Comparison of Love

For those of you who know, I am in university this year studying English (No, I am not crazy).Last Semester I wrote a paper on Shakespeare and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Sadly I have to say that I did not get the greatest mark, but I was happy with the results. Have a read and enjoy the little glimpses of these amazing poets.

A Form of Love

          The sonnet is a type of poetry that has been used for many years. Elizabeth Barrett Browning and William Shakespeare both use the sonnet to express their ideas of love. Browning’s sonnet “How Do I Love Thee?” and Shakespeare’s sonnet “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing like the Sun” look at the love and lover as each poet takes a different path when describing them. Shakespeare challenges the traditional sonnet as he attempts to mock the form and content of the sonnet through his description of his mistress.

Support AER Today!

Welcome students to your new high school.
Welcome to a system that continuously changes.

Are you charismatic?
Can you work well under pressure?
Do hate talking in front of the class?
Have you missed a lot of schools and consequently a lot of assignments?

If you are any of those things,
Then you are in the right place.
Let me explain.

If you are charismatic,then you don't need to worry about rolling in the dirt for marks. Now with the new "Triangulation Of Assessment Data" you can simply have conversations with your teacher. During which you can spit out as much information as you can remember, and woo your teacher.

If you work well under pressure but the due date just doesn't sit well with you, then don't worry. With the new late policy you can hand in your work late and not fear getting any consequence. some teachers may assign a dead line date but that won't bother you, after all it is usually about a month after the project was really due and you work well under pressure.

Do you hate talking in front of the class but are really smart with written words? Then forget talking to the teacher or even participating in class because if you can show your knowledge on paper then you are golden.

I bet for some of you those lates and absences are really adding up. Well have I got news for you. While the system can't help you with your attendance issue it sure can make it so those assignments you missed don't matter. Simply show up to the unit test and ace it and you will be fine.

Just remember that no matter whether you fake it through high school or whether you actually know what you are doing, the system is here for you.

Support the AER system today.

SPOILER ALERT!
 
This is not actually how the system works but at a glance this is pretty much how myself and many of my peers thought it was. Also his is not how I see the new AER system at my school but this is my satire version of what it is. If you want to know what is really happening and how it can be beneficial or not then here is the link to the official AER Handbook. Also if you have any responses to the new system or to my post please email me personally at shyannal@gmail.com or comment below.

Why I Write

Do you ever wonder why people pour their heart out on paper? Or why they pay to talk to people? Or maybe why people talk to themselves?

Well, I sure do.

Mind you I do all of those, but I still wonder.

Here's my mini explanation.

Paper allows me to write fast and angrily. I can burn it, tear it up, keep it, crumple it, even frame it. No one can post it somewhere. It can be completely non-existent to anyone but myself. Plus my ideas and thoughts flow better. But on the other side, when I have a lot to say, I get MASSIVE hand cramps. You know the ones I'm talking about, where you feel like another movement will cause it to fall off but at the same time if you don't move your hand it will never move again. Okay, so a little extreme but that's only when I have a lot to say. Plus there is the task of keeping it secret or typing it out if I have this rare desire to share what I'm thinking.

Talking to someone gets me feedback. I can bounce ideas off of people. I don't feel crazy because I am talking to a real person, not an imaginary one or myself. But then again I actually have to avoid nonsensical sentences and pretend I am literate. Making sense is a BIG struggle. So is actually letting people know how I feel, it's like letting the draw bridge down for the enemy.

Now talking to myself is probably the most fun thing I can do. Not only am I never without a conversation, but I find it opens my mind and lets me hear what I'm really thinking. When talking to myself I can say nonsensical things and they make sense, I can be angry and not get yelled at, I can be sad and not get interrogated. It's also private, obviously. My thoughts and worries or ideas stay mine. But, I look crazy when I talk to myself, because I tend to do this on the street when I'm walking places. My co-workers give me funny looks when I leave I am having a full blown conversation with myself, I don't care though. The worst is when people stare me down as they are driving by, like come on drivers, I'M NOT CRAZY.

So for me most of these are aimed towards therapeutic things but I know for a lot of people it isn't like that. I have family and friends who can't stand silence so what better way to fill the quiet then to talk to yourself. Others can't communicate effectively by talking so they write things down. Also a lot of people just love to talk and hear their own voice so they talk to others.

Overall I love writing things down because then I have a record and it helps me understand myself but also it makes it so that I have to remove myself from everything which is always nice.

Any ideas why you write or talk? Feel free to comment or just reflect. I'm just here to write and pass the time.

Companies?

I have been posting about what if's right? Yes.

Did you know there is a company with the same name?

?What If! partners with companies that are wanting to grow. They create new ideas and products, as well as helping their partners build their innovation capabilities.

They have global offices in New York, London, São Paulo, Manchester, Shanghai, and Singapore.

From looking at their website, I think that these guys are incredible. Well, they kind of have to be when they are working with companies such as Google, L'OREAL, KRAFT, Shell, LG, and, LEVI'S.

As I was looking at their website, I was introduced to their values.

• Impact - Obsessed with the end goal. Never slaves to process.
• Audacity - Think big. Hate mediocrity. Seek breakthroughs. 
• Passion - Explosive drive. Contagious energy. Collaborative spirit.
• Love - In it together for the long term. Always do the right thing - even when things get tough.
• Adventure - Step off the path. Defy convention. See what others don't.

Personally, I think that these are great values. And clearly they work.

Here are some facts that I came across.

• 1,191 years of combined experience
• 40+ countries where impact is felt
• 26 languages are spoken
• 50,000+ executive trained across 20 industries

Feel free to check up on who they are and what they do. Here is the link.
http://www.whatifinnovation.com/

Super Power or Curse?

Every walk by someone and wish you knew what they were thinking. Their thoughts on the weather, the year, the shoes they are wearing, their parents, politics, and maybe even you. I like to fantasize what people think sometimes but more often than not, I think about what they think of me.

Protection?

Like most people I'm sure, I over-think things. When I explore what someone might think of me, I look at everything they have ever said to me, everything they have ever done around me and of course every look they have given me. You have probably realized by now that that is a very bad thing to do.

But, what if you didn't have to imagine or guess what people thought?
What if you could read their minds?
What if they could read your mind?

 I have always imagined what people might think of me but I do not think that I could ever face what people actually think of me. I am a very loud and sometimes abrasive person. Although I know that it is true, I would not be able to handle seeing(or hearing) that people saw me the way that I see myself.

If you could read minds, there would be no secrets. You would never have to worry about someone lying to you but you would be faced with the truth 24/7 and a lot of people can not handle that.

Let's think about surprises. If you could read someones mind, and they could never lie to you or hid anything from you, there would never be any surprises. You would know what all your gifts were, you would know everything. Would you want that?

Reading minds could be a curse and a blessing. What if you could turn it on and off? You could pick when to listen and when to not! Would you?

Poor Santa

Santa Clause lives where? The North Pole, right? Of course, everyone knows that.

Ever seen this sign?

Where do we live? Well, anywhere there is land and resources. Almost every time you turn on the news you hear of some disaster that has devastated many. Whether is be a flood, hurricane, earthquake, explosion, etc. the population suffers.

When I think of the North Pole, I tend not to think of a population but, what if the North Pole melted? What would happen?

Lets think of every one who would be affected:
- Santa Clause
- EVERYONE ELSE ON THE EARTH

 I think that sums it up quite nicely.

You might be asking why it impacts everyone. Or perhaps you are wondering why a person my age cares about Santa.

Well, I think it impacts everyone because think about it on a smaller scale. If you stick an ice cube in a full glass of water, what happens when the ice melts?

It overflows.

So, if the North Pole melts, what will happen?

The oceans will over flow and many people will lose there homes.

But, the North Pole won't melt. Will it?

True Knowledge

We all like to know things. The grass is green, the sky is blue, I am a girl, I live in Canada, the world is round, and bacon is AMAZING!

But what if all of that was taken away. What if we could only know things by reading about them? No going out, no experiencing the wind, food, family, friendship, love, and heartache.

Do you think that we would be different people? or even a different society?

If you read about what a hug feels like, would you understand it even if you have never experienced a real hug? I know I wouldn't. I think that much of the world would become a fantasy and partially unknown to most of us.

I have found a poem that I believes captures the way that I see the world. Of course, it is a what if poem but this poem in particular, challenges what we think we know. It makes us think about our experiences and knowledge. It makes you wonder what you really know and if it is possible that you are wrong.

 

So let us think about this poem shall we? 

A tree - as far as I know the tree outside is not upside down

Clouds - the only cloud I know of that is on the ground is fog, and that isn't technically a cloud 

Chairs - hair? really?

Ice - I think my ice tray makes cubes

And so on.

I know these things as facts right? Yes. But, what if these facts were not true?

 I suppose it is kind of like the saying "a rose by any other name would still be a rose".

Would you ever challenge what you know as true?

Locomotion

Think of everything that you use your body for: transportation, self-expression, sports, eating, playing board games and video games, hugging loved ones, being present, breathing, talking to people, sitting, sleeping, waving.

How many of these things do you enjoy doing? I'm sure most of us enjoy these things.

No moving?

There are obviously lots more things that we do with our bodies but we take most of them for granted. So, what would you do if you suddenly became paralyzed? You've probably never thought of that have you? 

If by happenstance, you became completely paralyzed, what couldn't you do?

Here's my list of a few top items:
- walk or run
- hug people I love
- no more video games
- say goodbye to unassisted hour long showers
- no more guitar

Figuratively, my life would be over. Yes, I would survive and I'm sure you would too, but it would NOT be easy.

Hopefully now that you have thought about what you would lose being paralyzed, do you realize all that you take for granted? Think of all the "what if" questions that people who are paralyzed have.

What if this didn't happen? 

What if that didn't happen? 

What if I could have stopped it? 

It is true that we all have what if questions. It is true that we all have problems that make us wonder what if. Do yours pale in comparison to those who have life altering what if questions?

25, 50, 75, 100!

Some people are amazing in school, some people are not. Passing a class all has to do with getting above that important number, 50! I can say that there have been times when I did not believe that I could do it.

Where do we sit?

But, what would happen if the passing mark was no longer 50? What if it was higher, much higher? Say, 75 or 80?

Take a minute and think of last year. How many classes would have turned into a fail? As hard as you might try, some students will never reach these marks.

In life today all that matters is your GPA.

Do you think that you would try harder to meet the passing grade? Or would you just give up?

I have no idea what I would do. I love school, so I have an easier time with it. But, I already feel stressed when my marks aren't supper high. I know for a fact that high school stress levels would go up for everyone. We would all be fighting to pass and to get the edge on everyone else.

Are we too dependent on grades? Do you overlook the person and their perseverance? I think we do. If you take a walk around any school you will see a number of things. There will be an Honor Role board somewhere, students who have gotten academic awards have their name posted somewhere and you also have the cliques.

People base their friendships on grades and brains, more and more each year.

There is also an increased need to have the best marks as you get into the higher grades. By grade 12 you must be the top of you class to get into the best schools.

That is not fair. And it would only get worse if the passing grade went up. How do yo think you would react to the change if there was one?

Judgement Day AKA Every Day

Okay, who has ever been judged? I'm sure everyone has, so do not try to deny it. We all know what it is like. We all know the self-doubt that comes along with someone judging you. And, we should also know that there are different ways people are judged. People are judged by their actions, looks, likes, family, status, brains, and even hobbies.

But, none of this is right.

Simon Cowell? King of Judging?

We should not me judging people. Yes, I know that it is easier said than done, but think about what it would be like if you didn't have to worry about people judging you! It would be amazing. Think about all the people that would actually be themselves and be happy with themselves.

So, what if people didn't judge others? What would you do? What would you say? Who would you be?

Personally, I think I would be so happy. There would be a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I would definitely dance in the streets, sing at the top of my lungs, be brutally honest all the time.

But, most importantly, I would not keep any secrets.

I think that with judgement of others comes this cage that we all think we need to live in. We are always watching what we do and what others do. We always have to say the right thing. It is like there is a perfect mold that we have to fit into so that we are not judged. The only problem is that even if you fit the perfect mold you will be judged for being so perfect.

There is no winning!

Do you think there is anyway to win this battle of judgement?

SPAM?

So, what is SPAM? Well, I could be talking about that mystery meat or I could be talking about something that we all can relate to.

Spam mail! 

Don't you dare tell me that you have no idea what I am talking about. Everyone knows about that annoying little attack on your emails. No matter what email you have, whether it be gmail, hotmail, yahoo, and even live, you will never escape the spam mail.

Now that I have everyone on the same page, I believe it is time to start talking about what I really came here to talk about. What if spam mail didn't exist? Wow, I feel happier just thinking that question.

Let's be serious here though. If there wasn't any spam mail, I probably would not be on my email all that much! I really only go on to delete all my spam mail, because to be honest I do not get that many real emails.
So any ideas what spam mail is exactly?  Those emails are also called junk mail but the whole idea of them are that they are identical emails that are sent to a LARGE number of people.

Any ideas why it is bad? Here are some of my reasons: they are unwanted, may include a virus, scams, encourages impulse buying, it's all garbage, may tarnish email reputation and even make you hate your email.

All in all, spam mail is bad! It is a waste of time! Your time and the time of those who send it.
So,
GIVE UP SPAM MAILERS!

The Dream World

So, our wonderful world is reality, right? What if it wasn't the only reality that we had access to? You know what I am talking about. All those strange and realistic dreams that haunt or occupy our sleeping minds. Have you ever stopped to think about whether or not there is a possibility that what we dream is real? I know I have. 

Sadly, I am not one of the lucky people who have dreams all the time. For me, dreams haunt my sleep once in a blue moon. 

So, try to think about your most recent dream or nightmare or what ever you wish to call it. How realistic is it? From whose perspective is it? Did you recognize anyone or anything? Personally I ask myself these questions every single time I have a dream. 

My last dream was crazy. But, it helped spur the questions as to how real dreams are. In my dream world I woke up, and looked out the window (the window was exactly where it was in real life). It felt as though I had sat there staring at the empty street for some time. When suddenly, there was an unbearable pain in my hand, so, like any person would do, I looked at my hand. My hand was covered in small black bugs to the point where I could not see my flesh beneath them. I remember screaming and waking up my friend (with whom I was staying). I cried until I fell asleep. And then to my surprise, I woke up and none of that had happened. 

So, what do you think? I know it was a dream but what if it was my mind taking me to a different reality? I can not say I will ever know for sure what dreams mean or what they really are. Although, I can always say that I will question their existence.

Celebrate what?

So, we all like having holidays and celebrations. Whether it means a day off of work or school, a lazy day, or a day to spend time with family and friends.

Have you ever stopped to think about what it would be like if we did not have these days? Personally I haven't given it much thought.

So, lets think: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, Family Day, March Break, Birthdays, Halloween, Easter, Valentines Day, and so many more.

 
Now, what if we didn't have any holidays?

What if we didn't even have celebrations? What if we didn't have the opportunity or option to do anything to celebrate these days?

I think that a world without holidays would be perfectly fine.

Yes, I do enjoy some holidays and celebrations but I believe that it is because of the society that I have been raised in. There are many places that don't celebrate many holidays.

Many of our holidays have to do with our religion, culture, location, and sometimes society and status.

What are holidays and celebrations even for? To get stuff? To help others? 

To be thankful for what you have?

"Memory" Chip

What if we didn't know who we were? What if we didn't know our own name, address, our family, or even our own face?
I don't know about you, but I would freak out!
Losing your identity, I think would be worse than having your identity stolen. Because when you lose who you are, you become a completely different person.

Just think about it. 

No home. 

No family. 

No past. 

No friends. 

Possibly no future.

"Memory" chip?

What would you think? Would it be a great blessing, or would you wish to have everything back?

I cannot imagine the stress and fear that would accompany the loss of your identity and being. 

So imagine you did lose your memory. And imagine that we had the technology to give it back to you.
What if you had to cut your hand open by yourself to do it? What if you had to trade your brain for a computer chip?

Would you do it? 

I sure wouldn't! 

As wild as my imagination is, I could never do anything my mind says. I'm a self proclaimed chicken, hence why I enjoy the world of what ifs. I do love the idea that we could possibly get our knowledge staight from a computer some day. I think it would make life interesting. Plus, imagine never having trouble understanding a concept. Yes, I know, very Matrix, but it's only in my imagination. 

Misunderstandings

What if everything that we over thought, had just a simple answer? As humans, we are skilled in the department of over-thinking(myself being the worst). This is one of my favorite songs, as it explores the idea that maybe, just maybe, we don't know what we are talking about.
Life throws us punches left and right. I think that it is time that we stop and think about what where the punches are coming from and where they send us.
The truth is, I often think too much into everything that happens in my life. And every time I listen to this song, I remember to take a set back. To remember life isn't always a riddle.
I do not expect a lot of people to like this song but I do hope you listen to it.
Are there any songs that make you take a second look at life? What about movies? Or perhaps a poem?
Even if you don't have something that makes you think, I encourage you to find something. As crazy as it may sound, it can help a lot.
It can help you find who you are, what you want to do, and what you stand for.

(Im)Possibilities

There is a fine line between what is real and what is not. But, there is a way to cross the line and enter the unknown.

The unknown is composed of a million and one "what ifs".

Those "what ifs" can be extremely outrageous, like "what if I spontaneously grew a second nose", they can even be very simple, like "what if it rains today".

Personally, I love entertaining the outrageous and spontaneous what ifs that invade my mind.

When I look at my life and the way that I think, I usually notice that almost every single one of my thoughts starts with what if.

So what do you think of what if questions? 

Do they scare you? 

Do they thrill you? 

Do you ignore them? 

Do you crave them?

Encourage them?

What about sharing them? Or do you keep them to yourself?

When the first snow fall of the year happens, and you have that urge to go outside and cherish it, most people will go outside. I am the kind of person who stands outside waiting for the first snow fall. 

So, when it comes to ifs, I am the exact same way. 90% of my time is spent thinking of alternative situations or even fantasies.

I love exploring the unknown, as long as the unknown remains in my head. If I was to face any number of my ifs, I would run in the other direction. Although I do love using my imagination, it will stay just that, my imagination.

But, I will always look forward to each new question. 

What about you? What do you think of if questions? Have you ever tried to live them through? or are you like me, and you just keep them and their (im)possibilities in your mind?

All over again!!

So this semester I have a class in which I must create a new blog! I really don't want to do this! I love writing here and I like how I can write about absolutely anything and no one can stop me. Anyways, I have to have a topic and keep it interesting.

 My first idea was DRAGONFLIES!! Of course. 

But I cannot write about dragonflies, twice a week, for four months.
No way. I would go insane. I just don't want to do this. There are so many things to blog about but nothing that I care about that much. Although I don't want to do this, I have thought of an idea.
Have you ever wondered what might have happened if things were different?

Well, I am going to explore that. 

I am going to post poems, rants, random thoughts, and pictures on things that make you wonder "What if?"
I am really looking forward to this all of a sudden.

Sight Seeing for Men

All too often, us women are lied to and taken advantage of. We are seen as bodies even if we do not show our body. "Eye candy", that's what we are. When will we become something more than just a sight for men to cast their eyes upon? When will we been seen as people? Will we even find the one that doesn't care what we look like? I truly hope so. I just wish it was easier.
Us women, long to feel loved and appreciated. Sadly this is why we get hurt so bad. We are pulled in by men who act like they like every thing about us.

Then the truth comes out.

We will never be more than just a body. 

I have had my share of relationships and I can truthfully say, every single relationship ended because I was not willing to use my body to keep them. I was not willing to have some guy, who doesn't truly love me, disrespect my body.
We need to fix this problem. And to do that we need to start with us, the women of the world. Yes, media does tell us women that we need to show everything to be pretty. But, what happened to the days when a man was not given the opportunity to look at you with hunger. A man doesn't want a women who lets every Tom, Dick and Harry, to see all of her. They might want that for a while but, if a man is truly looking for the one, truly wanting to spend the rest of his life with a woman that he loves unconditionally, he wont go for the slut. Sadly, most women only give men the option of being with the slut, so that's what men start looking for. Because it's easy.
NO, it will not happen over night. And no, you may not have a fleet of men chasing after you. But if you honor and respect yourself, and show that you do, then you will find a man who will respect and honor you.

There are still good guys out there, but you won't find them unless you yourself are a good woman.

"We accept the love we think we deserve." 

Trust me when I say, every women, despite her faults and mistakes, deserves her own,

Prince Charming.

Sleep isn't the answer

Have you ever felt tired? Well, of course you have, every one has. But I'm not talking about the kind of tired that sleep can fix. Lately, because of exams, I have been able to sleep in everyday for the last week. Would you believe that I am tired? Well, I am. I haven't gotten this much sleep in a long time, but I'm still tired. I feel so drained. Emotionally, mentally, and physically drained. What am I to do? Sleep isn't making me less tired. I'm trying to be calm and avoid stress and all that stuff, but surprise, surprise, it's not working. I used to feel so awake all the time. Come to think of it, that was a long time ago. Anyways, I wish I could say more. My brain is so tired right now. I guess I'll write later, I'm going back to bed, even if it is before 10am. Stay rested and calm guys!

Alone

I hate myself for even thinking this. But, I'm starting to feel like no one likes me. And I don't mean guys liking me, I mean, I feel like people try to avoid me. Because I am well, me, I'm not able to see why people would avoid me. Ok, now I am NOT giving you permission to slam me and tell me everything that is wrong with me. Everywhere I look, I see people with their friends, laughing, smiling, and having fun. But thats the thing, I'm only ever watching. I mean, yes, I do have my own friends, but even with them I feel like I am sitting on the outside. I think I may be just imagining things, but I wish it would stop. I don't like being alone, and I have been a lot lately.