Super Size Me- Documentary Review

Happy New Year to all!

So apparently this post has been lying in my drafts. It was supposed to be posted by December 19th, which is totally my fault.

Here we go,

This film was truly scary. I had seen Super Size Me before, in 7th grade science, but i wanted to see the effects of unhealthy eating-which many people in Blair, my community, or even family take a part in.

Here's the trailer:

The main Character of the documentary is Morgan Spurlock, an American adult who wanted to test the effect of fast food on people's bodies. This led Spurlock into independent film making. He chose to eat McDonald's fast food, every meal, for 30 days! 

The documentary does a play by play of his life, meal habits  and his health. After the 30 day period ends Spurlock is over 24 pounds heavier, and is at a much higher risk for heart disease, and heart failure. 

An interesting aspect of Super Sizer Me, is Spurlock's relationship with his girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson. She was constantly worried about his health, and as the doctors in the movie said, if he continued on with the fast food diet, he'd be on the path to death. Jamieson, who herself was a vegan, did not approve of the risks he was taking, After the 30 days ended, despite Spurlock's love of meat and craving for McDonald's, Jamieson was determined to make him healthy again and converted him to her vegan diet.

Another interesting aspect, was the cinematography. The camera was out of focus, shaky, and unprofessional for the entirety of the movie. However, it worked for it. This was just a normal guy making the film, and the camera's sloppiness didn't deteriorate the message of the movie. 

Thirdly, the graphs, charts, and animations showing Spurlock's change in health were very effective.  One animation showed the changes in his body from the first to 30th day. 

He gained 24.5 pounds, had a fatty liver etc. 

Here's a clip: 

I found this the most impressive and convincing part of the movie, because these were actual changes occurring in his body, proved by doctors  and medics, and definitely displaying how fast food is terrible for one's body. 

I really enjoyed this movie, it was humorous, informative, and shocking. when thinking about what Spurlock went through- I definitely want to cut back, or even cut out any fast food from my diet. I do recommend this movie, but only if you have a strong stomach (it gets gross in places). 

Gold Award Idea!

   On Friday I ended up going to The Oaks Retirement Home to observe the tutoring that Blair Students do with the seniors. The seniors were so welcoming, and so grateful that our school's students were willing to help and make a difference in their community.
   Upon hearing that I went to Blair, was in video club, and loved volunteering- One woman, Mary Jacobs, had the idea to make "A Legacy to My Family" Videos. Ms. Jacobs explained that everyone has a story, and every story deserves to be told. Now that videos can easily be made by people, why not preserve these seniors stories for the generations after?
 I thought her idea was great; it could help the seniors, Blair, and me.
I could use this as a Gold Award Project for girl scouts. This award makes you eligible for many scholarships, and is the highest achievement of the girl scout program, equivalent to the boy scout's eagle scout award. More importantly the award rewards you for making change in your community.
I'd really like to pursue this idea, and hopefully I can use Blair's resources to complete the project.

In other video related news, Our interview with LFFP for the documentary project was cancelled-but will be rescheduled soon. We were going to observe their peace leaders meeting in Arlington Virginia, but no other group members could come. Luckily I have some B-Roll videos from this summer, which we can use if we start editing.

This is my last post of 2012! Everyone have an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year!
 

Christmas Time !

I've really been in the mood for Christmas lately! I love the movies, the family, the presents, the vacation, and the general feeling of giving. This weekend i organized a service project of making stocking for the organization Little Friends For Peace. We successfully made 25 stockings to be delivered next weekend!(: 

Another project i'm doing is making Decoupage  magnets, which are really adorable and nice for xmas gifts. 

I love doing crafty things like this but haven't had a chance since sophomore year started. 

This weekend I've also been trying to learn how to knit, so that I could make scarves for xmas presents. Unfortunately I'm terrible at it, and YouTube hasn't been much help. 

Over the break i'm planning on volunteering at a food drive in DC, going to Zoo lights and spending time with my cousin who's coming to visit from California! I'm really excited for the break to come. 

Here's a 3 hour medley of Christmas songs! 

Greenbelt/Taking Photos!

When I was 10 we moved from Greenbelt Maryland, to Silver Spring. I definitely like both, but this weekend made me realize how much I miss the community aspect of Greenbelt. I go there all the time for Girl Scouts, to see my friends, and to do theater, but not living there is hard.

One thing I absolutely love, is that EVERYONE knows each other. Walking in the center there I see old neighbors, friends, friends of friends, and almost everyone says good morning. This weekend my girl scout troop did our annual tradition of caroling at the retirement home. It's such a fun tradition and it makes the seniors so happy, as they always tell us. After caroling there me and my friends went to our friend Clara's game night, where what seems like half the town was there. We all went caroling again around lake side. In the 5+ years I've lived in Silver Spring we've never once received carolers. And i think that's sad. I don't know my neighbors here, and there isn't a sense of community. Not even in our school.

Another thing about Greenbelt is that there are always things to do. This weekend the local high school Roosevelt, performed Grease on Friday and Saturday. Many of my friends were in it and it was a great production. On Friday night there was the Christmas Tree lighting, where a choir sings and free cookies and hot chocolate are giving out, and Santa Clause comes riding in on top of a fire truck. The whole weekend there was a crafts fair, showcasing the beautiful local art work, glass sculpting, knitting, etc.

There's always something to do there. And I love that. I really miss living there.


On another note:
This weekend me and my friend Mairead took pictures, and I got to use several techniques that I learned in Mr. Bustillos' class.

Here are some of the photos:

I really liked how they turned out, and I'd like to pursue photography more in the future.

Psychology

I've tried writing about a couple of different topics this week, but haven't really gotten into it. Thanksgiving's coming up, I saw the midnight Rocky Horror Picture Show, I saw the Odd couple-twice, and I threw a surprise party for my friends. Overall a pretty awesome weekend. I can't seem to write about any of those things though.

One thing that really interests me right now is psychology. The way the human mind works is so fascinating and complex. Everyone thinks and acts differently, and noticing that is essential for people working in psychology  therapy, etc. Although I don't know what I'd like to be when I grow up, I love exploring different paths.

Psychology Today has a great collection of online archives about psychology  Articles such as What's in a Face?, The Siren Call of Starting Over and Many Others are so interesting and a good way to explore how human kind, and myself works.

Fall Video!

Recently we were assigned a Capture the fall video, and this was the final outcome:







I really enjoyed filming this. I filmed at Greenbelt Lake in Greenbelt, which is the town I grew up in. It was nice because the scenery is so beautiful in Autumn, and I got the chance to walk around the lake I love, which is something I haven't done in a few months.

I regret not bringing a tripod, because the scenery is absolutely gorgeous, and the film was definitely made worse by the shakiness. I still like how my video turned out despite that little problem.

I also really enjoyed editing it, and will soon be joining Blair's Video Editing Club. I figured out a lot of little tricks on We Video, including how to insert text and distort video. I really enjoyed this video, and hope we have more like it.

Kudos to Mr. Mayo(:

Favorite songs!

Something that has always annoyed me, is that people judge you about what type of music you like. Saying that someone has a bad taste in music is narrowed minded, as there's absolutely no one who can determine what taste is "good". My brother has always teased me and said I have no taste, which doesn't make sense as my taste is really broad and overlaps his a lot.

Now that I've got that rant out of the way... I really enjoy making lists. It helps me remember who I was at one point, and it shows my changes. I got the idea to make a list from Brianna's blog, when she wrote about places she wanted to go. I didn't want to steal her exact idea, so I've made a list of some of my current favorite songs.

Whatever type of music, lifestyle, anything that makes you happy, is worth pursuing.

Enjoy!
Not it any order:

There She Goes-The La's

Take On Me-Aha

Here Comes Your Man- The Pixies

Glad Girls-Guided by voices

Soul Meets Body- Death Cab

Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks

Ocean Breathes Salty- Modest Mouse

Goldrush- Ed Sheeran

Flowers In Your Hair-The Lumineers

Love Song- Haunt

Good Feeling-Violent Femmes

Banquent- Block Party

I'll Follow The Sun- The Beatles 

Hey Beautiful- The Solids