Aya D & More

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Macbeth: Play vs Movie

Throughout the years, William Shakespeare's works have been adapted into several versions in the form of movies. Regarding the play Macbeth, in specific Rubert Godd’s 2010 adaption of the play, I would say I enjoyed reading the play more. Despite the fact that Shakespeare’s plays are meant to be performed, there’s something about reading the text which ignites a more in-depth interpretation of plot events, character development, and more. When reading the play, it is up to the individual to determine how to interpret the setting, voices of characters, features of characters and more. The movie as a whole was not too bad. I did enjoy the fact that the producers of the film stayed true to the majority of the original Shakespearean dialogue and did not take away from the essence of the play. Comparing both mediums, there were a few similarities and differences. Firstly, what remained similar among both as stated earlier was dialogue. On the contrary, the differences include the change in setting to one that resembles a mix of Scotland and the World War 2 era Soviet Union. The next difference includes having the witches be a part of multiple scenes they originally were not a part of and have theme watching Macbeth in silence, hence enhancing the murky vibe of the plot. The following also acts as an emphasis of the witches role in the play overall as hidden manipulators, almost like puppet controllers. Overall, I think the movie offered a decent portrayal of the original text as it avoided drastic modern adaptations. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the movie but watching it wouldn't hurt. The special effects, lighting, sound, and furthermore were a nice touch however the good old way of simply reading it and visualising things however you please with consideration to context given would be a more favourable method for myself.

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Bio Poem; Lady Macbeth

Lady

Manipulative, cunning, megalomaniacal, and ambitious.

Wife of Macbeth and daughter of a man who resembles King Duncan.

Lover of power, wealth, and superiority.

Who feels strong, in control, and unsexed.

Who needs importance, admiration, and strength. 

Who fears weakness, failure, and loss of power.

Who gives harsh words, sinful commands, and an innocent presence. 

Who would like to see herself as queen, her husband as king and the country under her throne.

Resident of Inverness Castle in Scotland.

Macbeth

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Spring Break!

During my spring break, I embarked on a journey back to one of my favorite cities (as I mentioned earlier)...London! This time, I travelled with my mother and one of my best friend’s named Tania along with her mother too. Unlike my trip for Week Without Walls where I travelled with my fellow peers, I spent the majority of my trip shopping. I remember getting to the hotel after a long day of roaming around and not being able to feel my legs (but it was so worth it). 

As a means of touristy stuff, I didn’t do much since I had already done a lot during the previous times I’ve visited London as a child and throughout WWW. On the other hand, travelling with one of my best friends has always been on my bucket list and it feels great to have that checked off. It was refreshing to escape for a week and just shop away the stress (hahaha, I did shop a lot). One of the main highlights of the trip would definitely be all the delicious food we ate but we managed to burn some of those calories by walking to all our destinations instead of taking a famous London taxi. Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures on this trip (other than pictures of my food) but heres a selfie I have with my mom on Marylebone street :)

I’d like to apologise for the short blog entry however I kid you not when I say that most of our trip was spent hopping from store to store and bargaining to get the best deals out there! As tiring as it was, my wardrobe was in desperate need of an update. 

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My Journey to Fitness

Looking back at myself, I’d never expected me, out of all people, to become a fitness fanatic. A while back, almost a year ago, something clicked in my mind. I wasn’t pleased with my lifestyle. As I child, I’ve alwayshad an unhealthy diet and routine. I managed to change that and shed someweight off, but that didn’t mean I had permanently disregarded of the unhealthy aspects of my previouslifestyle. I’m a believer that everyone is in control of his or her ownsteering wheel in life, and if you don’t like the direction you’re heading in, just simply turn it around!

After realising how unsatisfied I was with my lifestyle and wellbeing, I decided to do something about it. When I previously lost my weight, I did it all through what I put in my mouth. I would eat as healthy as I could. When the weight came off, I didn’t continue with a fully healthy diet. Then one day, out of nowhere, I decided to sign up in a gym nearby my house. At first I could feel the intimidation hit me as soon as I would enter. I was never an athletic person or a fitness freak, but something made me do it. I needed change, healthy change. I needed an escape from reality. I needed somewhere to let it all out, and thankfully I found that place (known as Fitness First). 

The process proceeded gradually. In the beginning, I did struggle. I mean, who wouldn’t? I was unfit and by no means pursuing the healthiest lifestyle. But that didn’t make me stop. I continued working out as much as possible and changed my diet. There was something so addicting about the adrenaline rush I get during a workout, I truly couldn’t get enough. It got to a point where I would feel out of place if I skipped more than a day of gym-ing. As months passed, I found some passions of mine behind the gym walls, and those are weight training and boxing. Once the typical body exercises became to repetitive, I wanted something new, and that was when I turned to weigh training and boxing. Currently, I am still in progress of accomplishing my goals however I am not even the slightest bit the same person I was when I initially embarked on this journey. I am so thankful for the change that has filled my life, the positive change.

Fitness isn’t something you attain overnight, and if you want something you’re going to have to work for it. There were many times where I was close to giving up, but I’m glad I didn’t and neither should anyone. As Lee Haney once said, “Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.”

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Easy and Healthy 2-Ingredient Pancakes!

Ever since fitness and healthy living became a huge component in my life, I’ve been in constant search of nutritious recipes that are low carb yet very satisfying. Though the search has been tough, I’ve come across this one recipe (the one I’m about to change yourlife with by sharing with you) that has become one of my ultimate favorite meal options. This recipe has been all over fitness magazines, websites, and YouTube channels but I decided to put my own spin on it. I guarantee you’ll fall inlove with it just like I did.

When I first found out how easyit was to make this breakfast, I was shocked and to be honest, I wasn’texpecting the best results but boy was I wrong! The two ingredients you aregoing to need for these amazingly delicious yet healthy pancakes are eggs andbananas. Weird right? But somehow combining these two ordinary ingredients will give you something extraordinary. They’re low calorie, high in protein, 100% natural, and take so little time to make.

The basic recipe calls for 1 large banana and 2 eggs, however with my twist on the recipe, you’re going to also need about a teaspoon of peanut butter and some agave nectar.

1. The first step is going to be heating a skillet on your stove on medium heat.

2. Next you’re going to mash up your banana until it’s smooth with no chunks, then crack your eggs into the mixture.

3. Then pour your batter onto your skillet according to how large or small you want your pancakes to be (I personally like mine on the large side).

4. The pancakes must cook for about a minute on each side or until the bottom turns golden brown, then flip!

After all your pancakes are finished, you’re going to spread your peanut butter on top and drizzle some agave nectar. Both peanut butter and agave nectar will help spice up the pancakes while giving them a bit of sweetness, without the additional chemicals you usually get in your maple syrup and other processed toppings. In the end, you can experiment with the recipe however you like (adding some extra banana is great too)!

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image taken from google

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As phones get smarter, will society get dumber?

We live in a universe taken over by technology and in constant communication, yet with all this communicationthere seems to be no actual connection besides the one of Wi-Fi and ourphones.   

Our everyday lives are plugged in to devices so powerful, they navigate our every action and thought. At home we text, at work we read e-mails, at school we go on Twitter, and on dates we go on Instagram. Regardless of where we are or who we may be with, we are together yet so isolated and alone. Our daily routines have become enabled by technology, allowing us to customize every aspect to suit our desires.  We have become so accustomed to existing with one another but not being on the same page at all. If technology has truly taught us communication, why is it bringing us a part?

The essence of face-to-face conversation is sinking in to this never-ending black whole of advancing technology, and from what it looks like; it’s only going deeper. The word ‘connect’ is a physical one. Meaning that in order to connect we must to physically unite, together as one. However the connection society has established is not kinetic by any means or contributing the advancement of HUMANITY as one. We have become so dependent on technology as our shoulder to lean on. We expect our 1,000 Twitter followers to listen to our pleading voices that we aren’t even voicing out loud and our 3,000 Facebook friends to save us from never being “alone”. It’s ironic eh? We’re drawn to technology and the comfort it gives us by solving our loneliness with an illusion of companionship, when in reality it takes us away from the real solution to our problems, and that is of course TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER. Real connection does not exist behind screens and pixilated icons, but in front of one another. Real communication does not consist of thoughts that are read, but ones that are heard.

With being surrounded by so many digital features, it’s important to hold on to all the natural aspects of humanity, one of them being conversation. When will we open our minds, look up from our devices and realize that technology has outdone our humanity? Just because we have grown addicted to a drug called a smartphone, doesn’t mean we’re getting any smarter.

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When In London...

During around late February, a group of my peers and myself embarked on a journey to London. Our trip was part of a program in our school known as Week Without Walls (or WWW for short). WeekWithout Walls is one of the programs UAS provides which I really appreciate as it allows us, students, to get a week of learning in an environment new to us that is not behind walls. 

In the first two days of our trip, we spent our time in a small town called Stratford upon Avon. Throughout our time there we visited Anne Hathaway’s cottage and garden, Halls Croft, Shakespeare birthplace, and attended a Macbeth master class. On the third day, we took a bus to the city. While we were in the city, we visited the London Eye, the London Dungeons, the Shakespeare Globe Exhibition, the BBC Studios, Madame Tussauds wax museum, went on a Jack the Ripper walking tour, and finally watched a few plays (to be honest, I kinda fell asleep in some. don’t think I’m a big play person) but my favorite was Charlie in the Chocolate Factory since I would watch it everyday as a kid. 

London is one of my favorite cities in the world, as cliché as that may sound. Despite the fact that I’ve visited it several times in the past, I thought that experiencing the beautiful country with my friends would be a different experience that I could add to the long list of memories I’ve witnessed there. Although I’ve previously visited several places in London, I haven’t really gone to the outskirts, so going to Stratford upon Avon would definitely be one of the my favourite parts of trip. Getting a tiny glimpse of what life is like in a small town like Stratford upon Avon was truly refreshing and a sight I will not forget. With such, I haven’t had the opportunity to go to any workshops or watch any plays in London before so getting the opportunity to do so was amazing.

Overall, my trip to London was an unforgettable one filled with positivity. And to end this post off, when in London…never loose the group you’re with because loosing one of our members, Mohayed, was NOT the most pleasant event of the trip (don’t worry, we found him).  

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image taken from google

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The F-Word

The F-Word has been an extremely prominent word in society, one that is associated with negative and many un-true things. So, what is this so called F-Word? 

Feminism is defined as thesocial, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Not so bad, eh? You might be asking yourself, why all the negative baggage? Throughout women’s pursuit of equality, a sense of intimidation has built up, resulting in animosity towards the social movement of feminists. I mean, who wouldn’t blame people for being intimidated? Women have gone a pretty long way with their powerful persistence for social change, but the amount of detestation for the word is at times unbearable, especially for those like myself, who support feminism strongly regardless of the aggressive aversion with classifying myself as one. 

The key reason behind all this opposition towards feminism is all the false representations and feminist stereotypes established by people whom are uneducated on the term as a whole. This results in members of society to simply dismiss the term, which is completely irrational. By rejecting feminism, we are implying that humanity is fine the way it is. We are accepting that girls like Malala Yousafazai are threatened with violence for pursuing an education merely because they are female. We are accepting that women make up the majority of the worlds population but are only a minor segment of congresses around the world. Are all of those things REALLY acceptable?

The misconceptions of the term feminism are powerful; they truly are, despite how fabricated they may be. When a man-hating woman who doesn’t shave their armpits, disapproves of stay-at-home moms, and loves Beyoncé is the first thing people picture of when thinking of feminism, outlines how such extreme versions are viewed as the norm of feminism. I am furious. We should all be furious. This entire negative stigma is not the image that should be portrayed with the concept of feminism. Feminism isn’t a dirty word. Feminists aren’t a senseless group of women who wish to eliminate the entire male species and allow the female species to take over. Us, feminists, are already aware of the power women have, all we aim to do is make society see that strength as well.