Sunday, 30 June 2013

King Kong Live on Stage Review


King Kong, the infamous god of Skull Island, whose heart was tamed by the brave Ann Darrow has managed to tame the hearts of those who watch him. This show truly is something that has to be seen to be believed. It is no wonder that it has become known as the most technologically advanced musical in the World. The smart costumes, developed characters and hard-hitting musical numbers make up only part of the wonder that is King Kong. The incredible special effects really creates the atmosphere and the set itself is so technologically advanced you have things coming up from below and down from above. I give this show four and a half stars. It really was fantastic.


I attended the Matinee performance today and was very excited. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed by what I saw and recommend that people see it before it leaves Australia (Melbourne being the only place in Australia to host it). The moment when Kong reveals his face and the crowd goes silent is a theatrical moment that will stay with me forever. Just that sensation of everyone being in awe of this one puppet really shows how wonderful it actually is. I was curious as to how they would portray the story of King Kong on stage and again I was not disappointed by what I witnessed. It was such an immersive show and is something I will never forget. The seats literally shake towards the lead up of King Kong's appearance and his footsteps resonate around the whole of the Regent Theatre. Then there are the actual vocals which are incredibly powerful. From the soulful tunes of Full Moon Lullaby to the haunting beats of Rise King Kong does not disappoint. It will truly hook you from beginning to end and leave you in awe of the skill and creativity of the production team. My favourite scene from the show would have to be King Kong's rampage through New York City and how they show his destructive path and the people he kills in the search for his love. It really is wonderful how they show him climbing the buildings and tearing them down. The only thing I would be worried about as an actor on stage is being crushed by the 60 tonne beast that is King Kong. Even the background, a massive LED screen with millions of individual pixels, really creates another layer of depth to the show. It is so advanced that it even reacts to the characters on stage and each show is therefore different because of this. Of course it comes to a sad ending that is portrayed exceptionally well by the cast and creative team. It really brings out the main theme of a beauty and her beast because, at it's heart, King Kong is a love story. In short, King Kong is a show not to be missed and is set to be a world-wide hit. King Kong is a masterpiece. It literally redefines the genre.

Overall Rating: 4 and a half stars


King Kong is not to be missed, see you tomorrow!

Saturday, 29 June 2013

The Social Network Population

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have changed us. They have made us into all we try not to be. However hard we try to ignore this fact it is true. I was skimming through my news feed on Facebook and what I saw inspired me to write this post. It will not be as long as usual as I am writing this on my phone and it is hard to gauge how much I've done so far.

Just through a quick skim of a few posts I feel as though I have lost a few IQ points. There are so many ignorant and pointless posts on sites like Facebook that it really annoys me. First you have the idiots that make status updates asking people to comment their phone numbers. Then you have the even dumber people who actually do comment their phone numbers. The first thing we all learn about cyber safety is that you never ever give away your phone number online. The annoying thing is these are the same people who later make statuses about people who do unsafe things online. Then you have those who make giant stereotypical and judgemental posts based on one bad experience. These are the idiots who say "all guys are jerks" or something just because someone broke up with them or annoyed them. It really annoys me because how dare someone make assumptions about me based on someone else. I am not them, I am me. It just really pisses me off. So as you can see, Social Networks change people.

Don't be an idiot on Facebook, see you tomorrow!

Friday, 28 June 2013

Irresponsible Dog Owners

Can I just say that there are some really irresponsible dog owners in this world. I see examples of this everyday and sometimes I wonder if stricter rules for owning pets should be implemented. Just through walking Sandy after school I have noticed some incredibly irresponsible traits that I just wish I never have to see again. Let's just say that, at times, I can be fearful of the health and safety of some dogs. However, there are also the incredibly responsible dog owners who seem to have the happiest dogs. It just really goes to show that the better you treat a dog the more love and happiness they will give in return. After all, you only get out of this world what you put in.


I said that I see a lot of the bad behaviour of dog owners on my walks with Sandy after school and I can see examples of this behaviour even after the owners are long gone. I am of course talking about Dog poo. I am not talking about the little mines left in the grass because I mean, who has not done that at least once? I am talking about the stupid owners who let their dogs poo in the middle of the path and just keep walking. Somehow this also seems to get dragged out over metres with little droplets every few feet. It really is disgusting and it would be better even if they just pushed it over to the side of the path. Even today I was walking along a quiet path when I suddenly walked into a mine field with explosives every few centimetres. It was disgusting and if I had not of seen it I would have definitely walked right through it, I know Sandy nearly did. Another annoyance I have with dog owners is when they let their big aggressive dogs off the lead and do not watch what they are doing. Do you know how annoying it is to have Sandy (a really big sook) hiding behind your legs while a big dog is trying to get around to him. What does the owner do? Nothing. It is really annoying because I am yelling at this strange dog to move and the owner just turns around and laughs (bastard). I really felt sorry for that dog as this must be what he is treated to every day. It really made me want to get in touch with the RSPCA but I just let it go as it happens too often. So, as you can see there are some really irresponsible (and annoying) dog owners out there. Sometimes I have just had enough of the poo on the paths and the dogs chasing around my legs. It has to stop.

Be sure to care for your pets, see you tomorrow!

Thursday, 27 June 2013

Accomplishment

It makes you feel warm inside and can lighten even the darkest days. It happens every so often and each time can make you feel good inside. Accomplishment is what you feel when you finish something you have been working on for such a long time and have put a lot of effort into. Of course I am writing this post about the accomplishment we felt when we finished our Science. Finally, after endless hours of work we finally felt that accomplishment we all strive for. However, sometimes completing long tasks does not give us the sense we strive for and we are left asking ourselves why. Why don't we feel that one thing we all want at the end of a long task? I really do enjoy that feeling of accomplishment and it really makes my week a whole lot better.


Feeling that sense of accomplishment is so much better when done in groups. This way we all share the accomplishment and it becomes even more as we celebrate together. It is also magnified when the task is either hard or takes a very long time. That is why the Science timeline project gave me such a sense of accomplishment as it took such a very long time and left me working late into the night (okay, maybe 11:30 was the latest I stayed up but for me that is very late). This morning when we finally finished it was such a great feeling as it meant that I had no more work for the rest of the holidays except for the little homework tasks we get from individual subjects. That is also part of the reason I felt really good as it was the last major task I had to finish before the holidays. I do not know many things about these holidays but one thing is for sure, there will not be as much homework as there was last time. Of course I am going to finish the homework straight away so I do not have the same situation as I did last holidays even though I started in the middle of them. Also, I am very excited for King Kong on Sunday so I am sorry if my posts become a little erratic. Have a great holiday!

Don't leave Holiday homework to the last minute, see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Relaxation at Last

Finally, after hours (and I mean hours, that's right, it's in bold) of working on our Science Timeline Assignment it is finally at a point where all that is left to do is some final gluing which will take, at most, 20 minutes of our time. I am not going to go into another description of what the assignment is as I did that in yesterday's post. Basically, it is a very long timeline on the evolution of plants and animals that takes a long time to do. It was supposed to be finished at the end of our double period today but our Science teacher, being very nice, let us hand it all in on Friday. However, we plan to finish it tomorrow and hand it in then just in case something happens. I am really happy with this assignment and just want to put it behind me and move on to enjoying my holidays. Also, exciting news at the end of this post (not as exciting as Kokoda but up there)!


First, an explanation of why the last few posts have been pretty short. The main reason, as you would already know if you read yesterday's short post, was the Science Assignment. Last night I stayed up to 11:30 to finish the titles for the timeline which meant that I was really tired and so not up to writing a long post. The day before the post was also a little shorter than normal but it was pretty long. Another reason for this is because I managed to download the Blogger app for my Galaxy Ace so it was hard to gauge how much I had already written due to the size. Also, images came up as their original size when you attach one and you can not choose where to put it so that was the main reason there was no picture yesterday. So basically that is why my last few posts have been short but rest assured that the following days will be back to normal. Sunday afternoon I am going to go see King Kong so that will be great and I will post a review that night, so look forward to that. It is meant to be really good and my grandmother (who is very critical) said it was the best show she had ever seen so I can not wait! However, I did promise exciting news before so here it is. Today I went to the Dentist to get my braces tightened and the dentist said that I could get my braces off now (hopefully this time it does, click here for the last time I was supposed to have my braces off). So we booked it in for next Monday morning which is great which means I will not have to have braces for the holidays. I will however have a plate/retainer to wear so that is the downside but it is great that after two years I can finally get my braces off. Hooray!

Good oral hygiene leads to healthy smiles and a happy Dentist, see you tomorrow!

Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Stupid Assignment = Short Post

So today's post is going to be short and picture-less. The reason? A stupid assignment for Science. In this assignment we have to make a timeline of plant and animal evolution that spans over the past 700 million years. The catch? Well, one centimetre has to be equal to one million years meaning each timeline (working in groups of 3) is 7 metres long and 3 A3 sheets wide. This means 51 sheets of paper! Luckily my group started right away or we would be struggling. Just tonight I finished ruling up the remaining half of the lines and adding all the names of the eras and periods. This means that tomorrow all we have to do is glue our information and pictures on which is going to not take too long. Luckily we have two periods to finish it and it is due at the end. I am optimistic that we will finish on time while I am not so sure about some other groups who only just started constructing their actual timeline which means they will be lucky to finish, at least with a passing grade. Anyway, I'm tired, it's late so goodnight!

Always plan to finish your assignments early so if it takes longer than expected it won't matter, see you tomorrow!

Monday, 24 June 2013

Free Periods

We have all had them and, at times, we have all enjoyed them. Of course, if you bothered to read the title, I am talking about free periods. Those rare times where the teacher says those magic five words that can send a class over the edge. Who knew what an impact "work on whatever you want" could have? It is one of those times you can really see the ethic students put into their work. I myself enjoy free periods because it either gives me time to catch up on work or relax. Of course, some students take "relax" a little too far but we'll get to that in a minute. Basically, free periods rock!
I mentioned earlier that a free period can split a class up and allow people to see the work ethic of a number of students. First you have the students who are 'frantically' trying to finish assignments or work they left to the last minute. I say 'frantically' with inverted commas because they always seem to have time to talk or, worse, criticise those around them. The next group of people are those who are not in a rush, are ahead and are just doing work now to save themselves homework in the future. This is generally the category I fall into. It's the best one not only because I'm in it but because we are not in a rush and we have time to socialise which makes it even more relaxing. The third, and almost worst, group is the one where people do nothing but chat when they know they have something important due. It annoys me because I would worry/stress a bit too much if I did that, those lucky bastards. The fourth, and most entertaining, group is the one where they take relaxing too far and end up falling asleep. I say entertaining because often they accidentally do something like fall off their chair or someone does something to them like push them off their chair. I guess I really do enjoy free periods.

Don't leave things to the last minute, see you tomorrow!

Sunday, 23 June 2013

Theatres and Fire Alarms

I have had very bad experiences with Fire Alarms and/or Theatres recently. I have started to think that there is some big conspiracy centered around me. As you can see, I am not very narcissistic. Basically, recently I have been having trouble with these locations/devices wherever I go and I guess it all started the week before last. I have written posts about the first two experiences which I will link in the next sentence, the third experience is one you will be hearing about first in today's post. The first experience was with a fire-alarm at Werribee Plaza and the next was a bad experience at the cinemas while waiting to see Despicable Me 2 which is hilarious by the way. The third experience happened yesterday so check the next paragraph for the story.


In summary, the first incident was at the Werribee Plaza where I was shopping and suddenly a fire alarm went off but no one really did anything except continue shopping like nothing was going on. The second experience had nothing to do with fire alarms and more to do with cinemas/theatres. While waiting for Despicable Me 2 to start everything started going wrong and the movie did not actually start until fifty minutes after it was supposed to. The third experience happened yesterday at my cousin's Young Australian Broadway Chorus performance at the National Theatre in St Kilda. We were sitting in our seats and talking while waiting for the show to start and suddenly everyone started standing up and walking out and it was not until we could hear the sound of the alarm that we knew what was going on. In the end, after the MFB arrived, we managed to sit down and the show did not start until fifteen minutes after it was meant to which was nothing compared to the fifty minutes we waited the week before. I feel sorry for the girl who left her hair-straightener on that caused smoke to set off the alarm. So as you can see I am not having the best of luck with fire alarms and/or cinemas/theatres. At least we now know that the alarms at these places still work. Luckily, I sorted out the issue with Village Cinemas and managed to get free ticket vouchers which was good. As I am seeing King Kong next Sunday I am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong because I am very excited about it. Also, the YouTube Subscription segment I did is now finished so tomorrow there will be another post like this one just so you know.

Remember, working smoke alarms save lives so stay safe and check your alarms, see you tomorrow!

Saturday, 22 June 2013

YouTube Subscriptions Part 6

Part 6 and we are already way past half-way through these. It really is starting to show, and this time I actually mean it. Already I have begun to skip videos less and less. Of course, even in the channels that I really enjoy watching I sometimes skip videos that would not interest me. However, it has saved me a lot of time and has actually come in handy for my training for Kokoda as I do not have to slow down to skip certain videos. Cutting down on my YouTube subscriptions really has helped me. At the start of this post I am at 75 subscriptions (I may have lost one somewhere between this post and the previous one), let's get this number down. Also, this is the last one in this series so you will be able to see the results right at the end of this post.

Image Source: http://www.ospika.com/

Screen Junkies is the first channel of the day I am unsubscribing from as I no longer watch any of their videos. They make honest trailers which is where they put voice overs on trailers that make it a whole lot funnier. I am simply unsubscribing as I have stopped watching their videos. Shane Dawson TV is another of those channels that makes funny music videos and the like but I am unsubscribing as I no longer watch any of his videos. Shannon Uncut and Shannon Uncut 2 are the channels of an Australian YouTuber who is an older-teenager. Shit Girls Say is a hilarious channel that has, sadly, five videos of a guy (that is dressed up really well as a girl) saying this girls would say. It is really funny but they have not uploaded in such a long time that I am unsubscribing. Shooter Williamson is another Australian Comedy YouTuber who makes really funny videos on his thoughts. He often uses a 'bogan' accent which makes it heaps funnier. I am definitely remaining subscribed. Shut Up Cartoons is the cartoon channel of Smosh but I only subscribed for the Oishi High School Battle cartoon series they had which was great except it has since finished. So it is a goodbye to them. Silvakeyzz is a channel I only subscribed to because it had all the 'Bogan Pride' episodes on it (a TV show created by Rebel Wilson). As I have finished Bogan Pride I am unsubscribing. Smosh, which is the most subscribed channel on YouTube, is one of my favourite channels that I love watching as they do have funny videos which they upload every Friday (so we get them on Saturday in Australia) which are genuinely comedic. Star Kid Potter is a channel of a theatre group which makes funny parodies of films or television shows in a musical length. Recently they have also made their own original shows which are funny but I do not watch them any more so am unsubscribing from it. Strawburry17 is the main channel of one of the vloggers I watch (Lifeburry). I only ever subscribed to this channel because of that reason but I never watch the videos so it is a goodbye. SuperNateB3 is one of the channels I have no idea how I managed to subscribe to them so, of course, it is a goodbye.


TAC Victoria is the official YouTube channel of the Victorian Branch of the TAC which I subscribed to while working on the Wipe off 5 Assignment earlier this year. I am unsubscribing to them as, obviously, I have finished the assignment and no longer need it. Tay Zonday is a YouTuber I found through one of my other YouTubers. He has a really deep, distinct voice that makes his videos interesting but I do not watch them anymore so I would not know. Teen is the official YouTube channel of Teen.com which I subscribed to because a few of my YouTubers work for them and their channel but I do not watch their videos anymore so goodbye! Teenageflakes1, how did I subscribe to you? Goodbye. The Boston Globe is the YouTube channel of the Boston Globe which I only subscribed to for updates on The Boston Bombings, so since that is over so is my subscription. The Ellen Show is the official YouTube channel of The Ellen Show which I subscribe to as they upload some of the best clips from the show that day which is good so I do not have to watch the whole show. My subscription is remaining where it is, thank you. The Fine Bros make videos of peoples reactions to other YouTube Videos. It is good because they have Elders React, Teens React, Kids React and YouTubers React so there is a lot of variety and they do have very interesting and funny reactions. I am definitely keeping my subscription. The Grid Monster is the Vlog channel of a friend of a YouTuber I like watching but I never really watched her videos so it is another goodbye to yet another channel. The Hunger Games Movie is the official channel of The Hunger Games movies so of course I am remaining subscribed! Do you think I am feeling ill? Theme Park Studio is another of the channels I have no idea how I managed to subscribe to. Goodbye I guess to them. The Most Popular Girls in School is a hilarious web series online which is made of stop-motion animation barbie dolls and the like. But trust me, do not let anyone under the age of 15 watch it as it has very adult material. No sex scenes but it is mentioned a lot and there is a fair bit of swearing but that is what adds to it's hilarity. I am so not unsubscribing!


The Pet Collective is a channel dedicated solely to animal videos and they have some really cute ones on there! They also have several live cams of puppies and other dogs. It is really a great channel and I recommend you subscribe because just one video will certainly lift your mood (unless you are someone who feels no emotion or just really hates animals). I am remaining subscribed in case you did not get that. Tobuscus is a channel I only ever really watched once and now he's uploads are just really clogging up my news feeds. He made some really good music parodies of trailers which are funny but they are all of the videos of his I actually ever watched so it is a goodbye to him. Tom Ska is the person behind the ASDF movies which are really funny by the way and he also makes really good short films so of course I am remaining subscribed! Troye Sivan, I have no idea how I managed to subscribe to you so it is a goodbye from me. Tyler Oakley is yet another mystery, goodbye as well. Victorious Sponge is a comedy channel on YouTube I subscribed to while procrastinating so it is a goodbye to them, though they are funny. Vlogs With Jim is the Vlog Channel of Jim Chapman who, if you had of read one of the previous parts, has a main channel which I unsubscribed from because I only watch his vlogs. So, it is certainly not a goodbye to this one today. Watch us Live and Stuff is the Vlog channel of Anthony from Smosh and his girlfriend, Kalel. I unsubscribed from Anthony's personal channel as he said he was moving to that one and they do upload a lot of videos but I never find myself wanting to watch them so it is a goodbye from me completely from Anthony, besides Smosh of course! WDWINFO is a channel dedicated to all things Walt Disney World and the like but I only ever watched one of their videos as it is a fan-made channel so it is a goodbye to them. Wicked Australia is a channel dedicated to the musical Wicked for Australia but I only watch the official Wicked one I mentioned in Part 5 two days ago so it is a goodbye to them and the same goes for Wicked the Musical Oz. Winter Spring Pro is a channel one of my favourite YouTubers was on but he has since left and so I have stopped watching these videos and it is a goodbye from me.


WongFu Productions is another channel I watched for a few weeks and then stopped so it is a goodbye from me. Wyndham City is a channel I can not remember subscribing to and for what reason so it is a goodbye from me. xXJessWorldXx is another one of those channels, why does this keep happening to me. Well, best unsubscribe and move on. Yaouzer and YeahImNatalia are also being unsubscribed for the same reason. What is happening? YouNowLive is another one of these, seriously, something must be going on. YourChonny is the second or third channel of popular Australian YouTuber Mychonny who makes funny comedy videos. I am definitely remaining subscribed. Finally, the last channel on my subscription list is YouTube itself who I subscribed to after the year in review thing they did last year with Gangnam Style and Call me Maybe. It is a great channel but I am unsubscribing just because I can. That is all of my subscriptions and now for some results! I began at the start of all this with 153 subscriptions and I finish with a total of 41 subscriptions! Wow, that just goes to show how many junk channels I was subscribed to although, of course, I do not mean their videos were bad, some of them were actually pretty good but just did not appeal to me. As this was the last part do not expect to see a Part 7 any time soon.

Organised Subscriptions lead to an organised life, see you tomorrow!

Friday, 21 June 2013

A Green School?

The school I go to claims to be a 'green' school but we all know that this is only partially true. A 'green' school is one in which little paper is used (and wasted) and things are mostly done on computers to save this paper. I will admit that our school does save a lot of paper through what we do on our laptops but there are many cases I can think of that go against this 'green' school ideal. I mean just a quick trip through some of the parts of our school would make you question it. Of course, there are lots of recycling and, more specifically, paper recycling bins around the school but there is a whole lot more paper that could be saved by my school. My school is certainly not a perfectly 'green' one.


The first major amount of Paper that could be saved around the school is the bits of paper that have our school values on it of "Respect, Aspiration and Contribution". You may be thinking that a few bits of paper with those words on it is no big waste of paper but I do not think you understand the extent of it. On every board around the school there are these pieces of paper on it with one value on each in large letters. Sometimes there are even two sets on the one board or an extra bit of paper nearby that has them all on it. It would save so much paper if it was just these posters everywhere around the school, four sheets of paper would be replaced by just one in all the different locations around the school. Then there are some of the worksheets we get in class which could just have easily being done on the computer with much less effort from the teacher. Of course, some of this does happen but a majority of the time it does not. So, as you can see, our school does waste a fair bit of paper and that is not even the end of it.


We only just received a Science assignment which is the biggest waste of paper I have ever experienced. Working in groups of 3 (there are 200 students in Year 10 and all are doing the assignment) we are to make an approximately 7 metre long timeline of the evolution of plants and animals with a scale of one centimetre for every one million years. Of course, this would be alright except on top of that it has to be in A3 paper and be three rows. That is exactly what is on the task sheet. Yeah, 3 rows of A3 paper which works out to 51 sheets of paper. That is 51 sheets per group! That is the biggest waste of paper I have known so far. They are only going to display the best from each class but due to the size the possibility of even that is slim. So all these sheets of paper are going to go back to the people who made them which, in turn, will promptly end up in the bin. What a massive waste of paper! It is the worst Science assignment ever, it would make more sense to do it all electronically but no, the Science teachers had to choose the dumbest option they could find. So, as you can see, however 'green' my school claims to be, there are many areas of improvement.

Wasting paper is wasting our future, see you tomorrow!

Thursday, 20 June 2013

YouTube Subscriptions Part 5

Only five parts into this and already my Subscriptions are getting clearer! So much easier to watch the videos I want without all the unwanted channels clogging up my feed. I feel so much more organised with it like this and it saves me so much time. Plus when I really want to watch an old video I can easily find the channel rather than having to sift through 150 others. You guys should really try it out, let's begin! I began with 153 subscriptions and am already back to 95 subscriptions, hooray!

Image Source:

Miss Glamorazzi is the first YouTuber under the pump. She is a beauty guru who I subscribed to because I watched her vlogs. I never watch any of these videos though so it is goodbye to her. Missy Higgins is another one of those Music channels, this one is for Missy Higgins. Like the other music channels I am unsubscribing. Mockingjaynet is a channel that is all about The Hunger Games and related videos. I am unsubscribing because I never watch any of their videos so goodbye. I know how shocking that must seem since I am such of a Hunger Games fan but this one just has to go. Mr Sacred Ashes is a friend who I subscribed to but am unsubscribing from because they clog up my news feed. Wow, that makes me sound like a horrible person. Mychonny is a popular comedic YouTuber who I remain subscribed to because he is genuinely funny. Nerdist is a channel on YouTube that features many celebrities and has comedic videos. I am unsubscribing as I only subscribed for a mini web series they used to have which featured Neil Patrick Harris (it was called "Neil's Puppet Dreams"). NigaHiga is one of the popular comedic YouTubers who I enjoy watching because he is genuinely hilarious. I have used genuinely too much when it comes to comedy recently, I really have to stop. However, I will not stop my subscription to NigaHiga. Nightly News at Nine is a channel featuring a Lego Stop-Animation Web Series. It is funny and made out of Lego, of course I am maintaining my subscription!


Obtbone08 is a channel I have no idea how I subscribed to, I guess it's a goodbye to them too. Official Psy is of course the official Music Channel of Psy, the K-Pop sensation behind Gangnam Style. As it is one of those Music Channels I am unsubscribing. Official WICKED is the official Channel of the musical Wicked. I am subscribed to it as it includes behind-the-scenes videos and extras as well as other Wicked-Related videos. I am definitely remaining subscribed. Optic Movies is yet another of the channels I can not remember subscribing to so it is goodbye to whatever they are. Other iJustine is the Vlog channel of iJustine that I am remaining subscribed to because I like watching Vlogs. Pano T is an 18 Year-old YouTuber who just graduated from High School that makes videos on his thoughts on things as well as some other comedic videos. I like watching him because he has interesting views and opinions and a funny way of explaining them. PewDiePie is a popular YouTuber I subscribed to because I thought he was good but I never watched any of his videos that I actually enjoyed so goodbye. Pistol Shrimps make comedic shorts and web series which I really enjoy but I have not watched any of their recent videos and they say if you do not wear something for a long time you are most likely not going to wear it again, why can't the same be said for YouTube channels? Goodbye Pistol Shrimps. Also, just because I unsubscribe from a channel does not mean it is not good. The reason I link the channel is so that if it seems like it would appeal to you it can be checked out. Pointless Blog is a British YouTuber I do not actually watch anymore so it is a goodbye to him, even though he is good. Pointless Blog TV is the Vlog channel of this British YouTuber, I do not watch these vlogs though so goodbye to him also.

Image Source: 

Pokemon is the YouTube channel of Pokemon but I never actually watch any of their videos and if I do want to watch them then I just search for it. Goodbye Pokemon, you could not catch me. Potter Puppet Pals is the official YouTube channel of the Potter Puppet Pals and I am not unsubscribing because I do genuinely enjoy their videos. They are pretty funny. PRJSCHS is the YouTube channel of one of the English Teachers at school who made videos related to the course work that helped me study for exams, however I no longer watch his videos and am unsubscribing for now. I may subscribe again if I need to. Rayeboi is another friend who actually makes good Minecraft and other gaming videos on YouTube. I am simply unsubscribing because I think he said he was stopping making videos so at least this time I do not sound so heartless. Reckless Tortuga is a channel that makes comedic sketches which can be funny. I have not watched any of their videos recently so it is a goodbye to them as well. Wow, I have just realised that I have not kept many of my subscriptions in this part. It just shows how many of the channels I subscribe to I do not use anymore. Roller Coaster Dude 96 makes Roller Coaster Tycoon videos on YouTube which I used to like but he has not uploaded a video in a long time so he is losing me as a subscriber. Rowan Atkinson is a YouTube channel that is filled with videos of numerous Rowan Atkinson comedy sketches. I am remaining subscribed because, in true Rowan Atkinson form, it is hilarious. Sawyer Hartman is a YouTuber who makes short films and puts them on YouTube. The short films are really good but I just do not have the time to watch them all the time so he is yet another user I am leaving behind. Sawyer Hartman 2 is his Vlog channel which I am also unsubscribing from. At the end of Part 5 I am down to 76 subscriptions, which is a lot since I was at 95 at the start.

Image Source: http://www.officialvghc.com

Don't let too many subscriptions get you down, see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

The Wonders of Blogging

Blogging is a wonderful thing and there are many benefits of it that could help you at any age in life. It can help you right now or it may be a good thing for the future. Blogs can come in many different forms but I am not going to go through all that since I already did in my post about Blogs. What I failed to mention in this post is all the wonderful benefits that Blogging can bring. I did some research and have compiled a list, so let's begin!


Did you know that writing Blogs and having a positive online influence can help you get a better job? In today's age it has become the norm for employers to do some internet research on a potential employee and having a positive online influence can really help you in this respect. People want to employ people with a strong, and positive, online influence as they can better help their company become like them. A Blog can also earn you enough money to live off. One such success story is of a man called Pat Flynn who wrote a blog about his feelings on architecture. Once he was laid off from his job he began to take his blog more seriously and shortly after was earning $100, 000 per year! Of course, this will not happen to everybody but it does put faith in the fact that you can use your blog to make money, even if this is just some extra money on the side while you maintain your day job. Blogging can also help you become a better writer and one day even a published author or journalist. Since the only way to really improve your writing is to continue writing a Blog is perfect! Plus, you can have people give you feedback from all over the world. This feedback can improve your writing so much that one day you might write a book or even become a journalist. Blogging really can open up many career options as well as helping you out with the one you already have. Blogs are a great way of getting your business out there and known. It really can increase awareness and sales just through a simple blog. Some companies hire a whole group of people just to work on their Blog.

Image Source: http://www.wisesyracuse.wordpress.com

Blogging can also help you gain influence in the world. Think of all those blogs dedicated to movie reviews. They had to start out small at some point and now big Hollywood Blockbusters are using their reviews in advertisements and social media. These blogs show how writing a blog can gain you influence in the world which means people are more likely to trust you and follow what you write. Also, as I said earlier, employers like people who are influential as they can make their business sky rocket. Blogging can also help you build a network with like minded people. Some blogs work along side each other or even with each other and have created strong bonds between people who would never have met otherwise. Also, some blogs can have interviews with people or the like which can mean that with every new post a new person is added to that Blogger's network. Plus, blogging is such an easy thing to do in today's age with sites like Blogger allowing you to log in with your Google Account and just start making posts. It is as simple as that with no computer programming actually needed. As you continue blogging you learn new skills along the way such as inserting links or scheduling posts. Blogs can seem like very daunting things but are actually made by some sites in such a way that most people would be able to easily use it. Blogging can also help you keep up to date with news and information around the world. For instance, if you are writing a technology blog you are keeping up to date with the latest technology and information around the world. Even general blogs can help you keep up to date as when you are searching the internet for writing inspiration you can come across articles and news that may surprise you and influence that post in some way. It can also help your readers keep up to date as well as they can learn about current events while reading their favourite blog. It really is fantastic!


Blogs are also great ways to connect with the people you admire. For instance you may write a blog post and tag your idol in it or tweet it out to them and the world. Then they may come across it and read it and actually enjoy it. Suddenly, they have found a connection to you and have shared your blog to all the people who follow them. It is great as suddenly you have a link to the people you have always wanted to meet or talk to. In summary, Blogs really are wonderful things and I encourage you to start one yourself. It really is quick and easy.

Blogging is a wonder of our modern world, see you tomorrow.

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

YouTube Subscriptions Part 4

Wow, it is already Part 4 of this and my YouTube is becoming so much easier to view now as all the videos I can see are the ones I want to be able to. It is so much easier to navigate now and I really think this a good idea to clear up your YouTube and stop wasting time sifting through videos you are never going to watch. I began at the start of Part 1 with 153 Subscriptions and have already cut it back to 112 as of the end of Part 3. I can already tell the difference and can not wait to keep going so let's start! Just remember that every 2 days I post a new part so watch out for them.

Image Source: 

JckSparrow (no error) is a channel also known as The Hillywood Show which makes music video parodies of movies and television shows among other things. It is a great channel and I love watching their music videos and am not unsubscribing any time soon. Jim Chapman is a British YouTuber who talks about different things in his videos but I prefer to watch his Vlogs and am unsubscribing from this one. Jimmy 2 is an American YouTuber who makes Vlogs but I do not watch this and have no idea why I subscribed, goodbye to you too. Jimmy Smith is just another friend that I am unsubscribing from to save some space, he has no videos. Joey Graceffa Games is the gaming channel of a YouTuber I subscribe to who Vlogs. He is my favourite YouTuber but I never watch his gaming channel so I am saying goodbye to that one too. Joey Graceffa is the Vlogger in question who I subscribe to and watch all his videos. Definitely not unsubscribing from him. Jono Mackay is another friend without uploads I am unsubscribing from to save space (wow, that sounds really mean but I do not mean it). Katy Perry VEVO is just a music channel I am unsubscribing from also.


King Kong is the YouTube channel of the new Musical opening in Melbourne that I am very excited to see. The channel has some great videos and I am definitely not unsubscribing. Lady Gaga VEVO is another one of the music channels I am unsubscribing from. Lamarr Wilson is a Technology YouTuber who makes videos about different technologies in a comedic way and I really enjoy it. I am not unsubscribing. LanguagePerfectLtd is the official YouTube Channel of Language Perfect so of course I am subscribed to that, I am not changing that any time soon. Legally Blonde Oz is the channel for the musical currently performing in Australia. I am going to unsubscribe because I have on idea how I actually managed to subscribe to that channel. LEGO Club TV is the official channel of the LEGO Club which I am going to unsubscribe from as they do not upload very often. Les Miserables Film is the channel for Les Miserables movie which was released at the end of last year and has not uploaded a video since the start of the year so I am unsubscribing. Lhugueny is a channel that makes animated music videos about different films and games. It is very entertaining but I do not watch them anymore so I am going to unsubscribe.

Image Source: 

Life Burry is a channel that uploads Vlogs which I enjoy watching as she is a character. I am not unsubscribing from her. Luke is yet another Vlog channel but he does not upload very often and so I am unsubscribing. Luke's Arcade is the gaming channel of this Vlogger but I never watch these videos and am also unsubscribing. Maccasmithden is someone I used to like but not anymore since they haven't uploaded in ages and I have not met her for a long time, goodbye to you too! Machinima is a large channel that caters to a wide variety of needs, mostly entertainment news though, but I am unsubscribing as I do not exactly enjoy watching their videos and there are so many that it clogs up my feed. Mainstaypro is a channel that makes short films on a variety of topics and it really is entertaining but their videos do not appear in my feed very often and I do not watch it a lot and so am going to unsubscribe. Marcus Butler TV is a British YouTuber who makes very entertaining videos on a variety of topics and I am not unsubscribing from him. Maxmoefoe is another Australian YouTuber who makes prank calls and mail videos among other things which I do not enjoy as much and so I am unsubscribing. Maxmoefoe two is his second channel which I am also unsubscribing from. I am now back to 95 subscriptions which is great because I am under the 100 subscriptions mark! Hooray! Remember to check back in 2 days for Part 5!


May the odds be ever in  your favour, see you tomorrow!

Monday, 17 June 2013

Worst Cinema Experience

So yesterday, Sunday 17th of May, I went to the cinemas with my Mother to watch Despicable Me 2 which, by the way, is a fantastic and hilarious movie. Our experience at the cinema was certainly not the normal one you would expect and was certainly the worst I have ever encountered. It really made me feel sorry for some of the children who were there waiting to watch the film. Check the next paragraph for the full story. I have since sent in a complaint on behalf of my mother and I to Village Cinemas and have received a reply that they have being in contact with the Werribee Branch which are investigating further. A copy of my complaint can also be found below. So, let's get started!


So we arrived at the cinemas early to buy our tickets because we knew it would be busy since it was the preview screenings before the official release date of the 20th of June. Since we were early we went shopping while waiting for the session to begin. We came back and were in our seats in the cinema by 1:25 pm and the movie was not set to begin until 1:30. At 1:35 there was still no movie playing but we just put it down to the operators waiting for more people (the session was sold-out). At 1:40 we were beginning to wonder what was happening but then the cinema went dark and the screen started playing. But then it stopped and the lights went back on. About 5 minutes later a cinema employee comes in to tell us the projector is broken but the technician is there to fix it. "It should not be longer than 5 to 10 more minutes." 10 minutes later the movie finally starts playing (they skipped the advertisements at the start, thank God) but this time it is in 3D. So yes, some idiot in the projector room put the 3D version in instead of the 2D version. Luckily they stopped it quickly and spent another few minutes setting up the 2D version. Finally, the lights go down and the 2D version begins playing. Great, it's all over. BUT wait! Now the 2D version has no sound. But do they stop playing it? No, why would they do that? They left it running for 10 minutes before finally stopping to fix it. The poor cinema employee had to come in again and tell us that they were fixing it and that his manager had said that if anyone wanted to leave, they would be able to get a refund. A few parents actually did leave then, dragging sad children behind them. Finally at 2:20 (50 minutes after the movie was meant to start) we actually get to watch Despicable Me 2. The worst, and most horrible, thing that happened was that the manager not once came in and instead left a poor cinema worker, who appeared to be a student, face all the irate customers. Luckily there were kids there or things could have got a whole lot worse. It was horrible how the manager made the poor employee do that and never once were we offered any compensation except if we left. It is really good to see Village Cinemas Werribee get into the "Despicable" theme of the movie. I then left a complaint on their website when I got home as we were not going to wait in the long line just to complain to the manager at the end of the movie. A copy of the complaint I left can be found in the next paragraph.


Here is my complaint to Village Cinemas (there was a word limit on the online form):

Today I attended the 1:30 session of Despicable Me 2 at Werribee Cinemas with my mother and it was one disaster after another. First, they could not get the projector to work and brought in a technician. Finally they got it working but played the 3D movie instead which was then replaced with the 2D version without sound for 10 minutes. They finally did stop it and fixed it and the movie finally began 50 minutes after it was supposed to. Throughout this we had one poor cinema worker who appeared to be a student having to explain everything that was going on and having to put up with irate customers. It was horrible and the manager never once showed their face, instead the poor worker acted as the messenger. We were only offered a refund if we left. When the movie was over we were not offered any compensation and feel very disappointed. It seems you really got into the "despicable" theme.

So overall, not my best experience with Village Cinemas who are usually very good at what they do.


In other unrelated, yet very exciting, news I was successful in my application to the Kokoda Leadership Program which I blogged about in April. The program called the "Leaders of the Future" is run by the Wyndham Police and this is the first year they have done this sort of thing in the Wyndham area. From my school it was another girl in Year 10 and I who were chosen to participate in the program (a total of 18 students are participating from the Wyndham area). As well as the Kokoda Expedition which will take place in April next year (concluding with the dawn service for ANZAC day in Papua New Guinea) members of the program will also engage with the other participants in structured community engagement initiatives, which includes fundraising and research projects. Of course, there will also be a lot of training involved to be able to cope with such a physically and mentally demanding challenge. I know I will come out of the program a better person and am very excited. Such a good way to lift my spirits after the events I just discussed above.

Don't forget the students of today are the leaders of tomorrow, see you then!

Sunday, 16 June 2013

YouTube Subscriptions Part 3

This is the third Installment of me going through my YouTube subscriptions and unsubscribing from the ones I no longer watch. I am doing this because I have way too many YouTube subscriptions and can never find the videos I actually want to watch. Click here for Part 1 and then every second day after that is the following part. I started off with 153 subscriptions at the start of Part 1 and have already cut back to 127 subscriptions by the end of Part 2. If you did not realise I release these posts every second day so you do not get bored of the same thing repeated. Enjoy!


Flash Mob the World is a channel devoted to videos of Flash Mobs all over the World. Some of them are actually pretty cool but I do not watch their videos anymore so it is time for them to go. FleurDeForce is a Beauty Guru YouTuber who makes beauty and Fashion Videos. I only subscribe to her because I subscribe to her Vlog channel though now I am going to unsubscribe from this channel because I only watch her Vlogs now and never the videos on her main channel. Most of what I watch on YouTube actually is Vlogs so there a few more of those types of channels coming up. FleurdeVlog is the Vlog channel of the previous YouTuber I was discussing which I am going to remain subscribed to (this channel, not the previous one). Florence and the Machine VEVO is another music channel I am going to unsubscribe from. Frankie Prenot is a YouTuber who makes videos on Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 which I used to enjoy watching. I do not anymore though and so will unsubscribe. Free Magic Live Videos is a channel all about Magic Tricks and how to do them. I stumbled across it one day and have yet to stumble back upon it, unsubscribing for sure.


Glee on Fox is the official Glee channel with music videos from the show along with behind the scenes and episode recaps. I enjoy it and will remain subscribed. Gleewarrrd on the other hand is a fan-made channel which I am unsubscribing from since I found the official Glee channel after I subscribed. GWRomg is one of the official Guinness World Records Channels but I have stopped watching their videos and am unsubscribing. Hao Hai L. is the channel of a friend which I am unsubscribing from simply because their activity blocks up my feed and makes it hard to find a specific channel. HelloxDism is a channel I am also unsubscribing from for the same reason. HeyImNatalia is the Channel of a YouTuber who talks about different things and I enjoy watching her videos and am remaining a subscriber. HeyImUncut is the channel of the same YouTuber and a collaboration with another, I am unsubscribing due to the lack of videos, however entertaining they were. HigaTV is the behind the scenes channel of Popular Comedic YouTuber NigaHiga and is very funny but I am unsubscribing because I only watch the videos on his main channel, and not on this channel. High Resolves is the YouTube channel of a Leadership group I was involved in last year but I am unsubscribing because I have since stopped my involvement in the program.


HISHEdotcom is the How It Should Have Ended YouTube Channel. The channel includes comedic animations of how movies should have ended and I am remaining subscribed as I enjoy their videos. IanH is the YouTube Channel of Ian who is the other guy from Smosh which is currently the most subscribed channel on YouTube. I am unsubscribing as I do not watch these videos, only the ones on Smosh. iJustine is a YouTuber who also talks about different things on YouTube. I watch her Vlogs on her second channel more than anything (see later parts) and so will be unsubscribing from this one even though she does have very entertaining videos. JacksFilms is a channel that makes short films and other comedic videos which I no longer watch but are very entertaining. I am unsubscribing. JacksGap is a British comedic YouTube Channel made by two twins (brothers) and is funny and entertaining. I am maintaining my subscription. That is all for this part and I started off with 127 subscriptions and am now back to 112 which is a big achievement for me. Be sure to check back in 2 days for Part 4!


May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Saturday, 15 June 2013

Emergency Fail

I am going to start this post with a bit of a story, an anecdote to be exact. The anecdote begins, and ends, at Werribee Plaza last night (Friday 14th June 2013) around 7:30 pm. I was doing some shopping with my brother. We had just finished our shopping and had brought a Boost Juice (a drink, not the whole company) when, all of a sudden, the fire alarm goes off. So there are big whopping sounds occasionally interrupted by an automated message that was unintelligible throughout most of the Plaza. At first everyone looks around like "what's going on?" and people did not know what to do. The worst part was the alarm and the unintelligible message just kept relaying on a continuous loop and it was becoming annoying. No one had any clue what to do, there were people working in the shops looking around like they were lost. Some shops closed while the majority just remained open with staff not knowing anything. Then my brother and I decided to leave because we were on our way out anyway and what else would you do when a fire alarm goes off?On our way out we passed two security guards who had absolutely no idea what was going on and were literally shouting over the noise so everyone could hear how little they knew. I hate to say it but in an emergency when the authority has no clue what is going on, I think it may cause a bit of panic. It was a little after this that we managed to find a place where the roof was closer to the ground and we could make out the message relaying. The automated message was literally: "An automated fire alarm has being set off, stay calm and await further instructions". Ten minutes later the sounds finally stopped and things went back to normal. At no point was there ever a new announcement telling people what to do, even after it stopped. The only consolation was that the CFA had received an automatic alert about the alarm and Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and a few other brigades had already shown up. That was probably the one good thing about the whole night that if there had of been an actual fire (which there was not, this time) at least there were fire trucks ready. That was our excitement for the night and we drank our drinks and then left.

Image Source: 

This simply is not good enough. It was a total and utter fiasco. There were staff not knowing what to do, security who were clearly out of their depth and an unintelligible alarm system. If there had of being a real fire lives could quite possibly have being lost. The alarm system in itself is a major flaw. In the busiest parts of the Plaza it was literally unintelligible aside from the whooping sounds it makes. The only place we could hear the words was in the most empty space in the Plaza with the lowest roof. Even then it was a struggle to make out what it was saying. If there had of being a real emergency no one would have known. Even as the alarm was going off we did not know it was a fire alarm until after it had all finished and we saw the fire trucks leaving. That is disgraceful! Werribee Plaza is always busy and even at 7:45 on a Friday night it was busy. All those lives were at danger as they had no idea what was going on. The security staff were not helping as even they had no idea what was going on. The worst part is that they did not even try and hide this from the people doing their shopping. How are people meant to remain calm when the people in authority have absolutely no idea what is going on? In a real emergency people would be lost both figuratively and, possibly, literally. At no point that whole night (we were still there 15 minutes after the alarm stopped) was there any other message than the automatic one. There was no explanation and this is Werribee Plaza, anything could have happened. Then there were the staff at all the shops around us. There are over 200 stores in Werribee Plaza and it would be lucky if, at most, 20 were closed. Most of the staff were standing dumbfounded out the front of their stores while others just continued working and serving customers. They had no idea what to do and how to handle the situation. This is a major flaw in the system and one that could be costly to many lives. This is a shocking wake up call at how ineffective the alarm system at Werribee Plaza is. This is deplorable and should never be occurring in 2013. The management at Werribee Plaza urgently need to update their alarm protocols and make sure they work as they should. I should never have experienced what I did last night, it was shocking.

Take a good hard look at yourself Werribee Plaza management, see you tomorrow.

Friday, 14 June 2013

YouTube Subscriptions Part 2

So in a continuation of Part 1 I am going to keep going through my Subscriptions on YouTube and unsubscribe from those I do not watch. I am doing this because I have way too many subscriptions that clog up my YouTube and keep me from seeing the videos I want to see. A new part comes out every second day so you guys do not get bored of the same thing every day. I started off at the beginning of Part 1 with 153 subscriptions and by the end of Part 1 had already cut down to 143 subscriptions which is where I am starting from now.


Captain Sparklez is a user who makes Minecraft videos. This ranges from actual game-play, to map building, to mini-games and also animated music videos. The music videos are great but since they are the only reason I subscribe I am going to unsubscribe. Chonny Day is one of My Chonny's (comedian) other channels but the videos on here are very entertaining so I am going to maintain my subscription. Collab Down Under was a collaboration channel on YouTube where some Australian Teenage YouTubers made Videos. It has since stopped as will my subscription. Cyanide and Happiness is a channel I originally thought as the makers of the Cyanide and Happiness animations but found out shortly after it was not. I just did not unsubscribe but I will now. Daniel Timms is another Australian YouTuber I came across on YouTube but I stopped watching his videos so it is a goodbye from me too. Dayviideo is the brother of one of the YouTubers I watch a lot and I began to like his videos so I am also remaining subscribed to him as he just makes vlogs and other videos about past experiences and his thoughts.


Death By Illusion is a user that posts videos of Point of Views on Rides such as Roller Coasters at various theme parks in America. I will unsubscribe from him because I have stopped watching his videos. Delta Goodrem VEVO is another Music Video channel I will unsubscribe to. Depcat is a channel who uploaded random videos and I have no idea why I subscribed to him, funny how that happens a lot to me. Disney History is a channel that has lots of videos on the History of Disney Parks and Disney itself. I really enjoyed it and found it interesting but have not watched one of their videos in a while so am unsubscribing for that reason. Disney Movie Trailers is a self-explanatory channel which I am unsubscribing from simply because I do not want all their uploads clogging my feed. Disney Parks is a channel I am remaining subscribed to as it has interesting behind-the-scenes looks at Disney Parks Attractions as well as some past and upcoming attractions. DumbWays2Die is the channel for the Dumb Ways to Die campaign I made the post about a few weeks ago. I am unsubscribing because it has been a long time since the last upload.


Eeeverythingyouneed (no error) is another one of those channels that I have no idea as to why I subscribed to them, goodbye. Ellen Fun House is a fan-made channel of some old clips from The Ellen Show featuring Ellen Degeneres, I am unsubscribing as I am already subscribed to the official Ellen Show Channel (see below). Eric Cartman is another channel I subscribed to while watching South Park clips on YouTube. I am unsubscribing however because I never watch their videos anymore. Evil Iguana Productions is a channel that makes short comedic videos but I no longer watch their videos and am unsubscribing. Explosm Entertainment is the channel behind Cyanide and Happiness and I subscribed for this reason. Since there has been no recent uploads I am unsubscribing. Fact of the Day is a collaboration channel between some of my favourite YouTubers that produces short (around 30 seconds to a minute) videos on a fact every day. Each day is a different YouTuber and Category but I am unsubscribing because I do not watch their videos anymore as I do not have the time since I watch all their other videos. That is it for today, I started with 143 subscriptions and am already back to 127 subscriptions! Be sure to check back in 2 days for Part 3!


May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!