Budget cuts in B.C.’s education system

So I recently got an email from the highschool I graduated from saying a number of things regarding funding from the province.  I was extremely upset because it turns out, they’re doing budget cuts to an academic program that I was part of.  These budget cuts ultimately mean that it will no longer be viable for the program to keep running and therefore would likely have to cease to exist. Having emotional ties to it, of course I’m all up for whatever it is they want to do (as long as it’s legal) to save this program.

Then I checked my facebook and once again, more ragging on participants of this program stating claims that we had special treatment? Really? Wtf. Wtf because all of us got ragged on for being part of the program, students looked at us and would make wild assumptions about us, and teachers and admin expected us to be the best. If that’s supposed to be preferential treatment, then fine. But any benefits we received was due to hard work. No one ever realizes the amount of hours we have to put in to finish homework, nor the extra work teachers give us because we’re “gifted” or that we would like to join extracurricular activities but our academics gets in the way of that or the fact that teachers hate us for going on fieldtrips for a week once a term and we’re expected to catch up on every single thing, even if that means having to take tests during our lunch breaks and bunching up essays all to be due on one day. No, they don’t realize that at all.

To me, I don’t believe the program should be saved just because I have ties to it but also because I believe in the fundamental value of letting kids choose how they want to learn. All kids learn differently and so a variety of programs should be offered so kids can learn the best way possible. There’s not enough studies delving into this and there should definitely be more. Not to mention that budget cuts just strip away our education system and its core competencies. I realize that we don’t have enough money to do everything we want to do but I don’t think they have done their due diligence with regards to properly budgeting the money. There must be an alternative and I wish they could actually go look into this.

I want to write more but I’m so tired right now so I will have to leave it for later. Also, don’t know when I’ll get a chance to update this blog properly so sorry :/

Birthday Highlights

Before we get into my birthday highlights, I did want to mention that I had baked a cake for my friend Karen who has the same birthday as I do. We tend to celebrate together every year since we also have lots of mutual friends. Now, while I was baking this cake, my mixer completely died out on me which meant I could not finish my batch of buttercream icing. I finished the cake batter (thank goodness) and the royal icing. I did manage to finish decorating the cake all with the help of my family. When my friends upload a picture of it, I’ll post it here too. It’s not that great though, sigh, it’s a good shot for a first try but I will try and make it better the next time around Yup, it was not a great start at all.

• Top layer of my cake broke Either the roses were too heavy or my icing sucked (I think if I had MY icing, not store-bought icing, it might’ve been okay sigh)
• I showed Karen my broken cake so at least she’d know how it was supposed to look like lol
• Ahjumma at the Korean restaurant rescued my cake and fixed it with toothpicks!
• Someone came to my birthday who I wasn’t expecting >_>
• Apparently the wrong J came lol, oh, it’s never my birthday when the right people are coming, there’s always a mishap with the invitations lol, this is what I get for having friends who have similar/same names LOL
• Korean food was fricking amazing, love that restaurant <3 I was so full at the end, it was pure joy lol
• Kimchi took so long to come, and at the very end when everyone was done eating, there were like 4 kimchi side dishes that came
• Other table kept taking our food, ie. our kimchi which sucked because they didn’t even really eat it
• I took 4 shots of soju, it should’ve been 3 but I took one before we “cheers”-ed and then after that they just kept feeding me
• So I met Chris, Karen’s boyfriend, finally and the first time he meets me I’m drunk ahaha, that’s awesome
• Ahjumma likes my cake and was surprised I baked it myself lol
• We gave ahjumma a quarter of both cakes and she came back for one more slice and we ended up giving her both the cakes (there was half a cake left for each one)
• Ahjumma’s excuse: “I love cake” haha she’s adorable
• I said “kamsamida” to the ahjumma and she looked surprised lol
• “cul-de-sac” and “moist” and “wet” TOTALLY sound naughty
• My voice is still harsh from karaoke
• And I’m pretty sure I was stupid for most of the night, lol totally embarrassed, I hate drinking sometimes
• And I love you, my friends, for somehow saying it’s okay that I’m stupid LOL
• And if you were wondering, I was drunk, that 4th shot pushed me over the edge

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

Happy Birthday to my friend & I!

Ask your questions to Prime Minister Stephen Harper

DO IT! If you live in Canada and have questions! Wish I could see this, I have a feeling I won’t be able to because of school.

Some topics that I think would be interesting:

1. Bailout in Canada (yah, we had this if you didn’t know)
2. HST

I’m sure there’s more but these ones are the ones that probably pissed me off the most.

EDIT: So there’s a couple of comments on here asking me to ask questions or asking PM questions. The event’s already over but you can view everything here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TalkCanada Cheers!

The Hurt Locker (2009)

The Hurt Locker (2009)

Synopsis: The Hurt Locker, winner of the 2008 Venice Film Festival SIGNIS Grand Prize, is a riveting, suspenseful portrait of the courage under fire of the militarys unrecognized heroes: the technicians of a bomb squad who volunteer to challenge the odds and save lives in one of the worlds most dangerous places. Three members of the Armys elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad battle insurgents and each other as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad—in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear—protect and save—but its anything but easy, as the margin of error when defusing a war-zone bomb is zero. This thrilling and heart-pounding look at the effects of combat and danger on the human psyche is based on the first-hand observations of journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq. These men spoke of explosions as putting you in the hurt locker.

Three members of the Army’s elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal squad battle insurgents and each other as they seek out and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad.

Review: I was not aware that this won Best Picture over Avatar! I’m happy though, this movie was FRIGGING AWESOME. Seriously, it pwns Avatar any day. Avatar was great for special effects, I’ll admit that, but The Hurt Locker had such a good storyline. I’m not joking when I say Avatar = Pochahontas ‘coz honestly, when I walked out of the theatre, that was the first thing I thought of and said to my brother. THIS movie however did not even require a lot of action scenes or special effects to make it a great movie. It was shot well, it was directed well, the storyline was awesome, the character development was awesome, the actors were awesome, it was real and depicted war well AND it was extremely suspenseful. Seriously, I felt like I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire movie, it was that great and trust me, some movies which people thought were “awesome” just made me fall asleep. GO WATCH IT!

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – Best Quotes

Special Agent Eunice Bloom: I am so smart, I make smart people feel like they are retarded.

Special Agent Eunice Bloom: With all due respect… man I hate it when people say that because it is inevitably followed by a disrespectful remark. Here let me give you an example: With all due respect detective, this matter falls under whatever jurisdiction I fuckin’ say it does.

Romeo: Why can’t I help you guys? Its because I’m a Mexican aint it?
Connor MacManus: How dare you, sir, you insinuate such a thing! The fact that you’re a greasy spic has nothing to do with it.
[Conner and Murphy start laughing]

Doc: [being introduced to Romeo] They call me… FUCK… ASS!
Romeo: [hesitates for a moment] How ya doin, fuck ass.Murphy MacManus: I thought you said your car was “inconspicuous”?
Romeo: Well I really don’t like words with “spic” right there in the middle of it. Besides where I come from it is.

Doc: Not this time, ya little shit.
Connor MacManus: We’ll see, old man… Would somebody please come over here and…
Doc: FUCK!
Connor MacManus: …me up the…
Doc: Ass!

Romeo: Hey guys! You know what this is? This is our hideout man!
Connor MacManus: What are you like 10?
Murphy MacManus: Look we have sticks, and some blankets. You could make a fort.
Romeo: Fuck you guys, this is cool. We even have a pinball machine.

Romeo: Are you saying I look gay?
Murphy MacManus: No. You just hail from a colorful…
Romeo: You don’t know me. You think these make me look gay?
Irish Gun Dealer: You look like you might have seen one up close.

Connor MacManus: [tasting a mysterious white powder] It’s heroin.
Murphy MacManus: [after a dramatic pause] How the fuck would you know that?
Connor MacManus: Fuck you! I know things!

Gangster at bar: “Erin go Braugh”. What the fuck does that mean?
Murphy MacManus: It’s Irish for “you’re fucked”.

Connor MacManus: Everyone quiet. Romeo’s crying!

Connor MacManus: Creative! It’s a creative plan!
Murphy MacManus: It’s ridiculous! Probably based on some stupid shit ya saw in a movie! And here I am AGAIN all tyin’ myself up with rope! What is the deal with you and rope? Honestly!
Connor MacManus: It happens ta be a useful thing!
Detective Duffy: You didn’t get this from a movie… did you?
Murphy MacManus: Well?
Connor MacManus: The “Eiger Sanction,” Clint Eastwood! And it worked like a fucking charm for him!

Romeo: Who ordered the whup ass fajita?
Murphy MacManus: What?
Connor MacManus: Whup ass fajita?
Murphy MacManus, Connor MacManus: That’s fuckin’ stupid.

Ong Bak:2 & Chocolate (2008)

Ong Bak: 2 (2008)

Synopsis: In 1431, the Kingdom of Ayutthayan conquers the territory of Sukhothai expanding their lands to the East. The noble Lord Siha Decho is betrayed by his Captain, Rajasena, and is murdered together with his wife. However their son Tien is saved by one loyal soldier and left alone in the woods… (imdb)

Review: I just finished watching Ong Bak 2: The Beginning and OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGGGGG. BEST EVERRRRR. Tony Jaa is frigging amazing! Seriously. He is so amazing, he had to learn so many types of martial arts for this film, it’s NUTS!!! This guy needs to learn English so he can be the next Bruce Lee/Jackie Chan/Jet Li! COME TEACH HOLLYWOOD SOMETHING NEW

This movie reminded me why I liked him so much

Chocolate (2008)

Synopsis: In Thailand, during a tense meeting between the Yakuza Masashi and the powerful boss of Thai mafia No. 8, his mistress Zin falls in love for Masashi and becomes his lover. When No. 8 discovers their affair, he orders Masashi that does not know that Zin is pregnant to return to Fukuoka, Japan, alone. She delivers a baby girl named Zen and sooner the doctors diagnose that she is autistic. Zen is raised watching the students of a martial arts school nearby her home and Kung Fu movies on television and she learns how to fight by herself. When Zen is a teenager, her friend Moon uses her accurate reflexes to raise money to help Zin in her treatment of cancer. The snoopy Moon finds a black book with people that owe money to Zin, and he decides to collect the loans with Zen to pay the treatment of Zin. The girl is forced to fight with the henchmen of the businessmen to receive the money, attracting the attention of No.8 that captures Moon to force a meeting with Zin that tells Masashi that he has a daughter and is returning to Thailand. (imdb)

Review: Watching Tony Jaa reminded me of this movie. I’ve seen this movie already too. Just like Tony Jaa, she does all her own stunts and without any wires either (yupp, when you see Tony Jaa in action it’s ALL him!). She trained for 3 years just for this role. Oh, and she’s like 20+ even though she looks so young

Gamer (2009)

Gamer (2009)

Synopsis: Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player from a game called “Slayers” looks to regain his independence while taking down the game’s mastermind. (imdb)

Review: I did not even know this came out last year, I thought it was a straight-to-dvd movie. LOL, sorry, this was during the time I was in Philippines (movies in Philippines are about a month delayed from North America). So I saw recently that it was coming out on DVD and seeing Gerard Butler was the lead, I knew I HAD to watch this! Gerard should do more action films, I love watching him in action films (he’s great in drama films too but I LOVE him in action films haha). He’s such a versatile actor. Anyway, I just saw this and I have one word to explain this whole movie and its concept: disturbing. Extremely disturbing. It made me think of Second Life, Warrock, all those multiplayer games and it just disturbed me. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing those games as much as the next person but seeing this movie, I hope we never ever get to this point where we play other people’s lives and think it fun and entertaining. It’s just disturbing. Really, really, extremely disturbing movie. Extremely. It’s a good movie and very gory but what really disturbed me was the concept. I know, it’s been done before (or so my dad tells me) but it was like watching something like Second Life or WarRock with real people doing everything. That’s really disturbing, I hope our world never becomes like that.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Synopsis: In the first year of the German occupation of France, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish American soldiers to perform swift, shocking acts of retribution. Later known to their enemy as “the basterds,” Raine’s squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquis, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own… (tribute.ca)

Review: This movie was just brilliant. Quentin Tarantino did it again! I know, the review is short but trust me this movie was totally awesome.

Lt. Aldo Raine: My name is Lt. Aldo Raine and I’m putting together a special team, and I need me eight soldiers. Eight Jewish-American soldiers. Now, y’all might’ve heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we’ll be leaving a little earlier. We’re gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we’re in enemy territory, as a bushwhackin’ guerrilla army, we’re gonna be doin’ one thing and one thing only… killin’ Nazis. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I sure as hell didn’t come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half of Sicily and jump out of a fuckin’ air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazi ain’t got no humanity. They’re the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin’, mass murderin’ maniac and they need to be dee-stroyed. That’s why any and every every son of a bitch we find wearin’ a Nazi uniform, they’re gonna die. Now, I’m the direct descendant of the mountain man Jim Bridger. That means I got a little Injun in me. And our battle plan will be that of an Apache resistance. We will be cruel to the Germans, and through our cruelty they will know who we are. And they will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us. And the German won’t not be able to help themselves but to imagine the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the German will be sickened by us, and the German will talk about us, and the German will fear us. And when the German closes their eyes at night and they’re tortured by their subconscious for the evil they have done, it will be with thoughts of us they are tortured with. Sound good?
The Basterds: YES, SIR!
Lt. Aldo Raine: That’s what I like to hear. But I got a word of warning for all you would-be warriors. When you join my command, you take on debit. A debit you owe me personally. Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y’all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin’.

Lt. Aldo Raine: You know how you get to Carnegie Hall, doncha? Practice.
Sgt. Donny Donowitz: [Aldo is carving a swastika into Private Butz's forehead] You know, Lieutenant, you’re getting pretty good at that.

General Ed Fenech: [On the Germans attending the film premeire] We have all our rotten eggs in one basket. The objective of the operation: blow up the basket.

Col. Hans Landa: Do you control the nicknames your enemies bestow on you? Aldo the Apache and the Little Man?
Pfc. Omar Ulmer: What do you mean the Little Man?
Col. Hans Landa: Germans’ nickname for you.
Pfc. Omar Ulmer: The Germans’ nickname for me is the Little Man?
Col. Hans Landa: And as if to make my point, I’m a little surprised how tall you were in real life. I mean, you’re a little fellow, but not circus-midget little, as your reputation would suggest.

Col. Hans Landa: ‘Jew Hunter’? It’s just a name that stuck.
Pfc. Smithson Utivich: Well, you do have to admit, it is catchy.