbinds her father, but also curses her six brothers to become swans. Faced with the impossible task of overcoming challenging obstacles all on her own, Sorcha has to vow herself to silence and weave shirts of stinging nettles to break her brothers’ enchantment. However, with a twist of fate, Sorcha falls into the hands of the enemy, but also in love. Perhaps her biggest obstacle yet is deciding between “the life that she has always known and a love that comes only once”.

Unlike most fairy tale adaptations, Daughter of the Forest is not set against a backdrop of blue skies and pretty butterflies. More often than not, the impediments that Sorcha faces are realistic and meaningful. This is not a quick read, and sometimes deals with deep and grim situations. In addition, this novel also has a historic component to it. It’s set in Ireland and Britain in the ninth century, with a good description of the feud that pits both cultures against one another.

For the few days that I was engrossed in Daughter of the Forest, I think I was living in the world brought alive by Marillier’s “rich words”, as the librarian put it. I felt like I was brought to a world that I wished was in existence and was finally given the chance to experience; to watch a fairy tale play out before my eyes. One of the main characteristics of this book is its ability to incite emotions. I laughed and cried, both literally. For those who can’t get enough of it, there is a second and third book to this trilogy. However, I believe both are less compelling than the first one. To put it simply, this is a must read for all fantasy lovers.

- Annie

Short Bio

Juliet Marillier is an Australian best-selling author who was born in New Zealand and grew up listening to old Celtic legends and folktales. Some of her works include The Sevenwaters Trilogy, the Saga of the Light Isles and The Bridei Chronicles. They have been welcomed by many in eight languages. We were fortunate to get in touch with her through email and had this interview.

My Interview with Juliet Marillier


A: Is it really true that you wrote this all at one time as a 200 000 word blockbuster?

I did take three years to write Daughter of the Forest, because I was working fulltime in another job and was a single mother of two school-aged children. I worked on it evenings and weekends.

A: Was it hard for you to publish it? Did you get rejected at first?

Not very hard. I sent it to a local publisher for an opinion (I knew it wasn't the kind of book they published, but they had a policy of reading and commenting on any manuscript sent in by an author from this state.) They were very encouraging and suggested two mainstream publishers for me to try. Only one of those two accepted unsolicited manuscripts, so I sent an outline and three chapters to them. They asked to see the whole ms, and when they'd read it they made me an offer.

A: If I'm writing something and I get a writer's block, how do I get over it?

If you can't summon up the motivation to write something, it's probably better to put this piece of writing aside for awhile and try something completely different. I don't really believe in writer's block. You might get stuck on a particular piece of writing, but there should always be SOMETHING you can write, even if it's just a daily journal entry. If you're trying to write and can't get the flow happening, doing some exercise is a good circuit-breaker.

A: Did you get a chance to choose the cover you wanted for the book?

No. This is usually all done by the publishing house. Sometimes the author gets consulted - my Australian publisher is very good about this. Sometimes the author doesn't get to see the cover until it's all done. I found some of mine rather surprising! My best covers are the ones by the artist Kinuko Craft (American editions of Wolfskin, Foxmask, Wildwood Dancing and the forthcoming Cybele's Secret.) Kinuko always reads the whole book and captures the atmosphere perfectly in her painting.

Interview: Prof. Dr. Fraedrich

A Chat with Prof. Dr. Fraedrich

By: Annie Li

I was in a wool sweater and snow-pants when I first met Prof. Dr. Klaus Fraedrich in the middle of summer last year. I was three thousand metres above sea level, and contemplating whether or not I wanted to go on a glacier climbing expedition that afternoon when I saw two white vans pull up in front of the gate. My dad, who had brought me along from my ambitious shopping spree in Urümuqi, China, to his Tianshan Glaciological Station two hours north, had been trying to help me retain the little knowledge I had left from the school year in my head.

Prof. Klaus Fraedrich had been one of the scientists sitting in that white van meandering along the side of the mountain; with a steep drop into a gulley that was perhaps ten-stories down on the other side. Unlike me, he seemed unnerved by the experience and stepped out of the vehicle unfazed. So did the other German scientists who were with him in China to participate in a Sino-German Symposium on “water resources in large river catchments of western China and the effects of climate change”.

He was extremely interesting in the sense that he was both funny and knowledgeable. It was he who guided me down a slippery mountain slope in the drizzling rain when we all went mountain climbing. It was I who whittled him into taking an afternoon off from listening to the boring drone of countless speeches into going out and experiencing the fascinating culture of the local people (and to shop a little).

During the actual conference, I was given the role of being a translator for the Head of Water Resources for the Xinjiang province. As I made a fool of myself by translating a page of Chinese into one sentence along the lines of “Hello everyone, welcome to the conference”, Prof. Klaus was tackling serious global climate issues in his own presentation.

Dr. Fraedrich is director of the division “Theoretical Meteorology” at the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg:

“…where a broad spectrum of research topics such as non-linear system analysis, climate modeling and theoretical concepts are studied. The group enjoys international recognition through its fruitful cooperation with institutions of oceanography, meteorology and physics. He has authored over 150 publications. In addition to the Gay Lussac Award by the French government, he has also received the Max Planck Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board on Global Change of the German Federal Government. His section was home to the only graduate group on palaeo-climate-change of the German Research Ministry's Climate Research Programme.”

Need I say more? It was easier copying and pasting from the university website than to wrap my own head around everything he does. He is the type of person that you can trust with the world to handle the problem of climate change.

My Interview with Prof. Dr. Klaus Fraedrich

1.You do a lot of research in your work, especially regarding climate change, is global warming very apparent in your research?

Yes, our whole group is working on it. We have just received funding from an excellence cluster by which we can hire about hundred scientists, 10 professorships etc. Altogether, by this Hamburg will become one of the top-places for climate research in Germany.

2. What do you like/dislike about your job?

I don’t dislike anything, but help is needed to cope with administrative matters.

3. Can you give us some insights about your job?

When I read loudly, I give a lecture, when I read quietly, I do research.

4. What is the hardest aspect of your job?

To concentrate on one thing at a time, as there are too many things to do.

5. What did you aspire to be when you were in high school?

I wanted to be a lot of things, though I wondered how I would be able to do everything that I wanted to do.
6. Share a high school memory with us.

This was a long time ago in high school when we were asked to have all official schoolbooks constantly with us. [Imagine lugging every textbook assigned to you from class to class and getting punished if you forgot one.] So one day we decided to do the very first demonstration ever in my school. We borrowed big suitcases from our parents, put the books into them and then walked into the school building one after another. We were like a gaggle of geese with big suitcases in hand. From then on, that rule was no longer considered to be serious and most of the teachers were sympathetic about it. Mind you, it was long before 1968*, but we became that generation of students later on.

7. Do you have any advice for the students of Martingrove?

Actually, I do not like to give advice as one should know by one's own education. But, as you need a response: do what you would like to do but also keep in mind what others would like you to do. Concentrate on matters of interest to you and try to achieve perfection in it; do it on a very regular basis and keep going. Things you don't like to do: try them, there may be something in it that you may enjoy. If something new is presented to you, do not start by criticizing it but try to see the positive aspects first. Learning different languages and music is another important thing. Travel to learn in other countries - after all, we are all people of the world in the first place and, thereby, realize that you have access to resources another person do not.

*The German student movement of 1968 was a protest movement that was a reaction against the perceived authoritarianism and hypocrisy of the German government. It was also a revolt fighting for better living conditions for students.

Some More Rambling

First of all, before I forget, here are some tips for avid readers who just don't have the time to read anymore:

• Simply don't start reading a good book the night you're supposed to be studying for a test.
• If it's bad the first fifty pages, it's probably bad all the way through. There's no point of wasting your time and going through a bad experience of your own volition just because you think it might get better.
• Read something that you won't get hooked on if you're stressed and need a book to relax.
• Download or borrow an audio version and listen to the book when you're doing the dishes or riding the bus.
• Even better, convert an Ebook into Ipod notes using the countless convertors on the Internet and read it anywhere, anytime (you can listen to music at the same time, too!)
• Focus on the things you have to do, and once you're done them, go to bed early. Then start reading.
• Finish everything you have to do before reading. Don't work on something, read a novel for thirty minutes and then go back to work. Reading feels better in long stretches.

I haven't had a chance to read a good novel in so long that I've forgotten what they're like. I can't wait till next year (after university applications). Right now there's grades, scholarships, exams and universities to worry about. Grade twelve is seriously too taxing.

Actually, the best tip for avid readers is to just drop everything and read. How else are you supposed to find time? It's impossible!

Saying "Hi" from the Depths of Nowhere

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. Life has been good.

Meaning life has been good after 1:30pm yesterday.

I finished my SATS yesterday and have been feeling good all the way up till now- time for me to study for my humongous calculus test tomorrow.

And then I'll feel good till Tuesday at 7:00pm, when I'll start studying for my AP biology test and another math test on functions.

O man. Life has got to slow down a bit.

- Annie

Ps. Cool thing is - I'm actually doing pretty good even with my busy schedule. Though it took some work, I've found a way to balance this site with my other endeavours.