mom, I need vodka - it's an emergency!

Today I was wondering what the drinking age was in New Brunswick. It's not something I usually think about, but today it was bugging me that I didn't know.

So I went on Wikipedia, the professor's nightmare, to check. 

(Side note: Thanks Kenton for standing up for Wikipedia. I too have never had any problems with factuality. I always double check it and it's always right!)

I found some hilarious things about drinking ages across the world, which I would like to share with you.

In Egypt, you have to be 18 to buy beer. But you have to be 21 to buy wine and spirits. 

In some countries like Denmark, Cuba and well known Swaziland, there is no drinking age, only a purchase age, which is 18. But if you were to acquire alcohol or have someone buy it for you, that's okay. 

In some states in India like Delhi, you have to be 25 to drink! 

In Taiwan, the drinking age is 18 and "One shall not supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 6" I thought that was just common sense. 

In some countries like Finland, you have to be 18 to buy alcohol up to 22%, but 20 to buy anything with a higher percentage. 

But, my favorite is in the United Kingdom. You must be at least 5 to drink in private, 16 in public with a meal and 18 otherwise. But here's the kicker "Children under 5 must not be given alcohol unless under medical supervision or in an emergency". 

Charlie might need some to heal his finger. Come on mom, it's an emergency!

life always goes on

When I was younger, I would always look at people in College and University and imagined what my life would be like then. I’d look so put together and ambitious. I’d have a coffee in my hand about 90% of the time and I’d feel great about starting my life.

I’m in my third year of post secondary studies, and I don’t like coffee. And I’m scared out of my boots to “start” my life.

My classmate Alexa wrote a very interesting post on her blog about starting life. It got me thinking – when does your life as you know it and want it, start?

I always thought my life would start when I had my degree, a job and married my boyfriend. But it’s true, life started a very long time ago. Life is what made us want what we want now.

I have a quote I painted on the wall of my bedroom that reads “You are a product of the choices you make, not the circumstances you face”. I used to fall in that trap a lot – having pity parties for myself because of my circumstance. Then I realized things happen, and people deal and bounce back. There are all sorts of people in this world and I believe every single one has a story that could break your heart. Even the people with the most heart breaking stories somehow still seem to survive.  Some become world leaders, and some just find a new path to walk down.

Point is, humans face strife all the time. Things hurt, but they don’t last forever. Sometimes the residue of hardship lingers around for the rest of your life, but it does not throb with the same wrenching intensity forever. People adapt, they deal. And life always goes on.

I keep telling myself this when it comes to CreComm. So many people are trying to convince us innocent first years that this program is absolute H-E- double hockey sticks. That we will fail miserably sometimes, we will lose tremendous amounts of sleep and it may ruin our relationships. It scares me so much to think that’ll happen. Especially the latter. The work load is starting to build and it is starting to overwhelm me. Is this what I really want to do, is this where I should be?

I know this is where I’m supposed to be. I have known this is where I’m supposed to be for a while and it really feels right. It just seems very daunting and i’m feeling overwhelmed. The scare tactics have worked. But I’m a person, and people deal and adapt. One day at a time. I’ll deal. That’s the choice I’m going to make.

Okay Steve, now I understand the importance of proof reading.

Just saw this story on CBC National that made me really appreciate my teachers hammering in the importance of proof-reading.

Sex-service number given out as government hotline
"Maritime lobster fishermen in need of financial help got quite a surprise Tuesday when they were directed to a toll-free number that was supposed to detail an aid package but which connected them to a lusty sex line instead.

One of the several toll-free information numbers released by Fisheries Minister Gail Shea hooks up callers to a sex line that offers fishermen nary a detail on the lobster stimulus package.
"Hey there hot stuff, I've been waiting for your call," a breathless female voice proffers. "Are you ready for some tantalizing fun?"

The phone message confounded some fishermen in the region who have been pressing Ottawa to provide financial support after a dismal season at sea.

"That's supposed to be the line the information's on?" said Ken Drake of the P.E.I. Fisherman's Association. "It don't sound very good."

The hotline — one of five for Atlantic Canada and Quebec — is supposed to offer details about a short-term assistance program for lobster fishermen that Shea announced this summer.
The department's four other numbers were working properly. The correct number for Maritime lobster fishermen to call is 1-877-525-7466.

Scott Cantin, a Fisheries spokesman, said the error occurred when two digits in the phone number were somehow transcribed improperly on the news release and the department's website.

The service offers to link callers with a credit card to "nasty girls" with "the hottest action."
"We're not exactly sure where the error occurred, but we know it was just a typo and we regret it and we corrected it immediately," Cantin said from Ottawa.

The incorrect number sat on the site for several hours, but Cantin said he didn't know how many people had called it before the correction was made. He said they hadn't received any complaints."

Somebody's getting fired...

unknown name

Having a name like mine means never finding a keychain, a coffee mug or a bracelet with my name on it.
So when someone sees my name on something, I get really excited! My mom once came home from Ottawa when I was about 13 and she bought me this rubber stamp that said "Angèle" (oh yah, with la accent grave and all!) in some Comic Sans MS font. I don't stamp at all. But I still have that because it is the first thing I ever saw with my name on it.
My parents were at the Boston Pizza in Canmore, B.C today and took a picture of this for me. Look at the boat on the bottom right. It doesn't have the accent but it has still gotten me all giddy inside!

new pepsi packaging

I was in Sobey's the other day and was so shocked by this (see picture). It's the new packaging for Pepsi! And it's red!

What's your take - smart move? dumb move?

My take - Weird move. Now, instead of having a sea of red and a sea of blue to distinguish between colas, it's all red. It's almost like they are trying to get the mindless Coke consumers to accidently grab their packaging in hopes that they can convert the faithful Coke-drinkers. It might sell a few more units, but at what cost to the integrity of the company?  

I have always lived with the binary of Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi is Pepsi because it is not Coke. It is part of it's identity that it is not like the other. Now, are they selling out because the other is doing better?

In Advertising class we were discussing what constitutes good advertising - good sales or creative integrity? 

What do you think? 

banjo bowl blues

There is a weird sense of community when it comes to being a Winnipeger. 

We love having socials, drinking slurpees and playing ice hockey. We love to complain about our situation to others, but we all know if someone were to start slamming Winnipeg, we'd be the first to defend it.   It's a weird love-hate bond we have with our city. 

We are a city of people that if you give us something to be proud of, we will run with it.

But if you bring shame on us, we will threaten your job, hunt you down and cover our faces.

Yesterday's Banjo Bowl was a testament to that. 

Hopefully Bomber-goers are just as angry on September 26th when my journalism class goes. Lots of stories to be written then!

the intro

pennies. the lowest end of the coin chain.
No one really cares or even notices when they loose a penny.
Pennies often sit in your pocket, your purse or on your dresser for a long time before you figure out what to do with them.
Pennies are my thoughts, opinions and my perspectives. They sit somewhere within me, with no place to put them to good use, although I do know they hold value.

what to expect:
I don't have a very focused topic. I like to look at people around me and notice things and write. It could be about anything that evokes emotion.
The other thing I will do lots is a series of something i'll call Writing on the Wall. I enjoy doing photography and lately i've been taking a lot of pictures of things that are written on the wall. Random quotes and jibba jabba written on bathroom stalls or bus seats. So you'll probably see stuff like that.

Hopefully I will become more focused once I start writing!