Treasure Beach, Jamaica :)

I will leave from the Toronto Pearson Airport and fly to Jamaica, flying air Jamaica most likely. First class of course. I will travel mostly by foot and use a rental car when needed, hopefully a Ferrari. Since I will be staying mostly at Treasure Beach I will be staying at the Golden Sands Beach Hotel, and have a nice little house right on Treasure Beach itself. I will visit the Pelican Bar probably every day to meet new people and because it is located on a sandbar just off the coat of Treasure Beach and that seems amazing. I would also like to visit the Gourie Forest Reserve because it sounds incredibly interesting. I would love to see inside the caves and hike the trails in the forest because nature and history sparks my interest.  I would also go to the Jack Sprat Café which is conveniently located on Treasure Beach where I will be staying. I would also visit the other beaches in the Treasure Beach Location. Some other museums and historical sites that I could venture out and visit are Dennis Abrahams Boat Tours, Villa Bella Tours, and Marshall’s pen Great House. I will eat at the Pelican Bar and the New Den restaurant mostly eating seafood and Jamaican specialty foods. 

 

Travel Writing Activity

a.) The author hooks the reader by going into a detailed description of where she is and what she is doing. “You are sure with one false step you’ll plummet off the edge.” She also explains why she is climbing to the Kingdom of Bhutan and that she had been there before. The severity of falling attracts the reader’s attention because they want to know why it is so easy to fall and where she is.            
b.) “I’ve got on my thick-soled boots, an ugly long black down coat with a hood, and six layers of clothing underneath.” This quotation not only gets the reader to envision what she is wearing and what it looks like but it gets them to feel how heavy six layers of clothing is by just imagining this.
            “Slight, frail seniors navigate the twists and turns and inclines deftly from memory, in a fraction of the time it takes foreigners half their age.” In this quotation the reader can picture a slight frail senior as she described travelling uphill because of her use of descriptive language.
           
c.) There was no dialogue used in this travel writing piece.

d.) The Bhutanese people live off the land and prosper greatly from their farming. They are of Buddhist decent and have a sacred temple in Taktsang that many people travel to pray/meditate in because it is said that if you go there to pray you will be cleansed and renewed. Taktsang is said to give the people that   visit great blessings for travelling 10,000 ft be foot to reach the temple and   village itself.

e.) I would love to visit Taktsang because I would want to know what it would feel like to be cleansed of your past and given renewal. I would also love to see the Bhutanese’s way of life because it seems very withdrew from modern society and I am interested in how the culture lives primarily off the land. I also think other religions are quite interesting and would want to know more about the Buddhist religion and the people.  

f.) This author is very descriptive when she retells her journey. She touches all the five senses throughout her piece and it is almost as if you are there with her experiencing and seeing the sites she is describing. Her use of word choice engages the reader from start to finish and there is never a dull moment in her story.

g.) Into Sacred Air by: Lisa Napoli:

         

            http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-stories/into-sacred-air-taktsang-bhutan-20120409/
           

                                                 Taktsang Monastery, Bhutan. Photo by Goran via Flickr

Cheesy Grossness

Cheese Whiz is something that I have only tried once and it was absolutely vomatrocious. It made me incredibly sick and I cannot understand how people enjoy it. I mean eating it on a cracker is one thing but just treating it like it’s peanut butter and gulping down spoonfuls at a time is certainly another. It is disgusting. The texture of it is like rubber almost like you have to chew this creamy cheese mix in order to swallow it, although it is claimed to be ‘creamy’ it is more like a paste…lies. It is just another way of ruining cheese, processing it yet again to mask what a great creation cheese actually is. I bet there isn’t even real cheese in it.

Cheese Whiz is by far the nastiest thing Kraft has ever produced, next to their spray cheese which is just as bad. People actually spray cheesy goo all over their meals! Whether it is a pasta sauce or spread on top of a taco either way they are all quite gross. I can recall the one and only time I indulged in the terrors of Cheese Whiz and it was in kindergarten during snack. Every Friday someone would bring in a treat for snack and boy was in for one that week…. My best friend brought in celery with guess what on top? Cheese Whiz…. Ugh. I was her best friend so I felt obligated to eat it even though my stomach was saying DON’T YOU DARE, but I had to we were best friends. So I decided to reach for the smallest one when she came around with it so that I could eat it all in one bite. To my disadvantage they were all huge. At least 3 inches long I’d say. So I braced myself for the worst took one with a smile and placed it on my napkin.

I didn’t want to eat it at all. I was even going to try and hide it in my napkin and just throw it away but then she came and sat down… I was trapped and so I picked it up, bit into it eyes closed and chewed and chewed until I could quickly swallow it. The worst was over and I opened them to see that my friend had gotten up so I stealthily slipped the rest of the contaminated celery stick into my napkin and bolted for the garbage. I was safe but there was an aftertaste in my mouth that I will never forget. The Cheese Whiz had created a coating around my mouth and I needed to be rid of it fast so I chugged my Capri Sun and was finally at peace.

I can honestly say that I have not tried Cheese Whiz ever since kindergarten and do not intend to for the rest of my life. If you like Cheese Whiz that’s okay each to his/her own I guess, I just find it sickening.

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Bon Cop Bad Cop

     In my Opinion the film "Bon Cop Bad Cop" was quite entertaining. The opening was my favourite part because it got my attention as a viewer, especially seeing the contrast between the two main characters David Bouchard (Patrick Huard) and Martin Ward (Colm Feore). Bouchard is a French detective who is somewhat rebellious and plays by his own rules where as Ward is a detective representing the Ontario Provincial Police who is a by the book kind of guy.



     Bouchard                                                                        Ward

     Their differences clash right from the beginning of the film and when they become partners to work on the "Tattoo Killer" case their personalities annoy the other creating tesnsion between them. The tension gives off a comical feel because they are always attempting to have one up on the other. Through the course of the film they become closer and more understanding of why each of them acts they way they do and the two become closer. They meet eachothers families and they end up fighting for the life of Bouchards daughter Gabrielle who was captured by the Tattoo Killer. The characters were played very well by both Huard and Feore whose acting contributed to making the film a success.
     The plot was somewhat predicatble because from the beginning the viewer could tell that Bouchard and Ward's apths would cross and they would somehow be involved with eachother throughout the film. The plot thickened when they presumed their first suspect Luc Therrien, dead from having been blown up in the back of Bouchard's trunk. Little did the audience know that Luc had escaped and made an appearance at the end of the film.
     Overall the film was enjoyable mostly because of the relationship that Bouchard and Ward developed throughout the  film and they made the film very enjoyable with their acting skills. Bad acting skills is something that makes or breaks a movie and I'm sure there are other out there that share this opinion and in Bon Cop Bad Cop the acting was very well done and made the movie very comical. I laughed a lot but there were also times where I felt sorry for both Bouchard and Ward, the variety of feelings I felt throughout this movie contributed to why I found it so enjoyable.

If you haven't seen it. See it.

Four O'Clock is Tea Time

      Every Friday Gracie and her momma go to tea at Phidellia's down on Peel Street for four o'clock sharp. When they walk through the doors they always creak just a little and the floor creaks a lot. They always sit at the same spot by the window on the far right side with the old chandelier with the paint chipping on the sides. Glenn the owner brings out cookies freshly baked from the kitchen and sprinkles then with icing sugar to give them that extra sweet flavour.
     Today Glenn handed them a new menu! He said that they were going to test the new dishes on their best customers. Gracie was glad to know that they were considered one of Phidellia's best customers and happily looked through the new menu. She saw that they had crepes! Crepes was hands down her favourite meal ever and she just had to try them here.
       Glenn returned to take their order and drop of their teas. Gracie ordered her crepes and Glenn told her that that was a good choice and there was a special ingredient that they just added to them this morning. Gracie smiled and wondered what the secret ingredient could possibly be... hmmmm.
       When the crepes came out, they looked marvellous. Two beautiful  crepes with ice cream on top and little whipped cream swirls then of course- icing sugar. As she was eating them she thought to herself about the secrect ingredient. What could it be? They were extra sweet so it must have something to do with sugar she concluded. When they were finished Glenn returned and gave them two swiss chocolates syaing "There's always room for chocoate" as he always did at every end of every meal.
     As they were leaving Gracie asked Glenn what the secrect was and he replied with a smile, "It's a secrect so I guess you'll have to come back and try them again, see you nect Friday at four o'clock sharp!" And with that Gracie and her mother skipped out of the shop and down the street, looking forward to next Friday at Phidellia's.



How to Consume a Pizza Pop Without Completely Burning off your Tongue

          I'm sure I am not the only one who has managed to singe their tongue on a beautiful cheesy, saucy,soft, meat filled pocket of goodness that has just been freshly microwaved only a few seconds before it is shoved into ones mouth. In fact this happens quite often to not only myself but others I know. Though there are ways of preventing it and they are as follows:

          Firstly I advise you to microwave them in stages- for instance heat it up for one minute and then remove it from the microwave, take a fork and puncture it a few times with the ends so that it can release that hot air trapped inside. Then place it back in and heat it up for another minute.
         
          DO NOT SHOVE IT IN YOUR MOUTH RIGHT AFTER THE LAST MINUTE IS OVER.

        Shoving the Pizza Pocket in your mouth only sets you up for failure and pain. As hungry as you are you must think It just came out of the microwave.... it is going to be hot. Not only will it be hot it will be BURNING HOT. So give it a chance to cool off a little. Pour yourself a glass of chocolate milk because really what better beverage is there? Take a few sips and then fetch a fork and knife.

         With your fork and knife you can slice the pocket in half and then into quarters, possibly sixths depending on the size- this way you will not have the mouth watering filling surprisingly explode in your mouth when you sink your teeth into the pocket. This has happened to me many a time and it ruins the rest of the experience because your tongue is too burnt to even taste the rest that the pocket has to offer you.

        Next you should venture through the fridge for some cheese that you can shred- preferably mozzarella to be melted on top. If you have the luxury of having pre-shredded cheese then be sure to use to use it to save time. Sprinkle the cheese gently over top of the nicely cut pocket and then choose a nice comfortable spot to seat yourself while enjoying your pocket. I usually choose my basket chair because it is the most comfortable seat in the house, it is like sitting on top of a cloud.

        Don't forget your utensiles and chocolate milk! Now you are ready to successfully eat your much anticipated meal of a Pizza Pocket. Indulge and love it. You will find that having pre-cut it eliminates the possibility of burning your tongue and letting it cool was also another contributing factor. That extra cheese is quite the addition and makes your mouth water just that much more.

       You are satisfied and can consume the pocket without the fear of harming your poor tongue.

Success.

    

      

This will not be you.

France Bound

     In less than six days I will be boarding a plane to France! I am so excited it's crazy, in fact it's not even real yet. Only when I touch downin the Paris airport will it be real. Not when I arrive to Pearson airport, not when the plane takes off, only when I can see the Eiffel Tower from a birds eye view up in the sky will this trip be real to me. It's probably going to be around 7 AM when we arrive because of the time difference.
     I'm so happy my best friend and I are going together because it's going to be the best thing that has ever happened to us both in our lives to date.
     Jeeze I have to pack but I don't even know how! I mean I want to bring nice clothes but I don't want to bring too much because of shopping :):):):)! Oh golly jee that's going to be the best thing, SHAPPING and seeing the beautiful sites of course. We're going to see all of the historical sites from Wolrd War II and I am bringing my beautiful Canon Rebel t2i so I can document every moment of it.
     I wish I had a fisheye lense but I'll make do with the ones I've got. I think it would just be amazing to take photos of France with a fisheye lense because they're amazing. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I can't pack. I'm just to pumped. You know that feeling when you can't think about anything because you're just too excited? Well that's me right now until next week. vhdipgh isd ghiosd[a. - That's my brain attempting to explain my excitment.
     The worst part is next week I have SO MANY projects due. For English mainly and Writer's Craft.... I have my essay outline for my ISU due on Monday and then I have my ISU presentation and an Interview due Wednesday! Good thing I'm done my presentation... except the bibliography. Oh well that's not too hard. Wish me luck!
     In the meantime here are some beautiful photos of two of the many sites I will be seeing in France.