Since the school semester is finally coming to an end, I've decided to write you all a farewell blog entry. Not to worry, I'll be back after a few weeks of lazing around in the beautiful sunshine!
A few hours ago I wrote my LAST exam for one of the courses I was taking. It was probably the biggest relief of my life considering I wasn't too fond of the subject. Mind you, I was proud of myself for sticking to it and not quitting midway. Now, I have to prepare for upcoming finals :S Thankfully, I lucked out. My last final is on April 18th; everyone else I know has exams until the next week after that. Unfortunately, I guess that means all my friends will be hermitting when I'm wanting to go to the beach :(
However, after my few weeks of doing absolutely nothing are up, I probably won't even have much time to think about the beach anymore. Summer is supposed to mean going to the beach everyday and eating ice cream 24/7 right? It was only a few days ago I realized that this 'fact' is no longer in effect and has indeed been left behind with childhood. This summer is my first summer being an actual adult; between work and school, I'll be busy 5 days a week. Conversely, I don't look at this as a bad thing. I remember being 16 years old and doing the same old things everyday in the summer: eating, going to the beach and tanning. With all this repetition, I ended up getting extremely bored. Thus, working and going to school merely gives me something to do.
Aside from this working and schooling business, I'm hoping to travel in the summer as well. I get the biggest thrill from leaving town and exploring different cities. Eventually, I want to travel to Egypt, Asia and Africa and backpack around Europe. My family is from Italy and, ironically, I still haven't been there yet! Hopefully I'll be able to go to their hometowns sometime soon and meet all the famous Pasquales and Marias I've heard so much about!
Well, that's it for now. I hope you all have a terrific summer!
Until next time,
Alyssa :)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Kangaroo Shoes?
Apparently kangaroos play a bigger role in our lives than we thought. Kangaroo skin is said to be used for bags, purses, wallets, jackets, shoes and even sporting goods. Autralia, the mastermind behind kangaroo skinning, exports approximately 3 million kangaroo skins (a value of $17 million dollars) to Europe and the U.S. each year and collects about $200 million dollars in profits-imagine that! Buying and selling kangaroo products is legal in every American state except California, who has also banned crocodile, ocelot, and polar bear products. What is even more suprising, is that the most popular footwear brands (even the ones I wear!) use kangaroo skins: Adidas, Nike and Puma. Adidas was even sued by Vegetarians International Voices for Animals in 2003 for importing kangaroo-skinned shoes into California.
And, believe it or not, kangaroos are even found in our FOOD! Russia, for example, uses kangaroo meat in their sausages because it is leaner and cheaper than beef. Even our pets eat the Australian animal; kangaroos are often used for cat and dog foods.
Did you know kangaroos are this common? Will you continue to support the skinning of kangaroos by buying kangaroo-based products?
Sources say that even David Beckham has opposed the killing of innocent kangaroos and has stopped wearing Adidas cleats to show his disapproval.
For more information on this topic, go to: http://www.slate.com/id/2162857/?nav=navoa
And, believe it or not, kangaroos are even found in our FOOD! Russia, for example, uses kangaroo meat in their sausages because it is leaner and cheaper than beef. Even our pets eat the Australian animal; kangaroos are often used for cat and dog foods.
Did you know kangaroos are this common? Will you continue to support the skinning of kangaroos by buying kangaroo-based products?
Sources say that even David Beckham has opposed the killing of innocent kangaroos and has stopped wearing Adidas cleats to show his disapproval.
For more information on this topic, go to: http://www.slate.com/id/2162857/?nav=navoa
Monday, April 2, 2007
Guitar Lesson #1
As you all know, my first guitar lesson was last Thursday. How did it go? Pretty darn well. Can't really say if I'm a natural quite yet though; I only learned how to tune my guitar so far. However, I'm really really really glad we're taking baby steps in this class. I was so worried that everyone was going to be miles ahead of me, but it turned out we were all on the same page. On top of that, the teacher is really nice too. It's easy to see he has a passion for playing the guitar, and this makes the class even more enjoyable.
During the first few minutes of class, we went down the line and explained why we wanted to start playing the guitar. Here's pretty much how it went:
Guy #1: "Well, I pretty much just want to play the guitar because it looks cool. Plus, I'll finally
know how to do something!"
Girl #2: "My two favourite songs are played by guitar. This was pretty much my inspiration to
play, and I'm really interested in learning other songs as well."
Girl #3: "I got this guitar as a present 3 years ago; its been sitting in my closet ever since. I
figured it would only be fair to take it out for a test drive instead of letting it lay around
collecting dust."
I was actually surprised by some of these answers! And yes, I know what you're probably wondering: "What was Alyssa's reason for playing the guitar?"
I've pretty much always wanted to play an instrument, but never got further than playing the recorder in grade 3. I'm also very passionate about music; I sing, dance and writing songs practically everyday. Then, when I went to Montreal about a month ago, I met a girl who played the guitar, sung and wrote her own songs. She even sang Lauryn Hill's version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." It was at this very instant that a little light bulb went on in my head. I can do this, I thought. Plus, I couldn't think of a single thing that was holding me back. Time goes by fast, so might as well do what we want while we still can!
Usually, I lose motivation and give up quite easily. But, after a month, I was still really eager to play the guitar. I had tried to sign up for lessons about a week after my trip, but the class was full so I was put on the waiting list. Wasn't meant to be, I thought. Then, about a week ago, I got a call saying that someone had dropped the class! I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and I definitely think this was a sign to join the class. So, I did. :)
One thing I learned after high school was to take chances. I suddenly had an epiphany that time was going by so fast and I had to make the best of life. I remember seeing a little 7th grader walking down the street in his "Class of '07" shirt and thinking to myself, "No way, it's been 6 years since I graduated elementary school? It seems like it was just yesterday!" Ever since my high school graduation I've been planning out my priorities for the next few years: school, travelling, and music. I figure I don't have much to lose and, on top of this, I'm the type of person that gets driven nuts when I don't take chances and end up spending the rest of my years wondering what could have been.
So, for now, I'll leave you with this:
Carpe Diem! (Seize the day!)
During the first few minutes of class, we went down the line and explained why we wanted to start playing the guitar. Here's pretty much how it went:
Guy #1: "Well, I pretty much just want to play the guitar because it looks cool. Plus, I'll finally
know how to do something!"
Girl #2: "My two favourite songs are played by guitar. This was pretty much my inspiration to
play, and I'm really interested in learning other songs as well."
Girl #3: "I got this guitar as a present 3 years ago; its been sitting in my closet ever since. I
figured it would only be fair to take it out for a test drive instead of letting it lay around
collecting dust."
I was actually surprised by some of these answers! And yes, I know what you're probably wondering: "What was Alyssa's reason for playing the guitar?"
I've pretty much always wanted to play an instrument, but never got further than playing the recorder in grade 3. I'm also very passionate about music; I sing, dance and writing songs practically everyday. Then, when I went to Montreal about a month ago, I met a girl who played the guitar, sung and wrote her own songs. She even sang Lauryn Hill's version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." It was at this very instant that a little light bulb went on in my head. I can do this, I thought. Plus, I couldn't think of a single thing that was holding me back. Time goes by fast, so might as well do what we want while we still can!
Usually, I lose motivation and give up quite easily. But, after a month, I was still really eager to play the guitar. I had tried to sign up for lessons about a week after my trip, but the class was full so I was put on the waiting list. Wasn't meant to be, I thought. Then, about a week ago, I got a call saying that someone had dropped the class! I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and I definitely think this was a sign to join the class. So, I did. :)
One thing I learned after high school was to take chances. I suddenly had an epiphany that time was going by so fast and I had to make the best of life. I remember seeing a little 7th grader walking down the street in his "Class of '07" shirt and thinking to myself, "No way, it's been 6 years since I graduated elementary school? It seems like it was just yesterday!" Ever since my high school graduation I've been planning out my priorities for the next few years: school, travelling, and music. I figure I don't have much to lose and, on top of this, I'm the type of person that gets driven nuts when I don't take chances and end up spending the rest of my years wondering what could have been.
So, for now, I'll leave you with this:
Carpe Diem! (Seize the day!)
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