If you could spend a day with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

"Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it."    - John Lennon

       My family has little to no musical ability; this is the way it's been for generations.  However, and I don't know how, musicians of all sorts have had a huge influence on me for as long as I can remember. This includes maybe some of the artists my parents listened to when I was younger, to the amazing people that happen to make up my music taste today. Although, there are a small number of artists that I don't listen to the music of, but there's something about them that I find interesting, and they impact on my life everyday. The Beatles, for example, I first heard when I was six, when my teacher was playing one of their songs in class. I forget what song, but since then there's been something about them that's so fascinating. And if I were to spend a day with anyone in history, it would be John Lennon.

       Like many other celebrities, John Lennon started out as a bright musician, doing what he loves most with his three friends. He soon turned to substance abuse. I'd love to know what was going through his mind at that time. I'd ask how he was feeling with everything going on in his life, from being in the spotlight constantly, to his marriage with Yoko Ono, and just where everything went wrong. I find the way people are thinking to be so fascinating, and to know what was happening in his head would help the world understand so much more about him.

I'd also love to know about John Lennon's childhood. Having his dad not there often, and his mom remarrying, leaving him to live with his Aunt Mimi at a young age would have been so tough. Not to mention his mother having been struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer, Lennon at the time being seventeen. I have been so lucky to have grown up in a family with no problems, so I would have no idea what it would be like to be in his situation.

       John Lennon is such an inspiration, and an influential character to society. Unfortunately, he passed away several years before I was born, and I will never get the chance to meet him face to face. 

Cemetery Path: Composition Assignment I

       Although there are many, many arguments to counteract, I believe it was Ivan who brought his death upon himself. There is so much evidence, and many different types of evidence, to support this. Just a few points are some of his verbal choices, which gave the Lieutenant the wrong idea, to him terrifying himself to death by stabbing his own coat, and finally to his social interactions.

       In the beginning of the story, the Lieutenant states that Ivan will walk around the cemetery in the freezing winter, but dares to cross it. Ivan replies with, “the cemetery is nothing to cross, Lieutenant. It is nothing but earth, like all other earth." Even though Ivan knows he's petrified to walk across, he still pretends as if it's almost as if it's a stroll through the park. This statement triggers the challenge that is then brought forth; to walk home through the cemetery that night. To say that the cemetery is 'nothing to cross,' and that it is 'nothing but earth,' Ivan is simply giving the Lieutenant the idea that he's not scared to walk across on his way home, at night. 

       Ivan was the one who terrified himself to death. He was the one to stab the sabre into the ground, or into his own coat. Yes, it's tragic that this happened to poor Ivan, but if he had just stopped to think logically for an extra minute or so, instead of freaking out like a crazy man and making 'senseless gurgling noises,' he may had very well been able to realize what he had done. 

       We all know that Ivan was lonely; being a 'timid, little man who lives in a lonely shack' clarifies that. He was longing to have company so badly, that he would spend every night with people who despise him. These people were the ones who went ahead and challenged him into killing himself. But there had to be other people living in the village, did Ivan ever think to stop and have a chat with them? Maybe if he had thought to do that, he would've surrounded himself with people who like him, and wouldn't challenge him to do the thing that terrified him the most. 

While many people would say the death of Ivan is the Lieutenant's fault, which in a way, it very well could be, it seems to me that the one behind his passing is none other than himself. Because of Ivan's choices, he petrified himself so much, he had shockingly passed away. 

If you could change three things about yourself, what would they be? Why would you change them?

       If I'm honest, there's not a lot of things I'd change about myself. In the past couple of years, I definitely think I've changed and grown into a person, that I'm generally pretty happy being. Although, there are some things I think I could clearly improve on. These traits include my cautiousness, my sociability and my strength.

       What I mean by cautious is, I wish I would think about my words and actions, before I actually say and do them. I have done things that have changed my life, (and not always in a positive way,) all because I wasn't thinking it through before I did them. One particular, recent incident comes into mind when I think about caution, which I won't go into detail with, but I always wonder what would have happened, if I had stopped to think first. Would I had ever made the mistake if I'd thought about the consequences I received? Definitely not, which is what I regret most about the whole experience. If I had stopped to think for just one moment, I would've avoided it.

       My second change I listed is sociability. Two years ago, I was incredibly shy. I had my group of good friends, but I'd only talk to them, and I'd never branch out. When I look back, I'm not sure why I was like that. Maybe it was because I was too worried about what other people thought of me, or maybe it was because I just didn't like other people. Since then, I've made new friends that have introduced me to other friends, and so on. Although, I'm still not as sociable as I'd like to be. I know a lot of people who I'd talk to more often, if I had the social skills to actually engage in a conversation with them.

      When I say strength, I don't mean my physical ability. Although I'm also probably the weakest person ever, and wouldn't mind being able to do more than two push-ups, I'm referring to emotional strength. In my opinion, I think I've been through a lot in my life so far, which I'm proud of myself for. But, before I overcome these things, I break down. I usually don't get upset about it; instead, I become so paranoid over everything that it becomes overwhelming, and I have no idea what to do. I usually get over it within fifteen minutes, but it can happen over the tiniest of situations.

       Even though I would like to have these changes, I don't think I'll be necessarily happier if they were made. Although being cautious about my actions, becoming more social and gaining strength are all things I could achieve on my own, it would take a lot of effort. I do like myself for who I am now, but improvements could be made.

"Do-over deadline set to experience deadline shock" Response

I am a student, and even though I wish I had all the time in the world for projects, I agree with the overall opinion of the article. Of course, there are different perspectives; the student's, the teacher's and the parents'. These are the three key opinions in a conflict like this.

I think the student's perspective isn't the most important out of the three. Of course, most of them care about their marks and don't want a big, fat zero beside their name. But, they're  most likely the reason the assignment is being handed in late. Either they didn't do the work because they had no time with all their extracurriculars, or they might have just been to lazy to do it, or they left it at home, in their locker, in another class, etc. Most kids these days would probably say that it's unnecessary if you take off marks for handing assignments in late, but that's because we've all handed something in late before.

The next perspective is the teacher's. This previous rule states that even if a student hands in an assignment months later, they're still obliged to mark it without deducting marks, for it having been handed in late. This is unfair for the teacher, as they definitely don't want to be marking your assignments, while they're marking different assignments for the rest of the class. It's also unfair for them, because they work hard to teach you, and they should be giving the great marks to the students who also work hard.

The last people this would account with, is the parents of the student. When something's late, a student doesn't usually tell their parents, so it looks like it's on time. And when a student receives deductions, the parents don't know why, so they think it's the teacher's fault. They'd then send letters, emails, or phone calls to the teacher, asking why and demanding for the assignment to be remarked. This is, again, unfair to the teacher, as they don't expect and deserve the parents to be lashing out at them. I understand that they're worried about their child's education, but if they don't know the full story behind something, they shouldn't really have a say

There are other perspectives as well, but the student's, teacher's and parents' are the most vital. Personally, I think that it's a good consequence to have. If we know that something's due and we haven't completed it, it's our own fault and we may very well deserve a deduction.

"Do-over Generation Set to Meet Deadline Shock." The Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Why?

If I could choose anywhere to live, it'd have to be a place which I have history with. I would be entirely uncomfortable if I moved to a brand new city I knew nothing about. That's why I would choose Melbourne.

Melbourne, Australia, is the top "most livable city" in the world. Founded in 1835, this city has so many points of interest. Some of my favourites are the Royal Botanic Gardens, Federation Square and Hosier Lane. I have been coming to these areas since before I could remember; when I was two, a friend and I hid behind the observatory in the Botanic Gardens and our parents couldn't find us for at least an hour. All these sites have my memorable moments linked to them, and it's what makes them so special.

As well as these landmarks, Melbourne has developed so much character over the years. Different parts of the city have different vibes. For instance, Luna Park and St. Kilda Beach have the same kind of vibe that Los Angeles would have, and the CBD (Central Business District) is more similar to here, in Toronto. It is also a very diverse city, with so many different cultures.

Going back to having history in the city, I was born in Melbourne. I've lived all over the place, and both my grandparents live on either sides of the city. All my childhood friends live there as well, from before I was born to people I only met a few years ago. I know everything about it, and it feels like home.

In my opinion, these are some bold reasons as to why someone would want to live somewhere. Melbourne is most likely the place I know and appreciate the most; it's significant to me, there's so much to explore, and almost everyone important in my life is there. I know I won't move back in a while, but every time I visit, I feel like I'm home.